July 18 is a date new interim University of Vermont men’s hockey head coach Steve Wiedler won’t soon forget.
“It was definitely a whirlwind of a day,” the Farmingville, N.Y., native said.
It was on that day he discovered he would be replacing Todd Woodcroft, who was let go after three years at the helm. An internal university investigation revealed that Woodcroft allegedly had sent inappropriate text messages to a UVM student, although his attorney has denied the university’s findings.
“I got a call to meet the A.D.,” said Wiedler. “I walked in, was told we would be making a change, and that I would be the head coach for the remainder of 2023-24.”
After receiving the news, Wiedler addressed some 20 UVM players who were on campus, in the dressing room at Gutterson Fieldhouse. He then got hold of his other players via Zoom, to inform them of what was going on, along with others invested in the program.
