Men's Hockey Coach Mike Hastings Receives Spencer Penrose Award as National Coach of Year
Hastings also received award in 2015
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics News Release
Mankato, Minn. --- For leading Minnesota State University into the 2021 Frozen Four, Mike Hastings (pictured) has been chosen the recipient of the 2021 Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Men's Ice Hockey CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year.
The honor is the second for Hastings, who was also the recipient in 2015. The 2020-21 Mavericks have enjoyed tremendous success this season and look to extend that when they take on St. Cloud State Thursday at 5:00 p.m. EST in the first NCAA Semifinal in Pittsburgh. They were able to advance to the Frozen Four by virtue of two victories at the NCAA Regionals in Loveland, CO. In the first game, the Maver-icks trailed Quinnipiac, 3-1, late in the third period but rallied to tie the game and win it in overtime, 4-3. In the Regional Final, Minnesota State rode the goaltending of Hobey Baker finalist and Richter Award finalist Dryden McKay to down the University of Minnesota, 4-0.
The Mavericks, who bring a record of 22-4-1 into the weekend, captured the WCHA regular season title this past season, going 13-1-2 in league play. It was the sixth MacNaughton Cup in Hastings' nine seasons with Minnesota State. Overall, MNSU leads the NCAA in team defense with 1.52 goals allowed average. They are also averaging 3.56 goals per game, fifth best in the NCAA. Their power play, at 25.8, is fourth best in the country.
Entering the Frozen Four, Hastings has a career record of 236-89-24. His winning percentage of .711 is the best among all active NCAA Division I men's head coaches.
The fourth coach in the history of the Maverick men's hockey program, Hastings arrived at Minnesota State following a three-year stint as the associate head coach at Nebraska-Omaha. He also served as an assistant coach with the men's hockey program at the University of Minnesota for one season and before that had a 14-year run as head coach of Omaha of the United States Hockey League. He left the USHL as the league's all-time winningest coach, compiling a 529-210-56 record with the Lancers, never had a losing season and led Omaha to three Clark Cup titles as the USHL's play-off champions. He was named USHL Coach of the Year three times and as the team's general manager, earned league GM of the Year honors five times.
Hastings was an assistant coach for the U.S. national junior team at the 2003 and 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships and served twice as head coach for the U.S. junior select team that competed in the Viking Cup, earning gold medal honors in 2000. A 1993 graduate of St. Cloud State, Hastings played two years for the Huskies (1986-87 and 1987-88) before a back injury ended his career. Assisting Hastings this season were Todd Knott, Darren Blue and Brennan Poderzay.
The runner-up for this year's Spencer Penrose Award was Greg Carvel of the University of Massachusetts.
The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA championship hockey tournaments. The CCM AHCA COACH of the YEAR AWARDS are sponsored by CCM HOCKEY and chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association. CCM is the legendary hockey brand dedicated to the endless pursuit of performance by delivering game-changing, head-to-toe innovative hockey equipment to players worldwide.
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