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Mar. 23—GRAND FORKS — Brad Berry is out as UND's men's hockey coach.
UND is making a change two days after UND's season ended with a 4-2 loss to Western Michigan in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff semifinals in St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center.
"Coach Berry has had a tremendous decade run at his alma mater," UND athletic director Bill Chaves said. "Not many coaches win a national title and he's one of a very few. His time will be cherished, but today was the right time to move in a new direction for UND hockey."
The players were informed at a team meeting Sunday night.
Dane Jackson will serve as the program's interim head coach. Jackson has been an assistant with the program for the last 19 years.
Berry had one year left on his contract. According to his contract, UND will owe him $493,500.
UND missed the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.
"We all get measured at North Dakota on the championships, and we should," Berry said after Friday's game. "That's what we sign up for. But I'll tell you what, these guys poured their hearts out with everything they did. I couldn't be more proud."
In Berry's 10 years at the helm, he led UND to five Penrose Cups and the 2016 NCAA national championship.
Berry posted a 227-119-35 record. His .642 career winning percentage ranks third among the 64 active NCAA head coaches, only behind Denver's David Carle and Wisconsin's Mike Hastings.
UND finished with a winning record in all 10 years.
He was named the NCHC's Herb Brooks Coach of the Year four times and the national coach of the year in 2020, when one of the best seasons in program history was wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Berry's tenure was characterized by championship teams or narrowly missing the NCAA tournament.
Berry won five league titles, tying Dean Blais for the most of any UND coach.
Three of the seven best teams in program history were Berry's — 2016, 2020 and 2021. One won the national title. One didn't get a chance. The other lost in a five-overtime game to go to the Frozen Four.
Berry's teams also narrowly missed the NCAA tournament four times.
In 2018, UND was No. 14 in the Pairwise and missed the NCAAs because of three upset winners in other conference tournaments. It's the only time in the last 17 years that a team that high in the Pairwise did not qualify.
UND finished No. 20 in 2019, No. 19 in 2023 and No. 18 this season, when UND went 21-15-2. It's the first time UND won 20 games and missed the NCAA tournament since 1990.
UND will likely expedite a coaching search.
The NCAA transfer portal opens for non-graduates on March 30. UND has a strong core of young players. Other programs will try to lure them away.
UND hasn't often gone outside the family for head coaching hires.
Since 1959, UND has only hired one head coach who wasn't previously an assistant with the program — Rube Bjorkman in 1968.
The others in that span — Barry Thorndycraft (1963 NCAA title), Bob Peters, Bill Selman, Gino Gasparini (1980, 1982, 1987), Dean Blais (1997, 2000), Dave Hakstol and Berry (2016) — all were previously assistants.
Peters, Selman, Gasparini, Hakstol and Berry played at UND, too.
Berry played defense for UND from 1983-86 and had two stints as an assistant coach.
Blais hired Berry in 2000 and he stayed through the start of Dave Hakstol's tenure. In 2006, Berry left to take an American Hockey League coaching job with the Manitoba Moose.
He returned to Grand Forks in 2008 to start The Hockey Academy at Ralph Engelstad Arena. After two years, he accepted a job as an assistant coach with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hakstol brought Berry back to campus in 2012 as an assistant.
Berry held that spot for three years until Hakstol left to become the head coach of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.
Then-athletic director Brian Faison hired Berry on the same day as Hakstol's departure.
UND went 34-6-4 in his first season. He became the first rookie head coach in college hockey history to win an NCAA national championship.
UND beat Quinnipiac 5-1 in the title game in Tampa, Fla.
Since then, UND's fortunes have turned in the NCAA tournament. It has frequently played without its top defenseman and has lost overtime games.
First-team All-American Tucker Poolman missed the 2017 tournament after suffering an injury in the NCHC playoffs. UND lost to Boston University in double overtime in Fargo.
First-team All-American Jake Sanderson missed the 2022 tournament after suffering an injury in the NCHC playoffs. UND lost to Notre Dame in overtime in Albany, N.Y.
Garrett Pyke missed the 2023 tournament after suffering an injury in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. UND lost to Michigan 4-3 in Maryland Heights, Mo.
Brad Berry — 227-119-35 (.642), 2015-25
Dave Hakstol — 289-143-43 (.654), 2004-15
Dean Blais — 262-115-33 (.679), 1994-04
Gino Gasparini — 392-248-24 (.608), 1978-94
Rube Bjorkman — 149-168-11 (.447), 1968-78
Bill Selman — 39-20-3 (.653), 1966-68
Bob Peters — 42-20-1 (.674), 1964-66
Barry Thorndycraft — 71-65-8 (.521), 1959-64
Bob May — 44-17-2 (.714), 1957-59
Al Renfrew 18-11 (.621), 1956-57
Fido Purpur 94-75-8 (.554), 1949-56
Don Norman 20-17-1 (.539), 1947-49
John Jamieson 7-6 (.538), 1946-47
Continue reading...
