Boston University will be seeking a new director of hockey operations after it was announced earlier this week that Eddie Effinger was leaving the Terriers to become head coach at Division 3 St. Olaf College. Effinger served in his role on the BU staff for less than 12 months. He joined the Terriers after being an assistant...
Boston University will be seeking a new director of hockey operations after it was announced earlier this week that Eddie Effinger was leaving the Terriers to become head coach at Division 3 St. Olaf College.
Effinger served in his role on the BU staff for less than 12 months. He joined the Terriers after being an assistant coach at his alma mater, Amherst College, for six seasons. The Belleville, Ill., native was a four-year standout on the hockey team at Amherst, recording 38 goals and 39 assists in 97 career games.
Effinger succeeded Brittany Miller as director of hockey ops at Boston University. Albie O’Connell, entering his third season as head coach, will have no shortage of qualified candidates applying with the history and tradition of the program.
Yale’s search for assistant on hold
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Yale head coach Keith Allain won’t be hiring a new assistant coach any time soon. That’s because the university has put a freeze on new hires.
Allain has an opening on his staff following assistant Ryan Donald leaving the program last month to become head coach of the Cranbrook Bulls, an expansion franchise in the BCHL. The St. Albert, Alberta, native had spent the past four seasons as an assistant at his alma mater.
Josh Siembida, a Quinnipiac alum, is the other full-time assistant on Allain’s staff. While Yale has struggled somewhat recently, Allain has churned out some good assistant coaches since becoming the school’s head coach in 2006. His Yale coaching tree includes Nashville Predators assistant coach Dan Muse, Sacred Heart head coach CJ Marottolo, and Albertus Magnus head coach Kyle Wallack.
Yale doesn’t have the hockey budget of some of the big boys of the sport, so expect a younger assistant to be hired. Holy Cross assistant Peter Roundy and Sacred Heart assistant Paul Kirtland should be at the top of the list. Other good candidates that I could see having interest are Merrimack women’s assistant Chris Hall, formerly an assistant on the men’s side at Colby, and Brown alum and Northeastern’s director of hockey operations Matt Harlow. One final name to consider is Avon Old Farms assistant coach Mike Pereira, who grew up nearby and played college hockey at UMass.
