Peter Belisle Explained

Peter Belisle
Birth Place:Manville, Rhode Island, US
Current Title:Head Coach
Current Team:Massachusetts–Boston
Current Conference:NEHC
Alma Mater:University of Connecticut
Player Years1:1991–1995
Player Team1:Connecticut
Player Positions:Forward
Coach Years1:1996–1997
Coach Team1:Holy Cross (asst.)
Coach Years2:1997–2006
Coach Team2:Connecticut (asst.)
Coach Years3:2006–present
Coach Team3:Massachusetts–Boston
Overall Record:221–153–29
Tournament Record:2–1
Championships:2016 NEHC champion
2016 NEHC tournament champion
2019 NEHC champion
Awards:2016 Edward Jeremiah Award

Peter Belisle is an American ice hockey coach and former player who was the NCAA Division III coach of the year in 2016.[1]

Career

Belisle was a four-year player with the ice hockey team at Connecticut during one of the program's best stretches. While he was there, the team went 71–25–12, made the conference postseason every year and won its first conference title (the program's only regular season championship as of 2022).[2] After graduating with a degree in business administration, Belisle took a year off before embarking on a coaching career.[3] His first job was as an assistant at Holy Cross, but that stint lasted just a year before he returned to his alma mater in the same role. During his second stay at Storrs, Belisle helped the Huskies transition to Division I and then win the program's first tournament championship in 2000. During this time, Belisle returned to class an earned a Master's degree.

During the 2005–06 season, Massachusetts–Boston had one of the worst performances in the history of college hockey. The Beacons didn't win any of their 26 games and scored a paltry 39 goals over the course of the year.[4] It was the 5th-consecutive year of abysmal play for the Beacons and the team turned to Belisle to give them a fresh start. In his first season behind the bench, UMB won only 5 games but it was still more than they had been able to garner since 2000. By his second year, Belisle was able to get the team up to double-digit wins and then managed his first winning season in 2011. By the mid-teens the Beacons managed to post their first 20-win season in over 35 years. The following season, the program made its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Belisle led the team to the national semifinal that year and was the co-recipient of the Edward Jeremiah Award as the best coach at the Division III level. In the years since, UMB has continued to post winning records but they have yet to return to the national tournament.[5]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1991–92ConnecticutECAC East
1992–93ConnecticutECAC East
1993–94ConnecticutECAC East
1994–95ConnecticutECAC East
NCAA totals36 42 78

Notes and References

  1. Web site: American Hockey Coaches Association . 2012-07-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100116180435/http://www.ahcahockey.com/coty.html . 2010-01-16 .
  2. News: Connecticut Men's Ice Hockey 2016-17 Media Guide section 3 . Connecticut Huskies . 2018-10-12.
  3. News: Peter Belisle . Linked In . August 8, 2022.
  4. News: UMass Boston Men's Hockey Team History . USCHO.com . August 8, 2022.
  5. News: Peter Belisle . UMass Boston Beacons . August 8, 2022.