Providence hires Beal, Eagles land commit

New Providence assistant coach Joel Beal during his time at Sacred Heart. (Ed Mailliard)

The college hockey coaching carousel continues to turn this off-season. Providence College head coach Nate Leaman is set to hire Joel Beal as the new assistant coach for the Friars, sources told the New England Hockey Journal.

Beal, who played two seasons under Leaman at Union, had recently been hired as the assistant coach at Bentley following a season as the assistant coach at Miami. Prior to his year with Miami, he was an assistant at Sacred Heart and a graduate assistant at Union.

Beal replaces Kris Mayotte, who left Providence to join Mel Pearson’s coaching staff at the University of Michigan. Mayotte’s departure left a void in terms of having a goaltender on the Providence staff. According to sources, Leaman is going to bring on former Cornell goaltender and Harvard volunteer assistant Bruce Irving.

With Beal going to Providence, Bentley head coach Ryan Soderquist is again forced to look for an assistant coach. Harvard head coach Ted Donato is also still searching for an assistant coach, but the Crimson are close to making a hire, according to several sources.