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Head Coach Wil Nichol
A national search for the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point men�s ice hockey coach resulted in finding the perfect
candidate just four blocks away.
Wil Nichol, a former UW-Stevens Point player who has coached the Stevens Point
Area Senior High School boys� hockey team the past two years, has been selected
as the fourth coach in the Pointers� 26-year hockey history.
Nichol, 33, takes over a UW-Stevens Point program that
has one of the deepest traditions in Division III hockey with four national
championships and two runner-up finishes in nine national tournament
appearances.
�I expect excellence,� Nichol said. �I expect it
academically, in the community and on the ice. I will do everything I can to
uphold the great tradition of this program and hopefully add to it.�
�Based on Wil�s coaching experiences, his passion for
Pointer hockey, this university and the Stevens Point community in general, he
was a natural choice,� UW-Stevens Point Athletics Director Frank O�Brien said.
Nichol was a defenseman for the Pointers from 1994-98
and captained UW-Stevens Point�s NCAA Division III runner-up team in 1998 under
former coach Joe Baldarotta, who recently resigned after 16 seasons. Nichol
played in all 121 possible career games with the Pointers, totaling five goals
and 20 assists.
�There�s nothing to describe the feeling I have right now,� said the Madison
native, who attended Madison West High School. �It�s a huge honor. To coach at
your alma mater, a team that you bled for, a university that you love and a
community that you consider home, I don�t know how to put that into words.�
Most recently, Nichol coached Stevens Point Area
Senior High to a pair of WIAA state tournament appearances and a 46-3 record
over two seasons. The Panthers became the first team to complete an undefeated
Wisconsin Valley Conference season, accomplishing the feat in both of Nichol�s
seasons with 16-0 league records each year.
He spent the 1998-99 season as a student assistant
coach with the Pointers and completed his degree in English. While at UW-Stevens
Point, Nichol received the Chancellor�s Leadership Award and the athletic
department�s citizenship award. Nichol was then a graduate assistant coach for
two seasons at Miami University (Ohio), earning a master�s degree in Physical
Education, Health and Sports Studies.
Nichol was an assistant coach and recruiting
coordinator for one season with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey
League before assuming head coach and general manager roles for the IMG Academy
Midget AAA team in Bradenton, Fla. the following year. He returned to Chicago as
the head coach and general manager for two seasons in 2003-05 and became the
only rookie coach in USHL history to land league coach of the year honors after
taking the Steel from ninth place to their only regular season Eastern
Conference title in franchise history. Nichol coached 30 players who went on to
play Division I college hockey.
He has also served as a head coach and assistant coach
at several USA Hockey festivals for select 15, 16 and 17 players. Nichol has
assisted with numerous hockey camps, including those at Miami and UW-Stevens
Point. |
