Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Guentzel Joins UNO Coaching Staff

Press Release

The Des Moines Buccaneers announced that head coach Mike Guentzel has been named assistant coach for the men's hockey program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

"My experience in Des Moines was everything I thought it would be," said Guentzel. "Des Moines is a great organization with a great following, and I enjoyed my time here."

After joining the Bucs last summer following a season in which they won just 12 games, Guentzel led the team to a 20-34-6 record during the 2009-10 season.

It was the second stint in the USHL for the Minnesota native. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the St. Paul Vulcans (now Tri-City Storm) under current Sioux Falls head coach Kevin Hartzell during the 1988-89 season. Guentzel then became head coach of the club for three seasons, leading them to the Junior "A" national title in 1991. He was then named head coach of the Omaha Lancers and led them to a league-best 35-13-0 record and the Anderson Cup as regular season champions during the 1992-93 season. Under the guidance of Guentzel, the Lancers would also capture the Clark Cup and then repeat as playoff champions the following season (1993-94).

Guentzel was honored as USHL Coach of the Year following the 1991-92 season, sharing the honor with then Des Moines head coach Bob Ferguson. Guentzel was again named USHL Coach of the Year the following year, becoming the first USHL coach to win the award in consecutive seasons. He posted a winning record in his first five seasons as a head coach in the USHL earning a combined 151-80-8 record in the League.

The appointment to the staff at the University of Nebraska at Omaha marks the return of Guentzel to the collegiate ranks. He spent 14 seasons as assistant coach for the University of Minnesota men's hockey program, helping the Gophers capture back-to-back NCAA championships (in 2002 and 2003). He was also an assistant at Colorado College prior to his stint in Des Moines.

Guentzel joins two former USHL coaches on the staff at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The Mavericks are led by Dean Blais, who was the 2008-09 USHL Coach of the Year and led the expansion Fargo Force to the Clark Cup Finals that season. Mavericks assistant coach Mike Hastings is the all-time leader in USHL coaching victories after compiling 529 wins over 14 seasons with the Omaha Lancers. Hastings took over the Lancers immediately after Guentzel guided the team to back-to-back Clark Cup titles.

Guentzel will continue to assist the Bucs during the transition as a search for his replacement has begun.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrated its eighth season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2009-10. With over 240 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 35 NHL Entry Draft picks on League rosters this past season, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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