Keith Hughes has stepped down at Assumption College as head coach after a 15-year stint as a player and coach with the team.
Hughes was a standout player for the team from 1990-94, served as an assistant under Coaches Bill Bowes and Tom Connors (1994-98) and as head coach since the 1998-99 season.
The team finished 12-12-3 this season, enjoying its finest season under his direction. They were beaten in the Northeast-10 Conference semifinals last night, 4-1, at Saint Anselm.
“We are certainly grateful for the long-time dedication and the contribution of Keith to our program,” said Ted Paulauskas, Director of Athletics. “He was a very skilled player and as a coach represented the College in a professional manner. He had a fine rapport with his student-athletes.”
Paulauskas indicated that a search would commence immediately for a successor.
“I have enjoyed my time at Assumption both as a student-athlete and as a coach. It has been an unbelievable opportunity for me, something that I will cherish forever. My relationships with the staff, along with the hockey alumni, is something I look to forward to continuing. I will miss the day-to-day interactions with the players, but look forward to seeing them progress in years to come,” said Hughes. “It is the appropriate time for me to step down so I may spend more time with my sons, Jake (4) and Owen (2). I don’t want to miss them growing up, and as a result I wouldn’t be able to put as much time into the hockey program. I look forward to bringing them to all the games as I have in the past.”
Hughes finished his career with 121 points (17th) and is one of only 10 players in the college’s history to have a 50-point season. He scored 24 goals with 27 assists as the Ice Dogs finished 19-8 in 1993-94 and won the ECAC North title with a 12-2 conference mark. His .213 shot percentage is fourth among the program’s career leaders.
Overall, Hughes played on teams that posted the best four-year record in the history of the program — 69-32-1 — while winning 20, 19, and 19 games in his final three years. He has posted a 59-107-12 mark as head coach. The Ice Dogs have participated in the post-season six times in his tenure: 2000, 2001 and 2002 in the ECAC Division II tournament and the last three years in the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs.
Hughes graduated from Assumption in 1994 with a Bachelors in Social and Rehabilitative Services and is currently employed full-time with the Massachusetts Department of Social Services.
