Kevin Cole of Northfield, VT has been named the first head men's ice hockey coach at Misericordia University, Chuck Edkins, director of athletics, has announced.

"I am excited to welcome Kevin Cole to Misericordia University as our head men's ice hockey coach," said Edkins.  "He has proven his ability to recruit, retain and develop high-quality student-athletes. His experience and passion will help establish the Misericordia ice hockey program."

Cole comes to Misericordia from Norwich University where he served as an assistant men's hockey coach and the head men's golf coach. 

The Cadets were 20-7-2 in 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

"I am thankful to coach Edkins and the administration at Misericordia for this opportunity," said Cole.  "I am really excited about the chance to start a new program.  Building something from scratch is extremely rewarding and is something that the inaugural team will be able to look back on with pride."

The Misericordia University administration is equally excited about welcoming Cole to the campus community.  "We are excited about the addition of men's ice hockey to our varsity athletics offerings and are especially excited about the hiring of Kevin Cole as our first head coach," said Misericordia President Dr. Dan Myers.  "His experience, leadership and enthusiasm will be a tremendous asset to our program."

The Cougars will begin play in the MAC and UCHC in 2024 and practice and play at the Toyota SportsPlex in nearby Wilkes-Barre, PA.  "The hockey facility is great and it will be a unique experience for our program to be around the Pittsburgh Penguins AHL-affiliate organization."

Cole looks to hit the ground running and recruiting the first MU ice hockey team.  "We're looking forward to getting the word out about Misericordia ice hockey," said Cole.  "The campus atmosphere and the facilities are incredible assets to starting a program."

A native of Lansing, MI, Cole earned his bachelor's degree in human resources and economics from Michigan State and a master's in organizational leadership from Trine University.

Cole served as the inaugural head ice hockey coach at Purdue University Northwest where he spent two seasons.

Previously, he spent two seasons as the head ACHA hockey coach at Trine where he helped recruit 90 student-athletes to establish three programs.

Cole played junior hockey for the Soo Indians of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and will be joined at Misericordia by his wife Paige, daughter Hattie and their two dogs.