Fairfield Stags men's ice hockey
| Fairfield Stags men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Fairfield University |
| Conference | MAAC |
| Head coach | N/A |
| Arena |
Arena at Harbor Yard Capacity: 8,525 |
| Location | Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Colors |
Cardinal and White |
The Fairfield Stags Men's Ice Hockey was a NCAA Division I ice hockey team that played in the MAAC for five seasons.
Fairfield's hockey program was elevated to Division III status in 1974 and found immediate success with a 19-7-1 mark under head coach John McCarthy. Despite being a D-I school, the Stags competed in ECAC's lower classification. McCarthy retired after the 1995-96 season and was replaced by Peter LaVigne who then stepped down after only one season. Mike Doneghey succeeded Lavigne[1] and in Doneghey's first year Fairfield was ruled ineligible to play in ECAC's North/Central/South postseason after offering athletic scholarships, a violation of D-III rules.[2] Fairfield had offered the scholarships because they were joining the newly formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) ice hockey conference which was to begin play in 1998-99. In their first year as a full D-I program Fairfield finished with one of the all-time worst records, going 1-31 over the course of the season and allowed an average of more than 7 goals per game. After the worst record in team history Doneghey was promptly replaced with Mark Dennehy and, though there was improvement, Dennehy himself left after a 3-28-3 season to become an assistant at Massachusetts. Jim Hunt assumed the reigns for the 2000-01 season[3] and saw to a resurgence in Fairfield's fortunes with an 11-win season, but the next two years saw diminishing returns with 6 and 8 wins.
Hunt was not able to push the Stags any further due to the University dropping the ice hockey program to club status after the 2002-03 season.[4] The move came as a cost-cutting measure that also claimed Fairfield's football program. In five season as a D-I school, Fairfield finished last in their conference three times,[5] made two conference tournaments and lost both of its playoffs games by a combined score of 23-7.[6]
Season-by-season records
| Season | Division | Conference | Record | Pct. | Position | Conference Tournament |
Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 19–7–1 | .722 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1975-76 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 13–11–1 | .540 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1976-77 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 11–11–0 | .500 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1977-78 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 8–12–1 | .405 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1978-79 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 7–16–0 | .304 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1979-80 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 13–13–0 | .500 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1980-81 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 14–9–1 | .604 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1981-82 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 9–14–1 | .396 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1982-83 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 10–13–0 | .435 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1983-84 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 8–13–3 | .396 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1984-85 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 5–19–0 | .208 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1985-86 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 5–19–1 | .220 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1986-87 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 7–17–0 | .292 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1987-88 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 6–19–1 | .250 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1988-89 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 5–21–0 | .192 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1989-90 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 9–12–2 | .435 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1990-91 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 12–11–2 | .520 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1991-92 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 16–12–0 | .571 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1992-93 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 10–10–0 | .500 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1993-94 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 14–6–1 | .690 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1994-95 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 18–9–0 | .667 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1995-96 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 11–13–4 | .464 | — | — | John McCarthy |
| 1996-97 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 13–12–1 | .519 | — | — | Peter LaVigne |
| 1997-98 | Division III | ECAC D-III | 12–12–0 | .500 | — | — | Mike Doneghey |
| 1998-99 | Division I | MAAC | 1–31–0 | .031 | 8th | Quarterfinal loss | Mike Doneghey |
| 1999-00 | Division I | MAAC | 3–28–3 | .132 | 10th | None | Mark Dennehy |
| 2000-01 | Division I | MAAC | 11–19–2 | .375 | 8th | Quarterfinal loss | Jim Hunt |
| 2001-02 | Division I | MAAC | 6–23–2 | .234 | 10th | None | Jim Hunt |
| 2002-03 | Division I | MAAC | 8–23–2 | .273 | 11th | None | Jim Hunt |
| 29 Seasons | — | — | 284–435–30 | .399 | — | — | 5 coaches |
All-time coaching records
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–1996 | John McCarthy | 22 | 230–287–19 | .447 |
| 1996–1997 | Peter LaVigne | 1 | 13–12–1 | .519 |
| 1997–1999 | Mike Doneghey | 2 | 13–43–0 | .232 |
| 1999–2000 | Mark Dennehy | 1 | 3–28–3 | .132 |
| 2000–2003 | Jim Hunt | 3 | 25–65–7 | .293 |
| Totals | 5 coaches | 29 seasons | 284–435–30 | .399 |
References
- ↑ "Doneghey Names Head Coach at Fairfield". USCHO.com. 1997-09-24. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
- ↑ "Fairfield Ruled Ineligible for Postseason Play in ECAC". USCHO.com. 1998-02-13. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
- ↑ "Fairfield Makes it Official, Names Hunt New Coach". USCHO.com. 2000-06-12. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
- ↑ "Fairfield Drops Hockey Program". USCHO.com. 2003-02-06. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
- ↑ "MAAC Regular Season Standings". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
- ↑ "MAAC Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-06-13.