Paul Pearl concluded his 19th season at the helm of the Holy Crossmen’s ice hockey program in 2013-2014, and is just the fifthhead coach in the history of ice hockey at Holy Cross. On January21, 2006, with a 3-2 victory at Dartmouth, Pearl became theschool’s all-time winningest coach with the 168th victory ofhis career.
Pearl has forged a 297-293-69 recordat Holy Cross over 19 years and has been the man behind the benchin nine of the 11 most successful seasons in Holy Cross history,while he has had five teams post 20-plus win seasons. Along with 18post-season appearances in 19 years, Pearl led the Crusaders totheir first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003-2004 and2005-2006, while he coached the Crusaders to their first ever NCAATournament win with the 4-3 overtime victory over Minnesota inGrand Forks, N.D., on March 24, 2006.
In 2012-2013, he led the team to itsfirst back-to-back 20-win seasons in program history as theCrusaders went 20-14-3. They finished third in Atlantic Hockey witha record of 15-9-3. He led the team to their first nationalranking, No. 20, since the 2005-2006 season, following a win overeventual national champion Yale.
In the 2011-2012 season, the Crusaderswent 20-15-4 overall for the sixth 20-win season in programhistory. The Crusaders’ 15-8-4 Atlantic Hockey record wastheir best since going 19-7-2 in 2005-2006.
Pearl was named the Atlantic HockeyCoach of the Year for the second time in his career in the2010-2011 seasom, after the Crusaders went 17-16-5 overall (14-8-5Atlantic Hockey). The Crusaders set a new school record with a12-game unbeaten streak as Holy Cross went 9-0-3 between Jan.22-March 11, which also included seven consecutive victories. Theprevious school record came when the team went 10-0-0 between Dec.8, 1979-Jan. 16, 1980. The Crusaders made it to the Atlantic Hockeysemifinals for the first time since the 2005-2006 season.
In 2005-2006, Pearl led the Crusadersto a school single season record 27 victories, as the team postedan overall record of 27-10-2. Holy Cross also claimed the AtlanticHockey regular season and tournament titles.
During the 2003-2004 campaign, theCrusaders tallied a 22-10-4 overall record. Holy Cross swept theAtlantic Hockey tournament, and captured two shutout victories enroute to the title, including the 5-0 playoff win versus AmericanInternational (3/13/04) and in the 4-0 championship game win overSacred Heart (3/20/04).
In 1998-1999, the Crusaders earned a22-9-4 mark and the MAAC hockey championship. It was the first timein the school’s history that the hockey program won itsconference championship.
In Pearl’s first season(1994-1995), he inherited a team that had one winning season in itseight previous years. He guided the squad to a 15-10 record,including an 11-4 mark at the Hart Center and an ECAC Tournamentberth.
Over the years, Pearl has coachedseveral talented athletes, including 1999 MAAC Goalie of the YearScott Simpson, 2002 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and formerNew York Ranger Patrick Rissmiller, 2003-2004 Atlantic HockeyDefensive Forward of Year Greg Kealey, 2003-2004 Atlantic HockeyIndividual Sportsmanship honoree Tim Coskren, 2005-2006All-American Tyler McGregor, Holy Cross’ all-time Division Ipoints leader James Sixsmith and the 2006-2007 Atlantic HockeyDefenseman of the Year Jon Landry. Not only have Pearl’sathletes received numerous accolades, but the coach himself hasearned several honors, such as the 2003-2004 and 2010-2011 AtlanticHockey Coach of the Year award, the 2001-2002 MAAC Coach of theYear award, the 1997-1998 ECAC East Coach of the Year award and the1997-1998 New England Hockey Writers Coach of Year honor.
Pearl also served Holy Cross in thecapacity of baseball coach from 1998-2001. He coached the first twoteams to ever reach the Patriot League baseball playoffs at HolyCross and was twice named Patriot League Coach of the Year.
A 1989 graduate of Holy Cross, Pearlserved as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut from1992-1994. While at Connecticut, Pearl helped lead the Huskies toan impressive mark of 34-15-5 and a pair of ECAC Tournamentappearances. Pearl also served as assistant coach at BrownUniversity, gaining valuable recruiting experience in the UnitedStates and Canada. Also at Brown he served as the head men’sgolf coach.
Prior to serving as an assistant atConnecticut, Pearl directed the ice hockey program at thePortsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, R.I., for two seasons. Heworks extensively with USA Hockey in the Massachusetts Satelliteprogram and has served as assistant coach several times, includingthe Massachusetts Select 17 squad that captured gold at the St.Cloud Festival in Minnesota.
As a four-year letterwinner for theCrusaders, he played in 125 games as a defenseman, tallying 14goals and 63 assists. Pearl led Holy Cross with 25 assists as asenior captain on the 1988-1989 squad. During his four-yearplaying-career, Holy Cross won 63 games and qualified for the ECACEast Tournament twice.
Pearl and his wife Karen have twochildren, Robert and Katheryn. They reside in Wakefield, Mass.
