LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Colby College hockey coach Blaise MacDonald is this year’s recipient of the Edward Jeremiah Award, given annually to the top head coach in NCAA Division III hockey. He was honored Thursday night at a banquet recognizing Division III players and coaches for their accomplishments this season.
MacDonald, in his sixth season at Colby, has led the Mules to the first Frozen Four appearance in the 95-year history of the program. Colby will play No. 1 St. Norbert in an NCAA semifinal Friday night at Herb Brooks Arena.
“It’s shocking,” MacDonald said of receiving the award. “I was surprised, for sure, just because of our record and that I never really thing about these things, to be honest.”
Colby is 17-10-2, having entered the Frozen Four on the strength of a nine-game unbeaten run that includes three New England Small College Athletic Conference playoff victories and two NCAA tournament wins. The Mules are 10-2-2 over their last 14 games, having rebounded from an early-January stretch that saw the team go winless in six out of seven contests.
MacDonald was selected for the Jeremiah Award from a field of 14 finalists, which included two other coaches from this year’s Frozen Four — Tim Coghlin of St. Norbert and Zech Klann of Salve Regina.
“It’s coach-talk, but I believe it, this is a team award,” MacDonald said. “It’s how we played, but more importantly how we collaborated. Players have tremendous voice with me and the other coaches on changing systems, on how we approach a weekend or a game. We all work at it.”
After 14 years as a Division I coach at Niagara and UMass Lowell, the 54-year-old MacDonald came to Colby prior to the 2012-13 season. He was the runner up for the Penrose Award in 2000, an award for the top Division I coach in the country, after leading Niagara to the NCAA quarterfinals.
MacDonald won his 300th career game March 3 when the Mules upended Wesleyan in the NESCAC semifinals. He has 304 career wins, 57 of which have come at Colby.
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