North Dakota fired hockey coach Brad Berry on Sunday after the Fighting Hawks failed to make the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons.
Berry won a national championship in his first season as coach at his alma mater in 2015-16, when North Dakota beat Quinnipiac 5-1 in the championship game in Tampa, Fla. But the Fighting Hawks have had little postseason success since, with four NCAA tournament appearances and only one victory, coming in 2021. They have not appeared in the Frozen Four since Berry’s first season, when he took over after Dave Hakstol left to coach the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers.
“Coach Berry has had a tremendous decade run at his alma mater,” UND athletic director Bill Chaves said in a statement. “Not many coaches win a national title and he’s one of a very few. His time will be cherished, but today was the right time to move in a new direction for UND hockey.”
Berry went 227-119-35 over 10 seasons with the Fighting Hawks, including 21-15-2 this season, with five NCHC Penrose Cups and one NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship. North Dakota’s season ended Friday with a 4-2 loss to top-seeded Western Michigan in the NCHC semifinals at Xcel Energy Center.
Chaves said Dane Jackson will serve as interim coach while a national search for a replacement will begin immediately.
