College Hockey:
June 23, 2008 — Dave Flint has been named head coach of the Northeastern University women’s ice hockey team, Athletics Director Peter Roby announced on Monday, June 23, 2008. Flint most recently was the head women’s ice hockey coach at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., and is the current goaltending coach for all the women’s elite and national teams for USA Hockey. Flint becomes the sixth head coach in Northeastern women’s ice hockey’s 28-year history.
“Dave brings a great deal of collegiate women’s ice hockey and US National team experience to our program,” Roby said. “We are thrilled to have someone with his talent and experience leading Northeastern women’s ice hockey. Dave is a proven winner and educator who will fit into the culture of the athletic department very well.”
Flint spent five years as head coach at St. Anselm, compiling a dominating 88-15-2 (.848) record. Flint arrived at St. Anselm in 2003 to take over a club team making the transition to varsity status, and he made it into an immediate winner. In their four seasons as a varsity team under Flint, the Hawks have won two ECAC East regular season championships and three ECAC Open Tournament championships. Flint has also been recognized as ECAC East Coach of the Year and a finalist for National Coach of the Year three consecutive seasons from 2006-08. St. Anselm’s women’s hockey program is non-scholarship and competes in Division III, but as a result of the school’s status as a Division II institution, Flint’s teams were ineligible to compete in the ECAC East Tournament and NCAA Division III Tournament.
Flint’s teams have been known for their defense. The Hawks led the nation in scoring defense in three of their four seasons under him. In each of the last two seasons, the Hawks have led the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Most recently, during the 2007-08 season, Flint led St. Anselm to a 23-2-1 record while his team averaged 4.46 goals a game and held opponents to a miniscule 0.92 goals per game. He also boasted the ECAC East Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year, as well as two American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) second-team All-Americans. In his four seasons, Flint has produced three ECAC East Players of the Year, two ECAC East Rookies of the Year, one ECAC East Goalie of the Year, one AHCA first-team All-American and three AHCA second-team All-Americans.
“I am honored to have been chosen to lead a program rich in history at such a great university,” Flint said. “I believe that with what Northeastern University offers, academically and athletically, combined with its location in Boston, I can help bring the program back to national prominence.”
Flint has been a member of the USA Hockey staff since 2005, and in 2008, he was appointed the goaltending coach and advisor for the Women’s National Program, evaluating and instructing goaltenders at all levels, including the national team that will compete at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.
With Flint as the goaltending coach this season, Team USA won the 2008 World Championships in Harbin, China. Under his guidance, Team USA goalies posted a 1.58 goals against average in the tournament to claim the gold medal. Flint will continue his role at USA Hockey, serving as an assistant coach to the U.S. Select Team that will participate in the Four Nations Cup later this year.
Before his success with the women’s hockey program, Flint served as assistant coach of the St. Anselm men’s ice hockey team for seven seasons. During his tenure, Flint was responsible for recruiting and coordinating the team’s defense and goaltending. The Hawks won back-to-back ECAC Division II Championships from 2000-01. A certified athletic trainer and strength & conditioning specialist, Flint was also the assistant athletic trainer at St. Anselm.
Since 1999, Flint has also worked at the Superskills Training Center in Tewksbury, Mass., as the director of off-ice conditioning and assistant to the director of on-ice instruction. At Superskills, Flint instructs and trains both collegiate and professional goaltenders, including NHL goalies Peter Skudra, Andrew Raycroft and Scott Clemmensen.
A 1993 graduate of North Adams State College (now the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), Flint received his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Sports Medicine. Flint was a four-year goaltender on the varsity men’s ice hockey team at North Adams State and was named the team’s MVP as a senior. He and his wife, Alison, have two children, Paige and Tate.