Former Bemidji State University Assistant Coach Bert Gilling has been hired as head coach of the Mount Royal University men’s Ice hockey team. MRU officials made the announcement today.
Mount Royal, a university of nearly 12,000 students, is located in Calgary, Alberta. The Cougar men’s hockey program is in its first season as a member of Canada West and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) competing against the likes of University of Manitoba, University of Regina and University of Calgary. The team finished the 2013-14 season with an overall record of 12-19-0 and an 11-17-0 mark in league play to finish fifth.
After 15 years as an assistant coach at Bemidji State, the appointment will be Gilling’s first head coaching job.
“On behalf of my family, I’d like to say my time in Bemidji, at the university and most importantly, with the Beaver hockey program have been nothing short of amazing. I consider myself lucky to have learned from, contribute to and be a part of a program with such a great tradition and a tremendous future.” Gilling added, “My experiences here have allowed me to grow into the opportunity I’ve been given at Mount Royal University and I have the utmost appreciation for Tom Serratore, our team and our alumni for that.
“Beaver hockey will be a part of me forever.”
“Bert has been a big part of Bemidji State’s success at the Division I level,” said BSU head coach Tom Serratore. “He will be missed here at Bemidji State, but he’s ready to be a head coach and I could not be more pleased he is going to get that opportunity.”
Gilling sports an impressive resume built over his fifteen years at BSU. Since his arrival in 1999, Beavers won six conference titles and earned four trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a magical 2009 run to the Frozen Four. In addition, four players signed NHL contracts, most notably, current Philadelphia Flyer forward Matt Read and Brad Hunt, a defender in the Edmonton Oilers organization, while dozens more have extended their playing careers to the professional ranks in the American Hockey League (AHL) and across Europe.
Under Serratore, Gilling was entrusted with a number of different responsibilities including game preparation, practice sessions, video breakdown and also served as the team’s bench and defensive coach. His duties also included recruiting, academic advising and strength and conditioning.
Under Gilling’s guidance, BSU placed an average of 17 student-athletes on the Academic All- Western Collegiate Hockey Association Team, while a total of 38 players were selected for the prestigious WCHA Scholar Athlete Award since 2010-11. Prior to moving to the WCHA in 2010, the Beavers annually led College Hockey America in all-academic selections, including a league-record 18 picks in 2008. Additionally, BSU had 14 Academic All-District honorees and in 2005 Peter Jonsson was named First-Team Academic All-America.
Since 1999, 17 BSU defensemen have earned all-conference accolades, including Matt Prapavessis and Ruslan Pedan, who earned Third Team All-WCHA and WCHA All-Rookie Team honors, respectively, to cap the 2013-14 season.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to be at the helm of my own program. I am honored and can’t wait to get started,” said Gilling about his new role with the Cougars. “I would like to thank former head coach Jean LaForest for laying the groundwork and helping this program transition from the ACAC to the CIS.”
“We are thrilled to have Bert join our Athletics program and lead our men’s hockey team. His experience and knowledge at the collegiate level both in the academic and athletic realm will continue to provide the hockey program the ability to thrive in Canada West and the CIS,” said MRU Athletic Director, Karla Karch. “We welcome Bert and his family to Mount Royal and Cougar Athletics.”
As a player, Gilling was a four-year letter winner, senior captain and member of the 1998-99 Captain’s Committee at the University of Minnesota Duluth, earning a reputation as one of the finest defensemen in the WCHA. He was nominated for WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 1997-98 and was a member of the 1998 WCHA All-Star Team, which played in Zug, Switzerland. He won awards as UMD’s top freshman and won the team’s Bob Junkert Plus/Minus Award in 1995-96.
A native of Alexander, Manitoba, Gilling played with the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey league from 1992-95. During his career, he won two team MVP (1994, 1995) and two team Most Valuable Defenseman (1994, 1995) awards, was the Most Valuable Rookie during 1992-93 and won the inaugural Bill Shinske Ethics Award winner in 1995.
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Portions of this release courtesy of MRUCougars.com