Bentley hires Andy Jones as head hockey coach

New Bentley coach Andy Jones was most recently an assistant at UMass Lowell. (Rich Gagnon/UMass Lowell)

Andy Jones has been hired as the next head coach of Bentley’s hockey team.

Jones was most recently the associate head coach at UMass Lowell, a position he held for the past five seasons. He joined head coach Norm Bazin’s staff at the start of the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach.

“I believe there is tremendous opportunity here for the ice hockey program to grow into a formidable force in Atlantic Hockey and NCAA Division I,” Jones said in a statement released by Bentley.

With UMass Lowell, Jones’ primary duties were working with the defensemen and the penalty-killing unit.

Prior to the River Hawks, Jones was an assistant coach for four seasons at Clarkson, where he specialized in recruitment and player development. For five seasons prior to Clarkson, Jones was an assistant coach for the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede, with whom he won a Clark Cup championship in 2007.

He attended Amherst College, and played both hockey and baseball before graduating in 2000.

Jones takes over a Bentley team that went 11-21-2 last season and hasn’t had a record above .500 since 2020 when the Falcons went 17-16-3.

Bentley, situated in Waltham, Mass., and a short distance from Boston, boasts a beautiful, 2,240-seat arena that was opened in February 2018. The Falcons play in Atlantic Hockey and are surely looking for Jones to take the program to a new level.

“As we prepare for our 25th season of Division I hockey, we’re looking for our program to move to the next level,” athletic director Vaughn Williams said. “Coach Jones is the right man to help us build a championship program as he brings enthusiasm, energy and experience to Bentley. I can’t wait to see us get started!”

Jones will have big shoes to fill, taking over for Ryan Soderquist, who held the job since 2002 and stepped down in April.