BOWLING GREEN — Hiring the next hockey coach at Bowling Green State University will be an important decision for a program with newfound momentum, and the BGSU department of athletics is making sure it finds the right fit.
The Falcons are taking their time in replacing Chris Bergeron, who left Bowling Green after nine seasons in charge to accept the same position at Miami University, his alma mater. Bergeron formally accepted Miami’s offer April 5, and the program introduced him as its new coach Monday.
Bowling Green is due $150,000, because Bergeron terminated his contract early, though naming the new coach could take some time.
Bowling Green director of athletic Bob Moosbrugger said the foremost goal of the search “is getting the right candidate, whether that takes us two weeks or four weeks or, at the worst, six weeks.”
Moosbrugger said he hopes the search will not last that long, but also that BG will take the time necessary to identify the right candidate.
“My standard line is we’re going to do it as quickly as we can, but take as long as needs to be taken to find the right person to lead our program,” Moosbrugger said. “I know everybody seemingly wants it done sooner than later, and I respect that, but we’ll make sure we do it in a fashion that we feel comfortable with our selection.”
Unlike the football hiring cycle, during which programs have to contend with the mid-December signing period for new recruits, there is not quite the same rush in hockey.
Out of the 60 teams that play NCAA Division I men’s hockey, only two are in the coaching market. St. Lawrence (N.Y.) also is searching for its next coach after the program fired Mark Morris and both of his assistant coaches on March 29.
Men’s ice hockey also does not have a recruiting calendar like football or basketball, but the sport is in the middle of a dead period — during which coaches cannot have face-to-face contact with prospective athletes — that runs through Sunday.
So far, however, Moosbrugger said, Bowling Green has received a quality list of candidates from which to choose.
“The pool of candidates we have will dictate the pace that we go. We have a really good pool of candidates,” he said.
The hiring comes at a critical juncture for Bowling Green, which is coming off its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1990.
For a program with a national championship in its history — the Falcons won the 1984 title in quadruple overtime — Bowling Green hopes the vision of its next coach can keep the program playing on a national stage.
“What separates people in these situations is their ability to articulate their vision, their plan for this program,” Moosbrugger said.
“I like to ask them, ‘You’re out selling BGSU hockey — what are you selling?’ I want to know how the next leader is going to sell this program to recruits, to fans, and to donors. The answers to those questions will separate those candidates from others.”
First Published April 11, 2019, 8:20 p.m.
