Thursday, June 20, 2013

Lumberjacks Hire Rich McKenna to Coaching Staff

Press Release

MUSKEGON, Michigan (June 20th) – The Muskegon Lumberjacks have announced that they have hired Rich McKenna as an assistant coach to the organization after spending the past five years as a college assistant coach. McKenna spent the first three years at the Division Three level followed by the next two years at the Division One level.

McKenna, the Monroe, New York native, joins the Lumberjacks after spending the last two seasons with the Huskies’ college hockey program. While with Connecticut, McKenna specialized in recruiting along with added coaching responsibilities during his second year that included working with the defensemen and special teams while also putting in time as the video coordinator and working in skill development and coordinating practice and game plans.

Prior to Connecticut, McKenna served as an assistant coach at Division Three Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut for two seasons spending the majority as the recruiting coordinator while also working with the forwards and helping run practices. While at Wesleyan, McKenna also earned his Masters of Liberal Arts while serving as an assistant for the hockey team.

“I’m super excited to be a part of a world class organization that is involved in the best Tier I hockey league in the world,” said McKenna. “I am looking forward to working with Todd (Krygier) and the rest of the front office staff to help take the Lumberjacks to the next level. Muskegon is a great destination for hockey and the perfect place to raise a young family.”

McKenna is a 2007 graduate of Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont, a Division Three hockey program, in which he played two seasons for the Spartans from 2005-07 while earning the Unsung Hero and Coaches Awards during his time at the school. Following the conclusion of his college career and earning his Bachelor of Science in Marketing, McKenna served as an assistant coach of his alma matter during the 2008-09 season as a recruiter.

Prior to playing in Vermont, McKenna played his first two college seasons with the Hudson Valley Community College Vikings in Troy, New York from 2003-05. During his high school days, the former forward and defenseman played two seasons for Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey where he earned the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2001-02 after leading the Ironmen to a league championship
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“We are really excited to have Rich (McKenna) come aboard as he brings forth five years of college coaching experience and is able to take on multiple responsibilities to help make the team better,” said Lumberjacks Head Coach Todd Krygier. “His perspective and experience in the college game will be valuable to this organization, and he will be a good mentor to our players as we look to grow and develop them into exceptional people on and off the ice.”

 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)

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