MONTGOMERY SIGNS TWO-YEAR EXTENSION

Press Release

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Dubuque Fighting Saints announced today that the team has signed Head Coach and General Manager Jim Montgomery to a two-year contract extension. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Fighting Saints voided the final year of Montgomery’s original three-year contract, replacing it with the new contract that runs through the 2013-14 season.

“The ownership group of Northern Lights Hockey is tremendously pleased to be able to retain Jim Montgomery as our Head Coach and GM for another 2 years,” Fighting Saints co-owner Brad Kwong said. “The success our organization has had as a team and also in developing our players on and off the ice has put the Dubuque Fighting Saints firmly on the hockey map in a very short period of time. This success is solely attributable to Coach Monty and his staff.”

Montgomery joined the Fighting Saints in April 2010. Under Montgomery’s guidance, the club captured the Clark Cup in the team’s first season and Montgomery was named the 2011 USHL General Manager of the Year. In two seasons, Montgomery has compiled a record of 73-34-13. During his tenure, he has helped advance 30 players to the NCAA, and the Fighting Saints have boasted ten NHL draft picks, including three first-round picks in last month’s entry draft.

“It means a lot for me to stay in Dubuque, and to continue working with great people from the top down,” Montgomery said. “Our ownership group is the best in junior hockey, and I have a fantastic relationship with them that I look forward to continuing. This is also great for my family. My wife and two boys love living in Dubuque, and we have been fortunate to make a lot of friends during our time here. The success we have been able to have on the ice has been tremendous, and even above everyone’s expectations. When we started, the ownership group gave us initiatives of what they wanted off and on the ice, and we have been able to make a good footprint with the Fighting Saints returning to Dubuque. We are going to continue to work hard at being a junior hockey franchise that can be elite in every year of its existence.”

During his playing days, Montgomery was a standout forward at the University of Maine, leading the Black Bears to the 1993 NCAA Championship. He remains the all-time leading scorer at Maine with 301 career points. Montgomery enjoyed a professional career that lasted from 1993-2005, that saw him have stints with the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars. Prior to joining Dubuque in 2010, Montgomery worked with Notre Dame as a volunteer assistant coach, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

“We knew we had a talented leader when we hired Coach Monty, but in the two years he has been with us, he has proven to be an effective communicator, teacher and evaluator of talent,” Kwong said. “Most importantly, he is an

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)