WORCESTER, Mass. -- Holy Cross men's ice hockey coach Bill Riga is one of 10 finalists for the American Hockey Coaches Association Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year honors, announced on Monday afternoon.
The nominees represent any coach who won or shared Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, as well as coaches whose teams have advanced to the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four. Selected by the nation's 64 NCAA Division I head coaches, the winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 8.
The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA championship hockey tournaments.
Since arriving on Mount St. James in 2021, Riga's team's have improved each season. The squad saw an eight-win increase after his first season at the helm, and have improved by 12 wins over the four years since. The team has registered back-to-back 20+ win seasons for the first time in 12 years, and their trip to the Atlantic Hockey Championship both this season and in his second season were the first since 2006.
This season was nothing short of record-breaking, as Riga's squad ripped off an Atlantic Hockey record 16-game unbeaten streak (15-0-1) to claim the Crusaders' first Atlantic Hockey regular season title since 2006, while tying the program record for most conference victories in a single season with 19. The 2024-25 squad also tied the Holy Cross Division I era records for most goals in a season (130), overtime victories (6), longest unbeaten streak (12), and longest road winning streak (6), and broke the records for home victories (15), conference winning percentage (.769 - 19-5-2), penalty kill percentage (.905 - 133-for-147), longest win streak (10), and longest conference win streak (10).
Riga was an Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year finalist in 2024 before being voted the winner of the award this year.
CCM/AHCA Men's Hockey Spencer Penrose Division I Coach of the Year Finalists
David Carle, Denver, NCAA Semifinalist
Mike Cavanaugh, UConn, Hockey East Coach of the Year
Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan, NCHC Coach of the Year, NCAA Semifinalist
Guy Gadowsky, Penn State, NCAA Semifinalist
JF Houle, Clarkson, ECAC Coach of the Year
Jay Pandolfo, Boston University, NCAA Semifinalist
Bill Riga, Holy Cross, AHA Coach of the Year
Brett Riley, Long Island University, Independent Coach of the Year
Steve Rohlik, Ohio State, Big Ten Coach of the Year
Luke Strand, Minnesota State University, CCHA Coach of the Year
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