WORCESTER, Mass. - The College of the Holy Cross has named former Notre Dame defenseman and five-year pro Brock Sheahan as an assistant men's ice hockey coach, as announced by head coach David Berard and director of athletics Nathan Pine.
"I am very excited to welcome Brock Sheahan to our coaching staff," said Berard. "Brock brings a wealth of knowledge to our program from his experiences as a player and as a coach. He has a great feel for the game and understands what it takes to build a championship level program. His strong communication skills and positive energy will have a significant impact on the development of our players. I am delighted that Brock has decided to join us at Holy Cross."
Sheahan spent last season at Notre Dame as a volunteer assistant coach as his alma mater went 23-15-2 and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Before returning to Notre Dame, Sheahan played five years of professional hockey. He spent four seasons in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) playing one season with the Wheeling Nailers (2008-2009), two seasons with the Cincinnati Cyclones (2009-2011) and one with the Ontario Reign (2012-2013). Sheahan appeared in 327 ECHL games with 14 goals and 67 assists for 81 points. He served as an assistant captain at Ontario, Cincinnati and Wheeling. He led the Cyclones to the Kelly Cup championship in 2010. He also played one season in Germany with SC Riessersee (2011-2012) as he posted three goals and 24 assists for 27 points.
Sheahan played for the Irish from 2004 to 2008 and was part of Notre Dame's first CCHA championship team in 2006-2007 and first Frozen Four team the following year as a senior assistant captain advancing to the 2008 national championship game. During his career, he played in 161 games, scoring four goals with 29 assists for 33 points. He was one of the leaders on two of the top defensive teams in the nation during his career. As a junior, he was fourth on the team with a +20 on a squad that led the nation in goals-against average with a 1.63 mark. That team went 32-7-3 on the way to its first CCHA regular-season and Mason Cup championships. The following year as a senior, Sheahan helped the Irish to the Frozen Four championship game with a 27-16-4 record. The Irish gave up 2.10 goals-per game that year and he led them with a +21. He was selected as the winner of the William Donald Nyrop Award as that team's top defenseman.
A native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Sheahan graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in finance from the Mendoza College of Business. Sheahan's brother, Brodie (Class of 2010), was a four-year member of the men's hockey team at Holy Cross. Sheahan and his wife Ashley were married in 2012.
Sheahan's hiring rounds out the Holy Cross coaching staff as Juliano Pagliero enters his second season with the program. The Crusaders open the season when they host Hockey East opponent Merrimack at the Hart Center on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:05 p.m. Season tickets for the Crusaders' home games are now on sale through the Holy Cross ticket office. Go to goholycross.com/hockeytickets to reserve your season tickets today or call 508-793-2573.
You can follow Holy Cross Athletics on twitter @GoHolyCross. You can also follow the men's hockey team on twitter @HCHockey.
