Buddy Powers
Encyclopedia
Francis "Buddy" Powers is the current assistant coach for the Boston University
men's ice hockey
team. He is the former Ice Arena Director for the BGSU Ice Arena
and play by play commentator for the Bowling Green Ice Hockey
on The Buckeye Cable Sports Network
.
for three seasons at Boston University
(BU) from 1972 to '75. He played 90 games during his time at BU, which placed third in the 1974 and ’75 NCAA Tournaments
and compiled a 49-13-1 record over his final two years with the team. After graduating from BU in 1975, Powers went on to play professional hockey in Europe. He played two years (1976–78) as a defenseman
for Kaufbeuren, West Germany and helped the team to a Division II Championship during his first season. He finished his playing career at Krefeld, Germany in 1979-80, assisting the team to the playoff finals.
, including 1995 Hobey Baker Award winner Brian Holzinger
. Nineteen of his former players played professional hockey in North America, with four playing in the NHL.
. In his first season at Colgate, the team made the NCAA Tournament.
(BGSU) coaching staff under head coach Jerry York
. In 1984, his first season as assistant coach, BGSU posted a 34-8-2 record and won Bowling Green's only NCAA National Championship for ice hockey. During his time as BGSU's assistant coach from 1982–1988, BGSU was the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) regular season champions in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987 and CCHA tournament champions in 1988. The team made the NCAA tournament in 1982, 1984, 1987, and 1988. Powers served as the team’s top assistant, chief recruiter, and on-ice instructor for BGSU. Under York and Powers, the Falcons were 174-74-8 (.695 pct.), including 129-50-8 (.710 pct.) in league play and finished either first or second in the CCHA on five occasions
(RIT). In his first and only season with RIT, he led the Tigers to a 26-8-2 record. The team won the ECAC West
Championship. The team made it to the NCAA Championship game but lost to University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
by a score of 3-2.
(RPI) for the 1989-90 season. The Engineers enjoyed improved seasons during Powers' tenure as head coach. The team qualified for the ECAC Tournament in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1994. In 1994, the team returned to the ECAC Championship Game and the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985. In his five seasons at RPI, Powers led the Engineers to a record of 94-63-13 including three 20-or-more-wins seasons. in 1995, Powers returned to Bowling Green, this time as head coach.
presented annually to the nation’s top head coach. Also that year, Brian Holzinger
was named CCHA player of the Year. Holzinger won the NCAA All-American Award in ice hockey along with BGSU's Kelly Perrault. Holzinger became BGSU's second Hobey Baker Award winner, the other being George McPhee
in 1982 during Powers' first season as BGSU's assistant coach.
Although the first half of his time as BGSU's head coach was strong, the lack of top players coming to BGSU affected his overall record; Powers finished sub-.500 in his last 5 seasons as BGSU's bench boss.
Over eight seasons as BG's head coach, Powers has compiled a 135-149-26 record at Bowling Green. Powers is 12th all-time among CCHA coaches with 85 league victories with the Falcons and is 10 CCHA victories shy of entering the Top 10.
and BGSU on the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Committee. He also served as Ice Arena Director at BGSU and was the color commentator for BGSU ice hockey games on BCSN
.
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
men's ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team. He is the former Ice Arena Director for the BGSU Ice Arena
BGSU Ice Arena
The Bowling Green State University Ice Arena is a 5,000-seat hockey arena in Bowling Green, Ohio. It is home to the BGSU Falcons ice hockey team of the CCHA. It was built from 1965 to 1967 for a cost of $1.8 million and opened in February 1967...
and play by play commentator for the Bowling Green Ice Hockey
Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey
The Bowling Green Falcons ice hockey team is the ice hockey team that represents Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school's team competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Falcons last played in the NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament in 1990...
on The Buckeye Cable Sports Network
Buckeye Cable Sports Network
-BCSN History and Info.:Buckeye Cable Sports Network is a regional sports network founded in 2003 to carry sports broadcasting, which had previously been aired on fellow cable-only station WT05...
.
Playing career
Buddy Powers played Left WingWinger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
for three seasons at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
(BU) from 1972 to '75. He played 90 games during his time at BU, which placed third in the 1974 and ’75 NCAA Tournaments
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
and compiled a 49-13-1 record over his final two years with the team. After graduating from BU in 1975, Powers went on to play professional hockey in Europe. He played two years (1976–78) as a defenseman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
for Kaufbeuren, West Germany and helped the team to a Division II Championship during his first season. He finished his playing career at Krefeld, Germany in 1979-80, assisting the team to the playoff finals.
College Coaching career
During his time coaching, Powers has had five players earn First-Team All-America honors, four have been finalists for the Hobey Baker AwardHobey Baker Award
The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.It is named for hockey player and World War I veteran Hobey Baker, who played collegiately at Princeton University and learned the game at St...
, including 1995 Hobey Baker Award winner Brian Holzinger
Brian Holzinger
Brian Alan Holzinger is a retired American professional ice hockey center. He played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets.-Playing career:...
