| Fairfield Stags men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Fairfield University |
| Conference | MAAC |
| Head coach | N/A |
| Arena | Total Mortgage Arena Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Colors | Red [1] |
The Fairfield Stags Men's Ice Hockey was an NCAA Division I ice hockey team that played in the MAAC for five seasons.
Fairfield's hockey program was elevated to Division III status in 1974 and found immediate success with a 19-7-1 mark under head coach John McCarthy. Despite being a D-I school, the Stags competed in ECAC's lower classification. McCarthy retired after the 1995-96 season and was replaced by Peter LaVigne who then stepped down after only one season. Mike Doneghey succeeded Lavigne [2] and in Doneghey's first year Fairfield was ruled ineligible to play in ECAC's North/Central/South postseason after offering athletic scholarships, a violation of D-III rules. [3] Fairfield had offered the scholarships because they were joining the newly formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) ice hockey conference which was to begin play in 1998-99. In their first year as a full D-I program Fairfield finished with one of the all-time worst records, going 1-31 over the course of the season and allowed an average of more than 7 goals per game. After the worst record in team history Doneghey was promptly replaced with Mark Dennehy and, though there was improvement, Dennehy himself left after a 3-28-3 season to become an assistant at Massachusetts. Jim Hunt assumed the reins for the 2000-01 season [4] and saw to a resurgence in Fairfield's fortunes with an 11-win season, but the next two years saw diminishing returns with 6 and 8 wins.
Hunt was not able to push the Stags any further due to the University dropping the ice hockey program to club status after the 2002-03 season. [5] The move came as a cost-cutting measure that also claimed Fairfield's football program. In five season as a D-I school, Fairfield finished last in their conference three times, [6] made two conference tournaments and lost both of its playoffs games by a combined score of 23-7. [7]
Today the Stags Men's Ice Hockey Team is a member of the ACHA and competes in the D3 division. Under new head coach Mike Silva, the team has seen an Empire Conference Championship in 2015 and three consecutive Regional Championships that vaulted the team into contention for the national title. In 2015 the team achieved a record of 0-3-0 on the national stage, yet still finished ranked 14th in the country. In 2016 the team achieved a record of 1-1-1 at nationals nearly qualifying for the semi-finals, ultimately the team finished 7th in the country that year. In 2017 the team earned a record of 1-2-0 and finished 12th in the country.
| Season | Division | Conference | Record | Pct. | Position | Conference Tournament | Coach |
| 1974–75 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 19–7–1 | .722 | T–9th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1975–76 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 13–11–1 | .540 | 7th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1976–77 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 11–11–0 | .500 | 6th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1977–78 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 8–12–1 | .405 | 9th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1978–79 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 7–16–0 | .304 | 14th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1979–80 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 13–13–0 | .500 | 11th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1980–81 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 14–9–1 | .604 | 8th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1981–82 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 9–14–1 | .396 | T–9th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1982–83 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 10–13–0 | .435 | 13th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1983–84 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 8–13–3 | .396 | 17th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1984–85 | Division III | ECAC 3 | 5–19–0 | .208 | 24th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1985–86 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 5–19–1 | .220 | 26th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1986–87 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 7–17–0 | .292 | T–20th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1987–88 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 6–19–1 | .250 | 28th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1988–89 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 5–21–0 | .192 | 22nd | None | John McCarthy |
| 1989–90 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 9–12–2 | .435 | 16th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1990–91 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 12–11–2 | .520 | 14th | None | John McCarthy |
| 1991–92 | Division III | ECAC North/South | 16–12–0 | .571 | 8th | Division Semifinals | John McCarthy |
| 1992–93 | Division III | ECAC South | 10–10–0 | .500 | 2nd | None | John McCarthy |
| 1993–94 | Division III | ECAC South | 14–6–1 | .690 | 2nd | None | John McCarthy |
| 1994–95 | Division III | ECAC South | 18–9–0 | .667 | 2nd | Quarterfinals | John McCarthy |
| 1995–96 | Division III | ECAC South | 11–13–4 | .464 | 2nd | None | John McCarthy |
| 1996–97 | Division III | ECAC South | 13–12–1 | .519 | 3rd | None | Peter LaVigne |
| 1997–98 | Division III | ECAC South | 12–12–0 | .500 | N/A | N/A | Mike Doneghey |
| 1998–99 | Division I | MAAC | 1–31–0 | .031 | 8th | Quarterfinals | Mike Doneghey |
| 1999–00 | Division I | MAAC | 3–28–3 | .132 | 10th | None | Mark Dennehy |
| 2000–01 | Division I | MAAC | 11–19–2 | .375 | 8th | Quarterfinals | Jim Hunt |
| 2001–02 | Division I | MAAC | 6–23–2 | .234 | 10th | None | Jim Hunt |
| 2002–03 | Division I | MAAC | 8–23–2 | .273 | 11th | None | Jim Hunt |
| 29 seasons | – | – | 284–435–30 | .399 | – | – | 5 coaches |
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
| 1974–1996 | John McCarthy | 22 | 230–287–19 | .447 |
| 1996–1997 | Peter LaVigne | 1 | 13–12–1 | .519 |
| 1997–1999 | Mike Doneghey | 2 | 13–43–0 | .232 |
| 1999–2000 | Mark Dennehy | 1 | 3–28–3 | .132 |
| 2000–2003 | Jim Hunt | 3 | 25–65–7 | .293 |
| Totals | 5 coaches | 29 seasons | 284–435–30 | .399 |
The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) was an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other college athletic conferences, Atlantic Hockey had no women's division, though it shared some organizational and administrative roles with the women's-only College Hockey America (CHA).
