St. John Fisher has named Reid Lesswing head coach of the men’s hockey team and Scott McDonald will take the helm as head coach of the women’s hockey team.
The university announced the addition of intercollegiate men’s and women’s hockey teams earlier this year broadening its total number of athletic teams competing in the NCAA Division III ranks to 26.
“We are excited to welcome Reid and Scott to our roster of talented and committed coaches at Fisher,” said St. John Fisher VP for enrollment management Jose Perales in a statement. “We are thrilled that they will serve as the inaugural head coaches for our men’s and women’s hockey programs, and look forward what they will bring to the university; their experience and enthusiasm, and most importantly, their support of our student-athletes.”
Lesswing comes to Fisher from Plattsburgh, where he has served as the assistant coach of men’s hockey and operations manager since 2019. Under his leadership, the team finished this last season with a 21-5-2 record.
Prior to his time at Plattsburgh, he was the assistant coach of men’s hockey at Fredonia, Castleton, and for Team South Africa IIHF Division 3. Professionally, he played for the Louisiana Ice Gators in 2014.
A collegiate athlete himself, Lesswing was a member of the Castleton men’s hockey team. He was selected as team captain in his senior year.
He has been recognized with the SUNYAC coaching staff of the year award and most recently, his team ended the season as the USCHO No. 8-ranked team in D-III.
Lesswing is a two-time graduate of Castleton, where he earned a BS in Business Management and an MS in Athletic Administration.
“I am excited to join the St. John Fisher community and begin building a hockey program that aligns with the success that St. John Fisher athletics is known for,” said Lesswing. “To be named the first coach of the men’s varsity hockey team is a tremendous honor for me. I certainly would not be in this position without the support of other coaches that have mentored me throughout my coaching career. I am thankful for this opportunity to develop our players into leaders in the community as well as student-athletes both on and off the ice. I am excited to take on this new challenge and bring St. John Fisher hockey to the spotlight.”
McDonald joins Fisher after three years as the player development coach of the Bishop Kearney Selects girls hockey program. In addition, he is owner/leader of Maverick Hockey Development, where he designs custom hockey development programs for all Rochester, N.Y., area youth hockey organizations.
Prior to his time at Bishop Kearney, McDonald served as the head women’s hockey coach at RIT from 2006 to 2018, where his 12-year overall record was 205-154-29. He led the team to the Division III national championship in 2012.
In addition, the team had four NCAA tournament appearances, and achieved two CHA playoff titles, two ECAC West playoff championships, and three ECAC West regular-season titles. In 2009 and 2011 respectively, McDonald was named conference coach of the year, and in 2011 and 2012, he was national coach of the year runner-up.
Between 2003 and 2006, McDonald served as the assistant coach of the men’s team at RIT. He also served as assistant coach of the men’s hockey team at Utica for one year.
Professionally, McDonald played for the San Angelo Outlaws in San Angelo, Texas, and the IK Viking club in the Swedish Professional League.
McDonald is a graduate of Niagara, where he was a member of the NCAA Division I men’s hockey team.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be the first head coach of the St. John Fisher University women’s hockey program,” said McDonald. “The culture and commitment the athletic department has is second to none. I’m extremely grateful to be joining this staff and begin building our hockey program from the ground up within their standards. Fisher’s strong academic and athletic programs will give us the opportunity to quickly build our program into a perennial contender and challenge teams, not only in the UCHC, but nationally.
“Rochester has an amazing hockey community that is only getting stronger with the addition of both men’s and women’s hockey.”
