Chris Davidson, who served as interim head coach of the Saint Michael’s men’s ice hockey program this season, has been named head coach of the Purple Knights. The announcement was made today by Geri Knortz, Director of Athletics, and concludes a national search process that the College committed to last spring when long-time head coach Lou DiMasi announced his retirement. Davidson accepted the interim position at that time.
“I would like to thank Geri Knortz and Saint Michael’s College for giving me this opportunity,” Davidson said. “I’m honored to become only the second head coach in the program’s history, and to lead a program that has meant so much to me as a student-athlete and coach. It’s just a tremendous honor, and I’m looking forward to what the future holds for this program.”
Davidson led the Purple Knights to their most successful season since 1999-00, finishing the year with a 12-14-1 overall record. Their 8-14-1 ECAC East record was their best league mark since joining the conference in 2001-02. Saint Michael’s captured the 2007-08 Northeast-10 Conference Championship title, and Davidson was recognized with the league’s Coach of the Year Award. It was the fourth NE-10 Championship in the program’s history, equaling Saint Anselm College (who they beat in the finals, 5-1) for the most titles in the sport in conference history.
A 1999 Saint Michael’s graduate, Davidson was a four-year member of the Purple Knight hockey team, and captained the team that won the 1999 NCAA Division II National Championship. After graduating, he served the 1999-00 season as an assistant at Manhattanville, but returned to his alma mater a year later as an assistant to DiMasi. He remained as the program’s assistant coach through the 2006-07 season. He earned a Master of Science degree in Administration from Saint Michael’s in 2006.
In addition to his work at the collegiate level, Davidson is a member of USA Hockey’s Player Development and Select Coaching Staff for the New England District. Last summer, he served as a coach for the USA Under-17 Select Festival in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and was elected to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Board of Governors.
