Rick Gotkin
| Sport(s) | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
November 7, 1959 Brooklyn, NY, USA |
| Alma mater | SUNY-Brockport |
| Playing career | |
| 1980–1982 | SUNY-Brockport |
| Position(s) | Defenseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1982–1983 | SUNY-Brockport (Assistant) |
| 1986–1988 | Rensselaer (Assistant) |
| 1988–Present | Mercyhurst |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 510–367–80 (.575) |
| Tournaments | 0-3 (.000) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
|
2000–01 MAAC Champion 2000–01 MAAC Tournament Champion 2001–02 MAAC Champion 2002–03 MAAC Champion 2002–03 MAAC Tournament Champion 2004–05 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Champion 2013–14 Atlantic Hockey Champion |
|
| Awards | |
|
2000–01 MAAC Coach of the Year 2013–14 Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year |
|
Rick Gotkin (born November 7, 1959) is an American ice hockey head coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey team, a position he has held since 1988.
Gotkin began attending SUNY-Brockport in 1978, managing to work his way onto the varsity ice hockey team in his final two years there before graduating in 1982. He spent one additional year with the program as an assistant the following season. By 1986 he was back in the college ranks as an assistant coach for Rensselaer. After two campaigns with the Engineers he received his first head coaching opportunity at Mercyhurst.
When Gotkin arrived in Erie the college's ice hockey program was only a year old. He took over after Fred Lane led the team to a very good 16-7 mark the year before and while Gotkin's first season was disappointing at 11-16-1 he soon brought the Lakers to Division III prominence with at least 18 wins in four consecutive seasons. Mercyhurst made their first postseason appearance in his third year and their first National Championship appearance by year five (the Lakers by that time having moved up to Division II). Gotkin would lead the Lakers to their first 20-win season two years later (as well as their second championship game) wasn't able to push them any further for the rest of their time in D-II.
A year after the MAAC ice hockey conference was formed Mercyhurst was invited to join alongside Bentley and they became a Division I program for the 1999–00 season. The Lakers started off strong, finishing with a second place finish in their inaugural year, before winning the conference tournament the following season and making their first NCAA tournament appearance. Gotkin would get the Lakers to three consecutive regular season crown from 2001 thru 2003 and a second NCAA berth in '03 but after the season the MAAC conference dissolved when founding members Iona and Fairfield dropped their programs.
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