Miami assistant coach Chris Bergeron accepted the head coaching job at Bowling Green on Monday.
Bergeron, who was a member of coach Enrico Blasi's staff for the past 10 seasons, takes over a team that finished 11th out of 12 in the CCHA last season.
"I'm very excited to be a part of putting Bowling Green back where it belongs in the hockey world," Bergeron was quoted as saying in a press release sent out by Miami Monday morning. "My family and I are looking forward to becoming part of the Bowling Green community. What excites me the most, though, is seeing how hungry everyone is to make Bowling Green hockey successful again."
Bergeron is a 1993 Miami graduate and a former member of the Cincinnati Cyclones of the former IHL and the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL. He also played in the ECHL and CHL.
While playing for the RedHawks, Bergeron recorded 120 points, ranking him tied for 25th on Miami's all-time scoring list.
The Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune reported that Bergeron's contract is for six years, with a base salary of $125,000 annually with additional incentives for on-ice and athletic performance.
Bergeron's hiring gives the CCHA two new coaches from the Miami pipeline in the last week. Indiana Ice coach Jeff Blashill was hired by Western Michigan as its head coach last week.
Blashill is also a former RedHawks assistant.
ANALYSIS: Congratulations to coach Bergeron. This is a move in the right direction for Bowling Green, and honestly I'm surprised it took this long for Bergeron to land a head coaching job.
For Miami, this is a substantial loss. Bergeron and Blasi have worked together for 10 years, and they were RedHawks teammates for three seasons.
Fortunately, the RedHawks already have a head coach who is an excellent recruiter, and next season's team should be as solid as the 2009-10 version.
Having a beautiful facility like the Goggin Ice Center doesn't exactly hurt Miami in its search, either.
I have no doubt Miami will find a quality replacement shortly, if it hasn't already. Internally, goaltenders coach Nick Petraglia is an option.
Petraglia is in his sixth season at his current post, and he's also a Miami graduate and a former player who is very highly regarded by the coaching staff.
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