Colgate’s Head Coach Named ECAC Hockey Coach of the YearLAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Leading a second-place team that featured 17 rookies or sophomores and was picked to finish ninth, there was no better choice for the Tim Taylor Award.
The Raiders concluded the regular season with a 13-6-3 mark in conference play and a 17-12-5. Colgate was ranked 18th in the country following the regular season. It was the fifth time in Vaughan’s tenure that his team had posted 13 wins in ECAC Hockey.
Vaughan, who will finish his 21st season as head coach at the end of the year, said that the team didn’t look into the preseason polls and felt if they played their game, they would be successful.
“I didn’t feel that it is sweeter because others had lesser expectations for this team,” Vaughan said. “This group did not put much stock in the preseason polls. We had a style we wanted to play and a plan to get us there.”
In order to be at the top of the standings teams need good chemistry and Vaughan felt this team really worked hard together, which allowed them to achieve so much.
“We had great buy in from everyone, excellent work ethic and a belief that what we were doing would get the results we wanted,” Vaughan said. “We just wanted to keep improving and getting better and we did. That takes great focus and commitment.”
ECAC Hockey had one of its best years nationwide with as many as six teams ranked at one time and also the league was coming off its first national title since 1989. The conference was one of the tops in the country and to be recognized as the top coach in the league was something special.
“I am extremely honored to be ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year in a league that boasts some if the best coaches in the country,” Vaughan said. “I have spent my entire adult life in this league starting as a player in 1981, an assistant coach beginning in 1985 and a head coach from 1992 to the present. This league means everything to me which makes this honor even more special.”
Vaughan went onto say that the team couldn’t have had as much success without his staff. This staff has been together for the last eight seasons and got a welcomed addition in Mike Harder ’97, who is Colgate’s all-time leader scoring.
He wanted to share the award with the staff that helped turn a 6-13-3 conference team into the total opposite of 13-6-3 this season.
“Of course an award like this is really a staff award. I accept it knowing that my assistant coaches Brad Dexter, Jason Lefevre, Mike Harder and Steve Chouinard share it with me,” Vaughan said. “They do so much for this program and deserve recognition. I also often say that good players make good coaches and we have a lot of good players so I share this award with them as well.”
All season Vaughan talked about how fun this year was to coach because the student-athletes were eager to learn and showed up for practice ready to go each day. The dressing room featured good leadership from juniors Spiro Goulakos and Joe Wilson, while also getting a lot from seniors Eric Mihalik and Mike McCann.
Often teams have distractions throughout the season. However, this team wanted to come to practice, work hard and achieve success, which made it a more enjoyable year.
“This was a very special group of student athletes because they wanted to learn and improve and for any coach that makes it a lot of fun,” Vaughan said. “There was so much character in our locker room and excellent leadership. This group also possessed to very special qualities. They trust one another and they genuinely care about each other. Those are very powerful traits on any team. There was a lot of positive energy in our locker room and as a coach I couldn’t wait to get to the rink everyday.”
This is Vaughan’s second ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year award as he was given the honor in 2000 when the Raiders had their best season under their head coach. Colgate went 24-9-2 overall and 14-4-2 in league to reach the NCAA Tournament.
