Pat Ferschweiler of Western Michigan Is Named CCM/AHCA Division I Men’s Coach of the Year
For leading the Western Michigan Broncos to a pair of NCHC titles and into the NCAA Frozen
Four for the first time in school history, Pat Ferschweiler has been chosen the winner of the
2025 Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Men’s Ice Hockey CCM/AHCA Coach of the
Year by his peers. The honor is the first for both Ferschweiler and for WMU.
The Broncos (32-7-1) earned the Frozen Four berth by surviving a 2-1 double overtime game against Minnesota State and a 2-1 thriller with the University of Massachusetts in the NCAA Regionals in Fargo, ND. Battle-tested of late, WMU captured the 2025 NCHC Championship by virtue of a 4-3 double OT win over Denver, their semifinal opponent on Thursday in St. Louis (4:00 p.m. CT). Denver is the defending NCAA champion.
To get on the Coach of the Year Ballot, a coach has to either win his conference Coach of the Year award or advance to the NCAA semifinals. Ferschweiler is the only coach that has done both this year.
WMU’s fourth-year head coach has the Broncos making history in 2024-25, securing the program’s first ever Penrose Cup, NCHC Frozen Faceoff title and Frozen Four berth. Along with that, the Brown and Gold have tied the program record for wins with 32 so far this season.
Ferschweiler has been a finalist for the award in two of the last three seasons. The Rochester, MN native was named the NCHC Coach of the Year this season and earned his 100th career win against Denver back on March 22. He is the fastest coach in program history to reach that mark. The WMU bench boss is the third NCHC head coach to win the award. North Dakota’s Brad Berry was awarded the honor in 2020, while Denver’s Jim Montgomery won the award in 2017.
Ferschweiler was named Western Michigan head hockey coach on Aug. 3, 2021 after spending two seasons as an associate head coach with the program (2019-21). It was his second stint with the Broncos after he spent four years as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings under former WMU head coach Jeff Blashill. Prior to entering the professional coaching ranks, Ferschweiler was an assistant coach/associate head coach for WMU from 2010-2014.
He also has extensive international coaching experience, winning a gold medal as the head coach of the US U-17 Team at the Five Nations Tournament in 2017. He served as an assistant coach with the US U-18 Team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018 and then served as the team’s head coach for the 2019 Tournament. He was also an assistant coach for the United States at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, earning a bronze medal with the team.
Ferschweiler was originally brought back to WMU in July of 2010 under Blashill and was held on staff by head coach Andy Murray. Before joining the WMU coaching staff, he built the Russell Stover AAA Hockey program in Overland, KS, from the ground up in August 2004 and coached the U-18 team through 2010.
As a player Ferschweiler suited up for the Brown & Gold in 116 total games and amassed 95 points on 30 goals and 65 assists. He was awarded the Rob Hodge Most Valuable Player for the 1992-93 season in which he tallied 35 points including a career-best 15 goals. He was also named the CCHA’s Best Defensive Forward for the 1991-92 season. Ferschweiler played professionally for 11 seasons, five of which came with the Kansas City Blades of the International Hockey League, back when the IHL was one of the top minor-pro leagues in the nation. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Western Michigan University in 1993. Fershweiler resides in Kalamazoo with his wife Stacie and daughters Mia and Avery.
Assisting Ferschweiler this season were Jason Herter, J.J. Crew and Jared Brown. The other Penrose Finalists this year were David Carle (Denver), Mike Cavanaugh (UConn), Guy Gadowsky (Penn State), J.F. Houle (Clarkson), Jay Pandolfo (Boston University), Bill Riga (Holy Cross), Brett Riley (Long Island), Steve Rohlik (Ohio State) and Luke Strand (Minnesota State).The runner-up for this year’s Spencer Penrose Award was Mike Cavanaugh of the University of Connecticut. The award will be presented at the 2025 AHCA Convention at the Hyatt Coconut Point Resort in Bonita Springs, FL, on the evening of Sunday, May 4.