UND is making a change two days after UND's season ended with a 4-2 loss to Western Michigan in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff semifinals in St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center.
"Coach Berry has had a tremendous decade run at his alma mater," UND athletic director Bill Chaves said. "Not many coaches win a national title and he's one of a very few. His time will be cherished, but today was the right time to move in a new direction for UND hockey."
The players were informed at a team meeting Sunday night.
Dane Jackson will serve as the program's interim head coach. Jackson has been an assistant with the program for the last 19 years.
Berry had one year left on his contract. According to his contract, UND will owe him $493,500.
UND missed the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.
"We all get measured at North Dakota on the championships, and we should," Berry said after Friday's game. "That's what we sign up for. But I'll tell you what, these guys poured their hearts out with everything they did. I couldn't be more proud."
In Berry's 10 years at the helm, he led UND to five Penrose Cups and the 2016 NCAA national championship.
Berry posted a 227-119-35 record. His .642 career winning percentage ranks third among the 64 active NCAA head coaches, only behind Denver's David Carle and Wisconsin's Mike Hastings.
UND finished with a winning record in all 10 years.
He was named the NCHC's Herb Brooks Coach of the Year four times and the national coach of the year in 2020, when one of the best seasons in program history was wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Berry's tenure was characterized by championship teams or narrowly missing the NCAA tournament.
Berry won five league titles, tying Dean Blais for the most of any UND coach.
Three of the seven best teams in program history were Berry's — 2016, 2020 and 2021. One won the national title. One didn't get a chance. The other lost in a five-overtime game to go to the Frozen Four.
Berry's teams also narrowly missed the NCAA tournament four times.
In 2018, UND was No. 14 in the Pairwise and missed the NCAAs because of three upset winners in other conference tournaments. It's the only time in the last 17 years that a team that high in the Pairwise did not qualify.
UND finished No. 20 in 2019, No. 19 in 2023 and No. 18 this season, when UND went 21-15-2. It's the first time UND won 20 games and missed the NCAA tournament since 1990.
UND will likely expedite a coaching search.
The NCAA transfer portal opens for non-graduates on March 30. UND has a strong core of young players. Other programs will try to lure them away.
UND hasn't often gone outside the family for head coaching hires.
Since 1959, UND has only hired one head coach who wasn't previously an assistant with the program — Rube Bjorkman in 1968.
The others in that span — Barry Thorndycraft (1963 NCAA title), Bob Peters, Bill Selman, Gino Gasparini (1980, 1982, 1987), Dean Blais (1997, 2000), Dave Hakstol and Berry (2016) — all were previously assistants.
Peters, Selman, Gasparini, Hakstol and Berry played at UND, too.
Berry played defense for UND from 1983-86 and had two stints as an assistant coach.
Blais hired Berry in 2000 and he stayed through the start of Dave Hakstol's tenure. In 2006, Berry left to take an American Hockey League coaching job with the Manitoba Moose.
He returned to Grand Forks in 2008 to start The Hockey Academy at Ralph Engelstad Arena. After two years, he accepted a job as an assistant coach with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hakstol brought Berry back to campus in 2012 as an assistant.
Berry held that spot for three years until Hakstol left to become the head coach of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.
Then-athletic director Brian Faison hired Berry on the same day as Hakstol's departure.
UND went 34-6-4 in his first season. He became the first rookie head coach in college hockey history to win an NCAA national championship.
UND beat Quinnipiac 5-1 in the title game in Tampa, Fla.
Since then, UND's fortunes have turned in the NCAA tournament. It has frequently played without its top defenseman and has lost overtime games.
First-team All-American Tucker Poolman missed the 2017 tournament after suffering an injury in the NCHC playoffs. UND lost to Boston University in double overtime in Fargo.
First-team All-American Jake Sanderson missed the 2022 tournament after suffering an injury in the NCHC playoffs. UND lost to Notre Dame in overtime in Albany, N.Y.
Garrett Pyke missed the 2023 tournament after suffering an injury in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. UND lost to Michigan 4-3 in Maryland Heights, Mo.
Brad Berry — 227-119-35 (.642), 2015-25
Dave Hakstol — 289-143-43 (.654), 2004-15
Dean Blais — 262-115-33 (.679), 1994-04
Gino Gasparini — 392-248-24 (.608), 1978-94
Rube Bjorkman — 149-168-11 (.447), 1968-78
Bill Selman — 39-20-3 (.653), 1966-68
Bob Peters — 42-20-1 (.674), 1964-66
Barry Thorndycraft — 71-65-8 (.521), 1959-64
Bob May — 44-17-2 (.714), 1957-59
Al Renfrew 18-11 (.621), 1956-57
Fido Purpur 94-75-8 (.554), 1949-56
Don Norman 20-17-1 (.539), 1947-49
John Jamieson 7-6 (.538), 1946-47
Continue reading...
