KEENE, N.H.--The Keene State College Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the appointment of Bobby Rodrigue '00 as the head coach of the NCAA men's ice hockey team.

"I'm so excited to get started with scheduling games, recruiting our first student-athletes and building our program, and getting the word out there that Keene State men's ice hockey is open for business!" said Rodrigue.

"We're going to build a program that will make the entire community very proud.  My goal is for the ice hockey expansion to become synonymous with the extraordinary success that our athletic department and College have enjoyed."

Since 2006, Rodrigue has served as the head coach for the Owls' club program, shepherding it from its infancy to a regional power in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.  

The Owls won New England Conference Hockey Association championships in 2016, 2020, and 2023, and made ACHA national tournament appearances in 2016, 2017, and 2019.  The Owls were also selected for the 2020 version of the tournament before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Rodrigue has also coached several NECHA All-Stars, including Will Slohm, Kyle Carignan, and Carlin Testa.  Carignan and Testa were also both selected to represent the United States on the ACHA National Team at the World University Games, held in Russia in 2019.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce Bobby Rodrigue as the Head Men's ice hockey coach at Keene State College. Bobby's dedication to bring hockey to this campus and community as a varsity sport has been a dream that he has made reality," said Keene State Athletic Director Marty Testo. 

"His network of connections with USA Hockey, collegiate hockey in the Northeast and throughout our region will allow him to hit the ground running and build a program focused on academic and athletic success. I am very excited for the future of our men's ice hockey program under the direction of Coach Rodrigue.

In 2017, he was a national finalist for the ACHA Coach of the Year award, and in 2016, he received the Bob O'Conner District Coaching Education Award.

A Keene State graduate with a degree in Management, Rodrigue received the Outstanding Service Award from the KSC Alumni Association in 2016, and the KSC Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 2000.

Rodrigue currently serves as the Operations Manager and Hockey Director for Keene ICE, the facility that the Owls will use as they begin competition in 2024-2025.  He has also been the Player Development Administrator for the New England District of USA Hockey, as well as a Select Camp Team Leader and Mentor Coach Developer for USA Hockey, and the Coach-in-Chief for the New Hampshire Amateur Hockey Association.

"I want to thank President Treadwell, (Athletic Director) Marty Testo and the search committee for the trust they have placed in me.  To be named the first coach of the men's varsity hockey team is a tremendous honor for me.

I certainly wouldn't be able to take on this challenge without the support of other coaches and friends who have mentored me during my coaching journey.  I also wanted to give credit to the many great players I've been fortunate to coach through our club team over the last 17 years.  This is all about them and their efforts."

Keene State is adding hockey for the first time the mid 1980s, when it was recognized as a varsity sport and they played in the ECAC through the 1985 season before being discontinued in 1986.

Rodrigue officially begins his duties on November 13.