American Hockey Coaches Association

DEAN BLAIS NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR AFTER LEADING DEFENDING CHAMPIONS BACK TO NCAA TITLE GAME

For the second time in his seven years at the helm of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team, Dean Blais has been named the Spencer Penrose Award recipient as the nation's top collegiate hockey coach.

With a final record of 29-8-9, Blais and the Sioux fell just short of a fifth consecutive 30-win season. A .750 winning percentage in confersence play (18-4-6) enabled the Sioux to capture the WCHA regular season title for the fourth time in five years.

Blais' coaching expertise and confidence was on display at the Frozen Four Tournament in Albany, N.Y., as the Sioux outclassed the superior defense of Michigan State in the semifinal by a 2-0 score, allowing them to advance to defend their 2000 title. Down 2-0 late in the third period against Boston College, Blais removed his goaltender Karl Goehring in favor of an extra attacker with over four minutes remaining in the contest. The Sioux scored to pull within one, and then scored again in the final minute to send the game into overtime.

Blais first won the Penrose Award following the 1997 season, when he took a team that had finished just over .500 in the 1995-96 season to its sixth NCAA championship and first in 10 years. He was again a finalist the following year.

A native of International Falls, Minn., Blais was a four-year letterman at the University of Minnesota and received his Master's Degree in Education at UND in 1982. Following a nine-year tenure as an assistant coach at North Dakota, Blais spent time coaching with the U.S. National Program before returning to the Sioux at the head coach in 1994.

The runner-up in this year's Spencer Penrose Award balloting was Paul Pooley, head coach of Providence College. College hockey's Coach of the Year recipients are chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA). Winners will receive their awards at the annual AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet, held in conjunction with the AHCA Convention in Naples, FL. This year's banquet, which celebrates 50 year's since the inaugural Coach of the YEar Award in 1951, is scheduled for Saturday, April 2.

Winners of the Spencer Penrose Award
(University Division Coach of the Year)

1951	Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth	1977	Jerry York, Clarkson
1952	Cheddy Thompson, Colorado College	1978	Jack Parker, Boston University
1953	John Mariucci, Minnesota	1979	Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1954	Vic Heyliger, Michigan	1980	Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1955	Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard	1981	Bill O'Flaherty, Clarkson
1956	William Hanison, Clarkson	1982	Fernie Flaman, Northeastern
1957	Jack Riley, Army	1983	Bill Cleary, Harvard
1958	Harry Cleverly, Boston University	1984	Mike Sertich, Minnesota-Duluth
1959	John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College	1985	Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1960	Jack Riley, Army	1986	Ralph Backstrom, Denver
1961	Murray Armstrong, Denver	1987	John "Gino" Gasparini, North Dakota
1962	Jack Kelley, Colby	1988	Frank Anzalone, Lake Superior
1963	Tony Frasca, Colorado College	1989	Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
1964	Tom Eccleston, Providence	1990	Terry Slater, Colgate
1965	Jim Fullerton, Brown	1991	Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1966	Amo Bessone, Michigan State	1992	Ron Mason, Michigan State
1967	Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth	1993	George Gwozdecky, Miami
1968	Ned Harkness, Cornell	1994	Don Lucia, Colorado College
1969	Charlie Holt, New Hampshire	1995	Shawn Walsh, Maine
1970	John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech	1996	Bruce Crowder, MA-Lowell
1971	Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard	1997	Dean Blais, North Dakota
1972	John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College	1998	Tim Taylor, Yale
1973	Len Ceglarski, Boston College	1999	Richard Umile, New Hampshire
1974	Charlie Holt, New Hampshire	2000	Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
1975	Jack Parker, Boston University	2001	Dean Blais, North Dakota
1976	John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech