AHCA Coach of the Year finalists

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (March 16, 2022) -- Head coach David Stockdale of the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team has been selected as a finalist for the American Hockey Coaches Association national Coach of the Year award, as announced earlier this week by the AHCA.

To be a finalist for the award, a coach must either be selected as the Coach of the Year in their conference, or see their team through to the national semifinals. Stockdale earned his finalist spot after being selected as the New England Women's Hockey Alliance Coach of the Year in February.

Stockdale earned his first NEWHA Coach of the Year accolade after guiding the Ravens to a 16-4-0 mark in league play, which was good enough to earn a split of the regular-season title and the top seed in the NEWHA Tournament. From there, Franklin Pierce went on to claim its first league tournament crown as well, on the way to a 22-9-1 final record, which represented a new program high-water mark for wins.

It was the program's fourth 20-win campaign in just nine full seasons, as well as its third straight, omitting the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Ravens put together a program-record 11-game winning streak beginning just before the semester break, which ultimately spanned from Dec. 11 through Feb. 19.

As has been the case throughout the program's existence, Franklin Pierce was nearly unbeatable on home ice this winter, posting a 14-1-1 mark at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena, including a pair of postseason wins. All time, the Ravens are now 85-30-4 in 119 games at their home rink (.731 winning percentage).

The winner of the Coach of the Year award will be announced on Thursday, March 17. The award will be presented on April 22, at the AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla.