Albie O’Connell’s tenure as Terrier Head Hockey Coach has ended as Athletic Director Drew Marrochello announced today that the former BU captain and associate head coach will not return next season. His four-year contract, signed in 2018, has expired.
Acknowledging that the decision to let O’Connell go was a difficult one, Marrochello explained, "We have very high expectations for our men's ice hockey program and we are determined to have our team compete at the highest level of college hockey. After the conclusion of our regular year-end assessment, we believe that a new direction is needed for our program to achieve our goals."
O'Connell told The Boston Globe
“We’re in big boy hockey and expectations are always high. So I think it’s a great game. It’s a crummy business at times, but that’s kind of how it goes.
“This year was the first time I felt fully comfortable with the position, like it was a normal year, and settled in. I was also hitting the weight room a little more, and getting a little bit more worried about myself and my personal situation, as well as the team.
“I think it all came together. I thought the personal growth was really good. The growth of our culture, our program, from where it was my first year to now, it’s night and day. I’m pretty happy with the stamp that I’ve left on BU.”
With a national search for a successor, Marrochello said, the University
aspires to have that person in place before the April 20 start of the
American Hockey Coaches Association Convention.
BU’s record under O’Connell was 58-49-16, including this past season’s 19-13-3 record. The Terriers failed to get past the Hockey East quarterfinals either of the past two season, but did win the Beanpot for the 31st time last month.
The announcement triggered much speculation on the Internet and social media about a possible successor. O’Connell had succeeded David Quinn following the 2017-18 season when Quinn was hired by the New York Rangers. It’s believed that the other finalists four years ago were former BU captain and longtime NHLer Shawn McEachern and Rick Bennett, who stepped down as Union College head coach during the past season amid controversy.
CHECK BACK AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE
● GoTerriers.com announcement
● BU Today report
● WTBU Sports report
● College Hockey News report
● Boston Hockey Blog report
