Womens Hockey Coaching Candidates In Town Wednesday

Bemidji State University Director of Athletics Tracy Dill today announced four finalists for the position of head women’s ice hockey coach. The candidates include: Brett Bruininks, Amber Fryklund, Troy Jutting and James Scanlan.

All four candidates have been invited to campus for interviews Wednesday, June 4.

Bruininks (BREW-in-inks) recently completed his first season as assistant women’s ice hockey coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He also served as head women’s hockey coach at Concordia College (Minn.) from 2010-2013, was a volunteer assistant coach for the Concordia College men’s hockey program in 2009-10 and was assistant women’s hockey coach at Augsburg College for the 2008-09 season. A four-year letterwinner for the University of Notre Dame men’s ice hockey team, Bruininks earned a psychology degree from Notre Dame in 1996 and has since earned a Master of Education in education (2005) in applied kinesiology and a doctorate in kinesiology (2009) from the University of Minnesota.

A three-year letterwinner for the Bemidji State women’s ice hockey team, Fryklund (FRIK-lund) recently completed her third season as assistant women’s hockey coach at BSU. In addition, Fryklund was a head girl’s high school hockey coach in the Duluth, Minn. public school system from 2005-2009, with two years of assistant girl’s high school coaching experience (2003-05) within the same system. Fryklund graduated from Bemidji State in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in education. She also earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from University of Minnesota Duluth in 2007.

Jutting (JUH-ting) recently completed his second season as assistant coach of the University of Nebraska, Omaha men’s ice hockey team. From 2000-2012, he served as head men’s hockey coach at Minnesota State after serving as the Maverick’s assistant coach from 1990-2000. A four-year letterwinner for the Maverick’s men’s hockey team, Jutting graduated from then-Mankato State in 1987 with a business administration degree. He later earned a master’s in sports administration from MSU.

Scanlan recently completed his sixth season as head coach of the East Grand Forks High School girl’s ice hockey team. In the midst of his 18th year with East Grand Forks school district, Scanlan was also the boy’s hockey coach from 1996-2005 and has served as the Green Wave’s activities director since 2000. Scanlan also has 12 years of collegiate coaching experience. He was an assistant coach for the University of North Dakota men’s ice hockey team from 1989-1996, at Western Michigan University from 1985-1989 and was a graduate assistant coach at Northern Michigan University in 1984-85. Scanlan is a 1985 graduate of Bemidji State, where he was a goaltender from 1978-1982, with a degree in physical education and health. He later earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration from Western Michigan University in 1988.

Bemidji State’s head women’s hockey coach post was left vacant when Steve Sertich retired from the position after eight years, March 17.