Merrimack coach Scott Borek announced Wednesday the completion of the program’s 2018-19 coaching staff.
Joining Borek will be a familiar face in Curtis Carr, who has been a part of the program since 2011-12 – including the last four as associate head coach – as well as new additions Josh Ciocco, Jim Tortorella and Jim NcNiff.
Carr will enter his eighth season at Merrimack in 2018-19.
“I’m very excited that Curtis will be remaining with the program,” Borek said in a statement. “His loyalty to Merrimack College Hockey and his exceptional ability to communicate that loyalty will be integral to the program moving forward.”
Ciocco, who will serve as an assistant coach on the Merrimack staff, spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Brown.
“I have known Josh for over a decade,” said Borek. “His leadership as a student-athlete, along with his attention to detail, make him a perfect fit for Merrimack. I am excited to see his work come to fruition both on the road and behind our bench in the years ahead.”
Tortorella, the director of men’s ice hockey, arrives in North Andover after enjoying success last winter as the head coach at nearby St. Anselm, where he led the Hawks to their 10th Northeast-10 conference title in his first season behind the bench. He brings over two decades of experience at the collegiate level to North Andover, including prior stints at Providence and New Hampshire. He also spent 16 seasons at Colby.
“We are extremely fortunate to have added Jim [Tortorella] to our staff,” said Borek. “His extensive experience will aid our program, players and staff in multiple areas of teaching, involvement and development. His experience as a head coach will be invaluable to the program moving forward.”
McNiff, a 1998 Merrimack alumnus and former student-athlete on the hockey team, will serve as the volunteer goaltending coach for the program. He returns to campus after a one-year run in a similar role at Bentley.
“Jim has a tremendous amount of success on his resume of working with goalies,” Borek said. “He was instrumental in the development of [former Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star] Nick Ellis when we worked together at Providence one year. He is a great communicator, and I know he will bring our goalies to a new level.”
