Providence announced Monday the hiring of David Berard as associate athletic director for men’s and women’s hockey.
Berard will provide leadership, management, and administrative oversight to the men’s and women’s hockey programs, as well as day-to-day supervision of Schneider Arena programs and events.
He replaces Rico Blasi, who resigned last month to take the head coaching job at St. Thomas.
“We are thrilled that David will be returning to Providence College,” Providence athletic director Bob Driscoll said in a statement. “David has spent almost 30 years working in college hockey, including 20 years playing and coaching at Providence. He brings a vast knowledge of the game, our program and Providence College to this position. David is a tremendous person, who I trust to oversee our hockey programs on a day-to-day basis.”
“I am honored to accept the position as Associate Athletic Director for Men’s and Women’s Hockey,” added Berard. “I want to thank Bob Driscoll for his trust and confidence and for giving me the opportunity to return to Providence College. I look forward to supporting his vision and working alongside people that I deeply respect and admire. I am excited to work with Nate Leaman and Matt Kelly, their staffs and players to build on the success of both programs while positively impacting the student-athlete experience.”
Berard spent the last seven seasons as the head coach of the Holy Cross men’s hockey team, leading the Crusaders to an 84-116-34 mark in his tenure before stepping down in April.
In 2012-13, he served as the interim head coach at UConn and led the team to a 19-10-3 mark. Berard also had three different stints on the hockey staff at Providence, for a total of 16 seasons. He was an assistant coach at Providence from 1994 to 1996 and again from 1998 to 2011. He also served as the director of hockey operations for one season in 2013-14.
Berard also served as the top assistant coach at Lake Superior State for two years from 1996 to 1998. He served as recruiting coordinator during his time with the Lakers. Berard began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Colby for two years from 1992 to 1994.
A 1992 graduate and former goaltender in his playing days at PC, Berard was a member of one of the most successful classes to ever wear a Friar uniform, amassing a total of 87 wins over their four-year career. Berard was a member of three teams that reached the Hockey East championship tournament and two teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament.
