Nichols coach Parker Burgess has announced his resignation to accept the same position with the NAHL’s Janesville Jets.
During his five-year run at Nichols, the Bison compiled a record of 73-51-13, including a 12-13-2 mark in 2019-20, and advanced to the conference semifinals four times, winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship in 2017-18.
“I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to everyone at Nichols College who have made the past five years so memorable,” said Burgess in a statement. “Most importantly, I want to thank the student-athletes I have coached. I love all those guys very much. They totally bought into the culture and vision we had as a hockey program. I am a better coach and person having gotten the privilege of coaching such amazing student-athletes while at Nichols. I am so proud of them.
“I want to thank the staffs I have worked alongside and the great support provided to our program. Thank you to all our alumni who have been so supportive, generous and gracious during my time at Nichols. Our alumni made Jess and I feel like family. I am so proud of all we accomplished during my tenure at Nichols and it is bittersweet to be moving on to our next challenge with the Janesville Jets. I want to recognize and thank former athletic director Chris Colvin for taking a chance on me and giving me my first head coaching opportunity five years ago. Nichols is a special place and will always have a special place in my heart. Wherever my coaching career takes me, ‘The Hill’ will always feel like home and I am proud to have been a Bison.”
This past season, Nichols overcame an 0-9-0 start to earn points in 12 straight games and quality for the CCC playoffs. The fifth-seeded Bison went on to upset Salve Regina 5-4 in overtime and nearly took down eventual champion Endicott in the semifinals, falling 3-2 in overtime.
Nichols experienced the most successful season in school history in 2017-18, when it posted an 18-9-3 mark, won its first-ever CCC championship, and picked up the first NCAA tournament win in program history, defeateing Fitchburg State 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinal round.
“I would like to thank Coach Burgess for all of his efforts in continuing the tremendous success of our men’s ice hockey program over the past five seasons,” said Nichols director of athletics Eric Gobiel. “While we will surely miss having Parker at the helm of our program, I wish he and his family all the best with his new endeavor. With that said, I have no doubt our men’s ice hockey team will continue to compete at the highest level as we have an extremely strong core of returning student-athletes who, along with coach Burgess, built a strong foundation and culture both on and off the ice. We will immediately begin the search to identify the ideal candidate to lead Nichols hockey into this new chapter.”
Prior to Nichols, Burgess spent the previous five seasons at St. Thomas, first as an assistant coach (2010-13) before being elevated to associate head coach in 2013.
