If it weren’t for longtime former Connecticut College head coach Doug Roberts, Rand Pecknold probably wouldn’t be where he is today.
Pecknold had planned on attending law school after his playing career for the Camels ended, but Roberts offered the Bedford, N.H., native a chance to return to his alma mater as an assistant coach. He spent three years alongside Roberts and got bit by the coaching bug.
The rest was history for Pecknold, who was hired as Quinnipiac’s head coach in 1994 and is currently in the midst of his 25th season in that position. Things are certainly quite different on the Hamden, Conn., campus now.
“I could take an hour talking about all the things that have changed for us,” said Pecknold, who became the third active Division 1 coach and the 17th in history to earn 500 career wins with his team’s 6-0 shutout of Colgate on Dec. 29 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.
“In my first year, we were in Division 3 practicing at midnight. We basically had no budget, barely had jerseys, and we played games with nine or ten skaters a couple of times. We went from there to Division 1 in the MAAC and later Atlantic Hockey, still playing in town rinks. Then we built our own rink, got into the ECAC and, all of a sudden, became a top-10 power. …
“The changes have been pretty dramatic.”
That’s 25 years in a few sentences, but it’s no secret that Pecknold has turned Bobcats into a household name in college hockey. His teams have won an ECAC postseason series during all 11 seasons in the league and posted 20 consecutive winning seasons prior to 2017-18.
All five of Pecknold’s teams from 2012-13 to 2016-17 won 23 or more games. In that span, three won ECAC regular-season titles, one the league’s tournament title, four made the NCAA tournament, and two (2012-13 and 2015-16) were ranked No. 1 in the nation for a length of time en route to a Frozen Four berth.
Those are the numbers that made players like senior defenseman Brandon Fortunato raise their eyebrows.
“He just knows how to win,” said the North Hills, N.Y., native who transferred to Quinnipiac after two seasons at Boston University. “He had a plan for me as a player, and I really respected that he was such a prominent coach who has built a winning program. We played against Quinnipiac during my sophomore year at BU and they were a top team in the country, so it made the decision to come here pretty easy.”
Pecknold’s goals are much bigger than that 500th career victory in a December non-conference game, as the Bobcats are looking to improve upon their 15-4-1 record and being tied atop the ECAC standings with rival Yale.
The bigger picture didn’t stop Pecknold from taking a moment to reflect on the journey, though it was nice to put the anticipated accomplishment in the rear view.
“We had three weeks off for break (before the game), so it was a unique situation where I was at 499,” Pecknold said. “I didn't feel like pressure was mounting, but it was getting a lot of buzz. … It was a nice moment to share with my team and family. I’m just thankful for the opportunities that Quinnipiac has given me, all the great players we've had over the years, and all the great staff members.”
Assistant coaches are often unsung keys to success in college hockey. While Pecknold runs the show in Hamden, associate head coaches Bill Riga and Joe Dumais keep things moving while trying to make the program’s future as consistent as its recent past and present.
In addition to his current staff that includes Riga, Dumais, and goaltending coach Jared Waimon, Pecknold looks to the likes of current Washington Capitals assistant Reid Cashman, Cornell associate head coach Ben Syer, and Winnipeg Jets scout Scott Robson for helping him set the course for the program.
“If you look at any successful program, you need a head coach with a plan and you'd better have good assistants that are going to do some of the dirty work,” Pecknold said. “Especially in the college world, you've got to do the recruiting. It's hard work, but we've certainly done a good job with the recruiting and we put a lot of time and effort into developing the players we have.”
Though driven to return Quinnipiac to the sport’s upper echelon with a deep postseason run come March, those current players recognized just how special the milestone was for their team-driven head coach.
It was a moment they would not slip by without a little celebration. Senior captain Chase Priskie and his teammates made sure to recognize Pecknold by giving him the team’s “hard hat” following a game in which junior Andrew Shortridge and sophomore Josh Mayanja (Framingham, Mass.) combined for the team’s seventh shutout this season.
“It was a big deal for all the guys,” said Priskie, the defenseman who leads Quinnipiac with 12 goals this season and reached the 100-point mark for his career during Pecknold’s 500th win. “We wanted to make sure that we were the team to put that puck on his mantle. …
“Since I came in, Rand has had such an impact on my career and I know a lot of alumni and current players would say the same. Every day he comes to the rink, he’s always teaching. He’s such a great teacher and really knows how to communicate with us. Whether it's watching video or actually doing walkthroughs on the ice, he makes sure he covers it with everyone.”
It’s been a long but fulfilling journey for Pecknold, who has been named ECAC Coach of the Year twice, won Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year in 2016, and represented his country as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team and U.S. Under-18 National Team after the last two seasons.
“One of the negatives to my career is that I became a head coach at a very young age, so I probably didn't learn enough before I took over,” Pecknold said. “Coaching had never crossed my mind until Coach Roberts made that call. … Once I got in, I realized it was the right fit for me and that it was my passion.”
More than two decades and 500 wins later, all of the Bobcats are thankful that Pecknold made that choice. Now, this season’s bunch is ready to add to the win column, and perhaps a bit of extra motivation for the rest of the way was added with the milestone victory.
“It was probably one of the most exciting times I've ever seen Rand in the locker room after a game,” said Priskie. “Hopefully we can make some more waves this season and see that side of Rand come out a little more often.”
