BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – By advancing their teams to the 2022 Frozen Four, two WCHA coaches in Maura Crowell (Minnesota Duluth) and Nadine Muzerall (Ohio State) have been named finalists for the 2021-22 Division I Coach of the Year award, presented by CCM and the American Hockey Coaches Association.
The seven coaches must either be voted as Coach of the Year in their respective conference or advance to the NCAA Semifinals. Five of the finalists are former Coach of the Year honorees, while two of them were winners at the Division III level.
Nadine Muzerall was voted as 2021-22 WCHA Coach of the Year by the head and assistant coaches in the league after her success in the regular season. After setting several scoring records and earning the most wins in program history, Muzerall led Ohio State to its second WCHA Final Faceoff title in the last three years with an overtime win against Minnesota. In addition to the team's success, her players have stood out individually at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and as defender Sophie Jaques was named a Patty Kazamaier Award Top-10 Finalist.
By advancing her Bulldogs to the 2022 Frozen Four, Minnesota Duluth head coach Maura Crowell has also been named a finalist. Crowell is the WCHA's most recent Division I Coach of the Year honoree, after she earned the title for her efforts in the 2016-17 campaign. This season, Crowell led the Bulldogs to nine wins over teams ranked in the top-10 in the country, while two of her players have been named Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 Finalists in Gabbie Hughes and Elizabeth Giguere.
Of the 24 past winners, 11 have come from the WCHA. The 2021-22 winner is set to be announced this Thursday, March 17 ahead of the 2022 Frozen Four taking place in University Park, Pa.
2021-22 CCM/AHCA Women's Ice Hockey Division I Coach of the Year Finalists
Mark Bolding, Yale # - ECAC Coach of the Year and NCAA Semifinalist
Maura Crowell, Minnesota Duluth * - NCAA Semifinalist
Paul Flanagan, Syracuse * - CHA Coach of the Year
Dave Flint, Northeastern * - NCAA Semifinalist
Nadine Muzerall, Ohio State – WCHA Coach of the Year and NCAA Semifinalist
Jim Plumer, Vermont # - Hockey East Coach of the Year
David Stockdale, Franklin Pierce – NEWHA Coach of the Year
(* past winners of the Division I Coach of the Year Award; # past winner at Division III level)
Past WCHA Winners of the Women's Ice Hockey Division I Coach of the Year Award
1998 Laura Halldorson, Minnesota
2002 Laura Halldorson, Minnesota
2003 Shannon Miller, Minnesota Duluth
2004 Laura Halldorson, Minnesota
2006 Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
2007 Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
2009 Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
2011 Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
2013 Brad Frost, Minnesota
2014 Brad Frost, Minnesota
2017 Maura Crowell, Minnesota Duluth
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on Twitter and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.