Alaska-Anchorage Reaches Interview Stage

Two Hockey East Assistants, Denver Assistant Among Finalists

by Christopher Boulay/CHN Writer (@chrismboulay)

Alaska-Anchorage is in the midst of a search for the sixth coach in program history. The school decided in early March not to renew Matt Thomas’ contract after five years as the Seawolves head coach.

UAA initiated the coaching search immediately after announcing Thomas’ dismissal, and now is in the final interview process, sources tell CHN.

UAA’s interim athletic director, Tim McDiffett, would not comment on names, but said the goal was to complete the process as soon as possible.

Thomas ended his tenure with a disappointing 4-26-4 record this year, and was 48-105-21 in his five years in Anchorage. Half of this season’s wins occurred in a sweep of rival Alaska during the final weekend of the season. The strong finish was unable to save Thomas’ job.

The RIT alum managed one winning season, his first, where the team went 18-16-4. That year was marked his only appearance in the WCHA playoffs. The Seawolves defeated Alaska in three games before losing to Ferris State in the WCHA semifinal. It was also the only year the team had a winning record as a WCHA member, dating back to the 1993-94 season.

UAA experienced added recruiting difficulty during Thomas’ tenure due to a financial crisis in the state university system that also affected Alaska’s team. While the financials have been resolved and both schools are no longer are in immediate danger of losing their programs, UAA still struggles to attract recruits, which will be a significant hurdle for the next coaching staff at the program.

There are a number of coaches around the country who applied to the position, but three confirmed interviews this week, according to sources.

David Carle - Denver assistant coach

An assistant at Denver since Jan. 2014, David Carle may be the most logical fit for the UAA head coaching position. He’s from Anchorage, and comes from one of the area’s most successful and best-known hockey families — his brother Matt won the Hobey Baker in 2006, while his younger brother Alex plays for Merrimack. While Carle’s playing career at Denver was cut short in 2008 due to a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, he stayed with the school as a student manager.

After graduation, Carle became an assistant with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers for two seasons, before taking his current position as an assistant to Jim Montgomery.

Recently completing his fifth season on the bench at Denver, Carle, 28, could become the NCAA’s youngest hockey coach. He’s been on the staff for one national championship, two Frozen Four appearances, one conference tournament championship, one NCHC regular-season title and five trips to the NCAA tournament.

Cam Ellsworth - Massachusetts-Lowell assistant coach

For the past seven seasons, Ellsworth helped Lowell coach Norm Bazin transform River Hawk hockey. Ellsworth was instrumental in getting Lowell to five NCAA tournament appearances, three Hockey East tournament titles, two Hockey East regular-season titles and a Frozen Four appearance in 2013.

Ellsworth, 37, is often named in head-coaching searches, and it feels like a matter of time before he makes the jump to the helm of another program. The Leamington, Ont. native began his career playing for Michigan Tech before some time in the ECHL. Eventually, he transitioned to coaching, spending three seasons as an assistant for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers before taking his current position in Lowell.

Kris Mayotte - Providence assistant coach

Another up-and-coming assistant in the college hockey world, Mayotte has been a significant part of improvements at multiple schools. He spent a year as the goaltending coach for Cornell in 2011-12, before two years with Greg Carvel at St. Lawrence. From there, he was hired by Nate Leaman and was a key part in Providence’s 2015 national championship.

Providence reached the NCAA tournament four times with Mayotte on staff and won a Hockey East regular-season title.

Mayotte, 35, was a goaltender for Union from 2002-06, before bouncing between the ECHL and AHL from 2006-11. He also has experience at the international level, participating as an assistant coach for the 2016 and 2017 USA teams at the World Junior Championships.

Other Applicants

While many applied, a number of coaches around the country did not make it to the interview process, sources informed CHN.

Noted Anchorage hockey staple Dennis Sorenson, coach of the city’s Dimond High School and founder of the former ECHL franchise Alaska Aces, applied and was rejected. Buffalo State head coach Steve Murphy, an Anchorage native and a former assistant with the NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears, applied but did not receive an interview. Clarkson assistant Josh Hauge, the former head coach of the NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs, was contacted but did not apply or further pursue the position.

UAA assistant Louis Mass was rumored to have applied for his coach’s former position, but offered no comment when contacted.