After a decade as head coach of the Bemidji State women’s hockey program, Jim Scanlan is stepping down from his head coaching duties.
“I would like to thank former Bemidji State president Richard Hanson and director of athletics Tracy Dill for giving me the opportunity and trusting me with the position of head women’s hockey coach at Bemidji State University,” said Scanlan in a statement. “To be able to come back to my alma mater and coach in the WCHA was very special. I was extremely honored and grateful at the time of my hiring and that has not changed in the 10 years I have been here. During my tenure, we have experienced a lot of special times and we have experienced some challenges as well.
“I will take with me a lot of great memories.”
Scanlan was hired as the fifth head coach in Bemidji State women’s hockey history on June 17, 2014. He is the program’s winningest head coach, amassing 122 career victories, and is the only head coach in program history to reach the 100 career victories milestone. He is a former USCHO.com national coach of the year and WCHA coach of the year, both achieved during the 2014-15 season, and helped guide the Beavers to a program-record 22 wins during the 2015-16 season.
Since taking the reins of the Beaver women’s hockey program before the 2014-15 season, Scanlan has coached one All-American (Brittni Mowat), one WCHA defensive player of the year (Ivana Bilic), one WCHA student-athlete of the Year (Mak Langei), eight all-WCHA honorees, 176 WCHA all-academic team selections, 132 WCHA scholar-athletes and 139 All-American scholars.
Scanlan led the Beavers to new heights in his first season behind the bench in 2014-15. He led BSU to a 10-win improvement from the previous season and their most wins in program history (21) at that time. The Beavers earned five wins over teams that finished in the top 10 nationally, earned the program’s second-ever trip to the WCHA Final Faceoff and reached the championship game after defeated second-ranked and eventual national champion Minnesota in the semifinal.
In his second season at the helm of the program, Scanlan led the Beavers to a now program-best win total of 22 and the program’s highest finish in the WCHA standings (third) with a 17-9-2 league record. Bemidji State hosted its first-ever playoff series at Sanford Center that season. Following the season, Bilic earned the program’s first WCHA defensive player of the year award.
In his fourth season with the Beavers, he led them to a 16-19-3 record and fifth-place finish in the WCHA regular season. The Beavers went 9-13-2 in conference play and upset fourth-seed Minnesota Duluth at AMSOIL Arena in the best-of-three first round series in the WCHA playoffs to advance to the program’s third WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena.
Scanlan became the program’s winningest head coach during his fifth season with the program and on Feb. 8, 2019 after guiding the Beavers to a 3-2 upset over then-No. 9 ranked Ohio State, he earned career victory No. 82.
On Feb. 29, 2020, during his sixth season, Scanlan earned career victory No. 100 to become the first head coach in program history to reach the century win mark in an exciting four-overtime victory over Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA quarterfinals and also the second-longest game in NCAA history.
In total, Scanlan reached the 10-win mark in seven of his 10 seasons, the most among any head coach at Bemidji State. He compiled a 122-202-23 (.385) career record at BSU.
“To my wife Cyndy who has been on this coaching journey with me for close to 40 years, my daughter Bri with her husband Ben Kinne, my daughter Jaclyn with her special friend Derick Hass, my son Joe with his wife Raquel Thelen, and my grandkids, Kayson, Cici, Howie and Mack: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your love and support have been the why to my purpose,” said Scanlan.
Scanlan also has 12 years of previous collegiate coaching experience. He was an assistant coach for North Dakota men’s hockey team from 1989 to 1996, at Western Michigan from 1985 to 1989, and was a graduate assistant coach at Northern Michigan in 1984-85. During his time at the collegiate ranks, Scanlan’s teams comprised of six All-American selections, 38 all-conference picks, and 67 academic all-conference honorees, posted a 207-208-26 (.499) overall record and an NCAA Ttournament appearance.
Scanlan is a 1985 graduate of Bemidji State with a degree in physical education and health. He later earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration from Western Michigan in 1988.
As a collegiate goaltender, Scanlan played for legendary R.H. “Bob” Peters at Bemidji State from 1978 to 1982. A four-year letter winner, the captain was in net 85 times, logging a career record of 62-19-0, while backstopping the Beavers to an NCHA regular-season title in 1982 and four consecutive trips to the NAIA national tournament, including national titles in 1979 and 1980. The NCHA player of the year in 1982, Scanlan was selected as an NAIA All-American to conclude the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons.
Scanlan also left his mark on the BSU goaltending records. He remains amongst the top ten in six major goaltending categories. He is fifth on BSU’s save percentage list (.907), eighth in goals-against average (2.821), is third on BSU’s goaltending victories list (62), ranks sixth on the Beavers’ career saves list (2,211) and his 4,807 minutes in net stand eighth in Beaver hockey history. In addition, only one goaltender in the 58 years of Bemidji State hockey has accumulated more shutouts during his career than Scanlan’s nine.
He was enshrined into the Bemidji State Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1978-79 and 1979-80 men’s hockey teams. He was named as one of the Bemidji State men’s hockey program’s 50 Legends for 50 Years in 2005-06.
Scanlan has been active in several Minnesota State High School League initiatives, Region 8A, USA Hockey, and the American Hockey Coaches Association. He has also been active on Bemidji State’s men’s hockey national hockey committee, the East Grand Forks Blue Line Club and the East Grand Forks Sports Booster Club.