The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and classified as Division I (non-football) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represents Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut and competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home games in the 3,500 seat Leo D. Mahoney Arena on campus. The team is currently coached by Chris Casey, his first year at the helm.
Yale University women's ice hockey (YWIH) is an NCAA Division I varsity ice hockey program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
The Army Black Knights men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the United States Military Academy. The Black Knights are members of Atlantic Hockey America and play at the Tate Rink in West Point, New York.
The Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the College of the Holy Cross. The Crusaders are members of Atlantic Hockey America (AHA), formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of their former home of the Atlantic Hockey Association with the women-only College Hockey America. They play at the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Quinnipiac University. The Bobcats are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Connecticut.
The Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Clarkson University. The Golden Knights have been a member of ECAC Hockey since 1962, and play their home games at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, New York. While Clarkson lore has it that their first hockey game was played in 1916 against the Hogansburg Indians, the team was established as a hockey club in 1921, led by captain Bill Johnson. The Knights won their opening encounter against Alexandria Bay, 6–4, and finished the year with a 2–1 record, their first of many winning seasons.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers, members of Atlantic Hockey America, play at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Connecticut. From 1993-2016, the Pioneers home arena was the Milford Ice Pavilion in Milford, Connecticut.
The Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey team that represents Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania under Head Coach Rick Gotkin. The team is currently a Division I hockey team playing out of the Mercyhurst Ice Center located on the school campus. The Mercyhurst Lakers started out as a club sport at the school, moving up to Division III, followed by Division II, and now plays in Division I in Atlantic Hockey America, formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of the Lakers' former home, the Atlantic Hockey Association, with College Hockey America. After joining their step up into Division I in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1998, the Lakers have won their conference tournament making NCAA tournament appearances in 2001, 2003, and 2005.
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Canisius University. The Golden Griffins are members of Atlantic Hockey America, formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of their former hockey league, the Atlantic Hockey Association, with College Hockey America. They play at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York across the street from KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. Canisius has won an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament twice, after winning the Atlantic Hockey title in the conference playoffs in both 2013 and 2023, but lost in the first round to the top-ranked team each time.
The American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the American International College. The Yellow Jackets are members of Atlantic Hockey America. They play at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 4, 2002, and concluded with the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 12, 2003, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. This was the 56th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 109th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team. The 2002–03 season was the final year for the MAAC hockey conference when Iona and Fairfield ended their programs at the conclusion of the season.
The 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 3, 1998, and concluded with the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 3, 1999, at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. This was the 52nd season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 105th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.
The Iona Gaels Men's Ice Hockey was an NCAA Division I ice hockey team that played in the MAAC for five seasons.
The 2003 MAAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 5th and final championship in the history of the conference. It was played between March 15 and March 23, 2003. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, the home venue of the Army Black Knights. By winning the tournament Mercyhurst received MAAC's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament.
Rick Gotkin is an American ice hockey head coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey team, a position he has held since 1988.
Mike Doneghey is an American ice hockey former head coach and player who has served as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks since 2009.
Shaun Hannah is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently director and coach of the Yale University 8-U and learn-to-skate programs. Previously he was the head coach for Sacred Heart during their transition from Division III to Division I and the shift from the MAAC to Atlantic Hockey.
The 1997–98 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in October 1997 and concluded on March 21 of the following year. This was the 25th season of Division III college ice hockey.