July 20, 2007
Pecknold Gets Contract Extension
CHN Staff Report
HAMDEN, Conn. — Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold has signed a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2011-12 season.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"I am very pleased that Rand Pecknold will continue to serve as our head men's ice hockey coach," Quinnipiac athletic director Jack McDonald said. "He continues to elevate our program within ECAC Hockey and the Division I ranks. I am very confident that our men's ice hockey program will maintain its continued success within the ECAC, at the TD Banknorth Sports Center and in the classroom in the coming years."
Pecknold will enter his 14th season behind the Quinnipiac bench in 2007-08. In his previous 13 seasons as head coach at Quinnipiac, he accumulated the most wins of any coach in program history and was a two-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the nation's top Division I college hockey coach. Pecknold guided Quinnipiac to two MAAC regular-season titles, one Atlantic Hockey regular-season title, one MAAC tournament title and the first-ever NCAA berth in program history in 2002.
Last season, Quinnipiac was nationally ranked in the top 20 for 18 weeks and reached the finals of the ECAC Hockey Tournament in just its second year in the league. During the league playoffs, the Bobcats recorded three victories against nationally-ranked teams — including a two-game series sweep at No. 18 Cornell's Lynah Rink. Previously, the Big Red had won 40 of 45 playoff games at Lynah Rink since the facility opened in 1957.
After skating past top-seeded St. Lawrence in the semifinals, Quinnipiac fell one game shy of reaching the NCAA tournament, losing to No. 5 Clarkson in the tournament final.
Senior defenseman Reid Cashman was selected as a First-Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs following the season. Brandon Wong was tabbed as a Freshman All-American and finished as runner-up for the first-ever National Rookie of the Year Award after earning league Co-Rookie of the Year honors. In addition, 14 players earned All-Academic honors from ECAC Hockey.
"I'm extremely appreciative of the commitment displayed once again by Quinnipiac University and its senior administrators to myself, my family and our men's ice hockey program," Pecknold said. "I am very proud of our accomplishments over the past 13 years, but I feel that the best is yet to come as we continue to move forward on a national level."
Since taking over as head coach on May 5, 1994, Pecknold has guided the Bobcats through a smooth transition from the Division II ranks to a nationally ranked Division I program. Pecknold coached Quinnipiac through four seasons at the Division II level before the program was elevated to Division I for the 1998-99 season.
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