The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site
of the first 10 NCAA championship hockey tournaments. The CCM AHCA COACH of the YEAR AWARDS are sponsored by CCM HOCKEY and chosen by members of the AMERICAN
HOCKEY COACHES ASSOCIATION. CCM is the legendary hockey brand dedicated to the endless pursuit of performance by
delivering game-changing, head-to-toe innovative hockey equipment to players worldwide.
| Winners of the Spencer Penrose Award CCM/AHCA Division I Men's Coach of the Year |
|
| 1951 | Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth |
| 1952 | Cheddy Thompson, Colorado College |
| 1953 | John Mariucci, Minnesota |
| 1954 | Vic Heyliger, Michigan |
| 1955 | Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard |
| 1956 | William Harrison, Clarkson |
| 1957 | Jack Riley, Army |
| 1958 | Harry Cleverly, Boston University |
| 1959 | John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College |
| 1960 | Jack Riley, Army |
| 1961 | Murray Armstrong, Denver |
| 1962 | Jack Kelley, Colby |
| 1963 | Tony Frasca, Colorado College |
| 1964 | Tom Eccleston, Jr., Providence |
| 1965 | Jim Fullerton, Brown |
| 1966 | Amo Bessone, Michigan State Len Ceglarski, Clarkson |
| 1967 | Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth |
| 1968 | Ned Harkness, Cornell |
| 1969 | Charlie Holt, New Hampshire |
| 1970 | John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech |
| 1971 | Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard |
| 1972 | John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College |
| 1973 | Len Ceglarski, Boston College |
| 1974 | Charlie Holt, New Hampshire |
| 1975 | Jack Parker, Boston University |
| 1976 | John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech |
| 1977 | Jerry York, Clarkson |
| 1978 | Jack Parker, Boston University |
| 1979 | Charlie Holt, New Hampshire |
| 1980 | Rick Comley, Northern Michigan |
| 1981 | Bill O'Flaherty, Clarkson |
| 1982 | Ferny Flaman, Northeastern |
| 1983 | Bill Cleary, Harvard |
| 1984 | Mike Sertich, Minnesota-Duluth |
| 1985 | Len Ceglarski, Boston College |
| 1986 | Ralph Backstrom, Denver |
| 1987 | John "Gino" Gasparini, North Dakota |
| 1988 | Frank Anzalone, Lake Superior |
| 1989 | Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence |
| 1990 | Terry Slater, Colgate |
| 1991 | Rick Comley, Northern Michigan |
| 1992 | Ron Mason, Michigan State |
| 1993 | George Gwozdecky, Miami |
| 1994 | Don Lucia, Colorado College |
| 1995 | Shawn Walsh, Maine |
| 1996 | Bruce Crowder, UMass Lowell |
| 1997 | Dean Blais, North Dakota |
| 1998 | Tim Taylor, Yale |
| 1999 | Richard Umile, New Hampshire |
| 2000 | Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence |
| 2001 | Dean Blais, North Dakota |
| 2002 | Tim Whitehead, Maine |
| 2003 | Bob Daniels, Ferris State |
| 2004 | Scott Sandelin, Minnesota-Duluth |
| 2005 | George Gwozdecky, Denver |
| 2006 | Enrico Blasi, Miami |
| 2007 | Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame |
| 2008 | Red Berenson, Michigan |
| 2009 | Jack Parker, Boston University |
| 2010 | Wayne Wilson, RIT |
| 2011 | Nate Leaman, Union |
| 2012 | Bob Daniels, Ferris State |
| 2013 | Norm Bazin, UMass Lowell |
| 2014 | Rick Bennett, Union |
| 2015 | Mike Hastings, Minnesota State |
| 2016 | Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac |
| 2017 | Jim Montgomery, Denver |
| 2018 | Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame |
| 2019 | Greg Carvel, Massachusetts |
| 2020 | Brad Berry, North Dakota Mike Schafer, Cornell |
| 2021 | Mike Hastings, Minnesota State |
| 2022 | Mike Hastings, Minnesota State |
| 2023 | Bob Motzko, Minnesota |
| 2024 | Greg Brown, Boston College |
| 2025 | Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan |
