BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott men's ice hockey head coach R.J. Tolan has been named a finalist for the Edward Jeremiah Award, which is given annually to the College Division Men's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.
Named in honor of the former Dartmouth head coach and sponsored by CCM, the Jeremiah Award will be announced on Thursday, March 23 at the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey National Championship Banquet, hosted by Endicott College.
Tolan has led this year's squad to a 23-2-2 overall record and an 18-1-2 mark in conference play.
The Gulls captured their third conference championship in program history (2016-17, 2019-20, 2022-23) with a 6-0 victory over No. 5 Curry on March 4 and advanced to this weekend's NCAA Tournament Semifinal Round with a 3-0 triumph against No. 9 Norwich last Saturday (quarterfinal round).
Along with those accolades, this year's team has consistently been ranked No. 1 in the PairWise Rankings and positioned inside the top-5 of the USCHO.com national poll.
This season's success has resulted in Endicott College being chosen to host the NCAA Division III National Championship. It marks the first time the College will host an NCAA Division III national championship in any sport.
Currently, in his eighth year as the program's varsity head coach (9th overall), Tolan has compiled a 142-42-12 overall record (.755) and a 96-27-6 mark in conference action (.767).
The Gulls have produced four 20-plus win seasons (2016-17, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23) and punched their ticket to NCAA Tournament three times in program history.
Additionally, this is the fourth time Tolan has been named a Jeremiah Award finalist (2015-16, 2016-17, 2019-20, 2022-23) corresponding with his four Coach of the Year awards (3x CCC, 1x ECAC Northeast).
Under his tutelage, 11 student-athletes have signed pro contracts, advancing as high up in the pro ranks to the American Hockey League (AHL).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 4 Endicott (23-2-2) hosts No. 2 Hobart (27-2-0) in the NCAA Division III National Semifinal round on Friday, March 24 at 7 PM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
