William E. McCormick, who was head coach of the Williams (Mass.) College men’s hockey team for 35 seasons, passed away last month in Spring Hill, Fla., at the age of 88.
McCormick came to Williams in 1953 to work as the freshman coach and became the program’s head coach the next season. During his distinguished career, he was elected president of the American Hockey Coaches Association and served as a member of the Ice Hockey Rules Committee of the NCAA. At the time of his retirement, he had coached longer at a single school than any of his peers.
The leading scorer for two seasons during his playing days at Michigan State, he compiled a 317-331-20 coaching record at Williams. He was chosen New England Coach of the Year in 1961-62 when his 16-3-1 team beat Army, Brown, Cornell and Penn.
McCormick retired as coach in 1989 and was succeeded by Bill Kangas (South Burlington, Vt.). The following year, he retired as assistant professor of physical education. When not on the rink, he was very active in the Williamstown Boys Club.
Rufo joins UMass
The University of Massachusetts has added graduate transfer Niko Rufo to its 2017-18 roster, head coach Greg Carvel announced last month.
Rufo (Stoneham, Mass.), a 6-foot, 199-pound forward, has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining. He played three seasons at Providence College, including 2014-15, when the Friars won the national championship.
"Niko is an experienced player who will bring leadership and maturity to an extremely young team," said Carvel. "We will look to Niko to be an important part of our offense, as he is a skilled player who also plays with great energy and intensity."
At Providence, Rufo tallied 10 points on four goals and six assists in 56 games over four seasons, with a career-high 18 games played in both 2015-16 and 2016-17. He appeared in 11 games during the Friars’ championship season.
Gamez transitions to coach role
Providence men’s hockey junior forward Garrett Gamez has announced that he will no longer play hockey due to ongoing health concerns. Gamez will join the men’s hockey staff this upcoming season as a student assistant coach.
Gamez collapsed on the bench during the first period in Game 2 of the Hockey East quarterfinals at Notre Dame on March 11 and missed the remainder of the season. He appeared in 57 games for the Friars from 2015-17, posting eight goals and eight assists over that span. Three of Gamez’s eight career goals were game-winners, including an overtime goal in the Friars’ 2-1 win over UMass on Feb. 25 of last season.
BC adds Sheary to staff
Former New Hampshire captain Courtney Sheary (Winchester, Mass.) has been hired as an assistant coach on the Boston College women’s team.
The sister of Stanley Cup champion Conor Sheary, she will work with the team’s forwards and handle the team’s video scouting system, as well as assist in recruiting and team administrative duties. She replaces Gillian Apps, who departed the staff in July to enroll in the Tuck School of Business at her alma mater, Dartmouth. Sheary comes to The Heights after one season on staff at Dartmouth as the Big Green’s second assistant coach, where she worked with the defense.
Before Dartmouth, Sheary spent five years at her high school alma mater, Cushing Academy, where she was the school’s assistant athletics director and coached girls varsity hockey. She has also participated in USA Hockey’s Player Development Programs as a player, coach and evaluator.
Bentley adds to staff
Bentley University announced the hiring of Mike Findorff and Jim McNiff as assistant coaches last month.
Findorff comes to Bentley after being an assistant on the staff at Niagara. He was previously an assistant at Utica College and played collegiately as a defenseman at Miami.
McNiff has joined the staff as a volunteer goaltending coach. He spent five years on the staff at Providence as the goaltending/volunteer assistant coach and was on the staff during the Friars’ run to the NCAA championship in 2014-15.
Keady hired by BU
Former Princeton standout Liz Keady (Braintree, Mass.) was named an assistant coach of the Boston University women’s team, head coach Brian Durocher (Longmeadow, Mass.) announced last month.
Keady joins the Terriers after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Harvard. While there, Keady coached the Crimson forwards, including 2016-17 All-Ivy League selections Sydney Daniels and Briana Mastel.
Prior to her stint with the Crimson, Keady coached one year as an assistant at Union College and served two seasons as head coach for the girls varsity hockey team at Andover (Mass.) High School.
Holy Cross names Grogan
Holy Cross has hired Matt Grogan as a volunteer assistant coach. He was a standout goalie at the University of Connecticut, where he won the Atlantic Hockey Top Goaltender Award, and brings professional playing experience.
He was a member of the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL in 2014 before playing for the Mississippi RiverKings of the SPHL for the 2015-16 season. He was a goaltender for the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) in 2016.
Grogan also has a background being an instructor and counselor at hockey camps and clinics. He was a camp instructor and counselor for the Stop It Goaltending Camp from 2010-15 and had the same position for the Behind the Mask Goalie School from 2012-16.
Nichols adds Renault, Savage
Nichols College women’s coach Michael O’Grady announced the additions of Nicole Renault and Paige Savage to his coaching staff last month
Renault was a four-year member of the Syracuse University program, where she was a two-year assistant captain. She graduated with the most points by a defenseman in program history (81), collecting 28 points as both a sophomore and senior.
Savage graduated from Northeastern in May. In 149 career games for the Huskies, she racked up 106 points on 37 goals and 69 assists, highlighted by a 29-point campaign as a sophomore (7-22-29) and a 28-point effort (11-17-28) as a junior. She was an assistant captain as a senior.
A member of the Boston Pride of the National Women’s Hockey League, Savage represented the U.S. at the U18 worlds in the Czech Republic.
