Two seasons as head coach – two berths in the NCAA Frozen Four. That’s what Dave Hakstol has accomplished since taking over as head coach of the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team in July 2004.

Just four other head coaches in college hockey history have achieved that feat, with Hakstol becoming the fifth. One of the remarkable aspects of this achievement is that Hakstol and the UND coaching staff showed the ability to lead two entirely different teams to berths in the Frozen Four.

In Hakstol’s first season (2004-05) as head coach, the Sioux had a veteran team with nine seniors. In Hakstol’s second season (2005-06) as head coach, UND had 13 freshmen on its roster and just two seniors.

Despite the turnover in personnel, UND won four more games in Hakstol’s second season and also won the WCHA playoff championship. In two seasons, Hakstol has compiled a record of 55-30-6 (.637) overall.

A key in Hakstol’s success has been surrounding himself with an outstanding coaching staff. His first two seasons, he was joined by associate head coach Brad Berry and assistant coach Cary Eades.

Eades has won championships on every level at which he has played or coached. Berry’s outstanding work at UND resulted in him accepting an assistant coach position in the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks organization this past summer.

To fill the vacancy created by Berry’s departure, Eades was promoted to associate head coach, and Hakstol hired former Sioux and NHL player Dane Jackson as an assistant coach. Jackson brings 11 years of experience as a professional hockey player along with an outstanding coaching resume to the UND staff.

Impressive postseason record

The trademark of the Fighting Sioux during Hakstol’s first two seasons has been UND’s ability to play its best hockey at the most crucial time of the year – in the playoffs.

During his first two years, Hakstol has led the Sioux to an overall postseason record of 13-4 (.765) that includes an 8-2 WCHA playoff record and 5-2 NCAA playoff mark.

UND’s eight WCHA playoff wins the last two seasons are three more than any other WCHA team, and UND’s five NCAA playoff wins the last two seasons are more than any other team in the nation.

In 2005, UND went 4-1 in the WCHA playoffs, with its only loss to eventual national champion Denver. After that loss (in the WCHA semifinals), the Sioux came back to beat Minnesota, 4-2, in the WCHA Final Five third-place game.

From there, UND traveled to Worcester, Mass., where the Sioux downed Boston University (4-0) and Boston College (6-3) in convincing fashion to advance to the Frozen Four. North Dakota beat Minnesota, 4-2, in the national semifinals before falling to Denver, 4-1, in the national title game.

In 2006, UND once again showed that it was prepared for success in the postseason. After winning five of their last six regular season games, the Sioux again went 4-1 in the WCHA playoffs, this time winning the Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA playoff champion.

The playoff title propelled UND into the NCAA West Regional, where the Sioux dominated in beating Michigan (5-1) and Holy Cross (5-2). The region title launched UND into the Frozen Four for the second consecutive year under Hakstol. The Sioux were narrowly defeated (6-5) in the semifinals by Boston College.

Two-time finalist for national coaching award

After UND’s impressive postseason runs in each of the last two seasons, Hakstol has been honored as one of nine national finalists for the American Hockey Coaches Association’s Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year. In 2005, he was one of three coaches named as runner-up for the prestigious award.

A prestigious coaching position

Hakstol was named the University of North Dakota’s head men’s hockey coach on July 9, 2004, becoming just the 15th head men’s hockey coach in school history and only the fourth Fighting Sioux head coach in the past 36 years. The 37-year old Hakstol, a Sioux player from 1989-92, is also just the fifth former UND player to also become head coach at North Dakota.

Taking over a tradition-rich program that is synonymous with the word “excellence” was no small task, but Hakstol’s background prepared him for the challenge. Prior to taking over as UND’s head coach, the former Sioux captain was a member of Dean Blais’s coaching staff for four seasons and in that stint helped coach the Sioux to a 101-47-19 (.662) overall record and 63-33-16 (.634) WCHA record.

During Hakstol’s four years under Blais, UND won two WCHA titles, made three NCAA appearances and finished as the 2001 national runnerup.

Named a UND assistant coach on July 1, 2000, Hakstol was elevated to associate head coach in December 2000, and he served as the team’s recruiting coordinator in his four seasons working under Blais.

In that capacity, Hakstol played a vital role in helping attract top-caliber student-athletes to UND. Eleven UND players or recruits were drafted by National Hockey League teams while Hakstol and current associate head coach Brad Berry were Sioux assistants, and this past July (2005), Hakstol, Berry and assistant coach Cary Eades saw an amazing total of seven players who signed national letters of intent to attend UND drafted in the NHL Entry Draft.

Experienced junior hockey coach, 1998 USHL Coach of the Year

Prior to joining the UND staff on July 1, 2000, Hakstol spent four seasons (1996-2000) as the general manager and head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League, posting winning seasons in his last three seasons. Overall, Hakstol had a 101-109-13 record with the Musketeers. He was named the USHL Coach of the Year in 1997-98, when he led Sioux City to a 32-21-3 record.

While coaching at Sioux City, Hakstol also coached the 1998 USA/USHL hockey team at the IIHF Four Nationals Cup in Oslo, Norway, and he was the head coach of the Central District team (USA Hockey) at the National Select 16 Festival in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1998.

Professional, collegiate playing experience

Before beginning his coaching career, Hakstol played professional hockey with the IHL’s Minnesota Moose from 1994-96, serving as team captain for two years, and with the IHL’s Indianapolis Ice from 1992-1994, serving as team captain for one season. In five professional seasons, Hakstol played in 250 games, scoring 12 goals and recording 37 assists. He also accumulated 455 penalty minutes.

As a defenseman on the Sioux hockey team from 1989-92, Hakstol was a three-year letterwinner and served as team captain from 1990 to 1992. He played in 107 games for UND, scoring 10 goals and adding 36 assists for 46 points. He had 77 penalties for 191 minutes.