. Nineteen of his former players played professional hockey in North America, with four playing in the NHL.
Colgate
After finishing his professional hockey career in 1980, Powers joined the Colgate University coaching staff as an assistant coach under head coach Terry SlaterTerry Slater
Canon Doctor Terry Slater is a honorary senior research fellow in Historical Geography at the University of Birmingham, UK. Born in Bromley but raised in Charlton he was educated at Hull University, University College, London and the University of Birmingham....
. In his first season at Colgate, the team made the NCAA Tournament.
Bowling Green State University (assistant coach)
After the conclusion of the 1981-82 season, Powers became an assistant coach on the Bowling Green State UniversityBowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
(BGSU) coaching staff under head coach Jerry York
Jerry York
Jerry York is the Men's Hockey Coach at Boston College. He graduated from Boston College High School in 1963 and BC in 1967. York is currently the winningest active coach in NCAA hockey, and is 2nd on the all-time list with 889 wins behind retired Coach Ron Mason...
. In 1984, his first season as assistant coach, BGSU posted a 34-8-2 record and won Bowling Green's only NCAA National Championship for ice hockey. During his time as BGSU's assistant coach from 1982–1988, BGSU was the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) regular season champions in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987 and CCHA tournament champions in 1988. The team made the NCAA tournament in 1982, 1984, 1987, and 1988. Powers served as the team’s top assistant, chief recruiter, and on-ice instructor for BGSU. Under York and Powers, the Falcons were 174-74-8 (.695 pct.), including 129-50-8 (.710 pct.) in league play and finished either first or second in the CCHA on five occasions
Rochester Institute of Technology
Following the 1988 season, Powers accepted the head coaching position with the Division III Rochester Institute of TechnologyRIT Tigers men's ice hockey
The RIT Tigers men's ice hockey team is one of two hockey teams representing Rochester Institute of Technology in suburban Rochester, New York. The school's men's team competes in the Division I Atlantic Hockey conference. The team has won two national championships, one each at the Division II and...
(RIT). In his first and only season with RIT, he led the Tigers to a 26-8-2 record. The team won the ECAC West
ECAC West
ECAC West is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference.-Members:* Nazareth College will join the league with a men's team starting in 2012....
Championship. The team made it to the NCAA Championship game but lost to University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point is a public university located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin...
by a score of 3-2.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Powers went on to become the head coach of Division I Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
(RPI) for the 1989-90 season. The Engineers enjoyed improved seasons during Powers' tenure as head coach. The team qualified for the ECAC Tournament in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1994. In 1994, the team returned to the ECAC Championship Game and the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985. In his five seasons at RPI, Powers led the Engineers to a record of 94-63-13 including three 20-or-more-wins seasons. in 1995, Powers returned to Bowling Green, this time as head coach.
Return to Bowling Green (head coach)
Powers was appointed the head coach at Bowling Green on July 12, 1994, becoming the fourth head coach in the program’s history. During the 1994-'95 campaign, Powers led the Falcons to a 25-11-2 record and a second-place finish in the CCHA. It marked their best finish in the league in eight years. He was named the CCHA’s Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose AwardSpencer Penrose Award
The Spencer Penrose Award is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association.The finalists for each year's award comprise the conference Coach of the Year winners from each Division I men's ice hockey conference, plus the coaches of the...
presented annually to the nation’s top head coach. Also that year, Brian Holzinger
Brian Holzinger
Brian Alan Holzinger is a retired American professional ice hockey center. He played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets.-Playing career:...
was named CCHA player of the Year. Holzinger won the NCAA All-American Award in ice hockey along with BGSU's Kelly Perrault. Holzinger became BGSU's second Hobey Baker Award winner, the other being George McPhee
George McPhee
George McPhee is the general manager of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals as well as the team's alternate governor and vice president...
in 1982 during Powers' first season as BGSU's assistant coach.
Although the first half of his time as BGSU's head coach was strong, the lack of top players coming to BGSU affected his overall record; Powers finished sub-.500 in his last 5 seasons as BGSU's bench boss.
Over eight seasons as BG's head coach, Powers has compiled a 135-149-26 record at Bowling Green. Powers is 12th all-time among CCHA coaches with 85 league victories with the Falcons and is 10 CCHA victories shy of entering the Top 10.
Return to Boston University (assistant coach)
In August, 2009, Powers joined BU as an assistant coach.International Coaching career
Powers served as an assistant coach at the 1989 United States Olympic Festival and as head coach at the 1993 United States Olympic Festival games. He also coached the United States during the USA Cup Challenge in 1992. Powers joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2002 and served as an assistant coach in the 2002-2003 season.Other Hockey Related Positions
Powers served on the Board of Governors of the American Hockey Coaches Association from 1993–1996 and was the director of BGSU’s Summer Hockey School held annually during the last two weeks of July. Powers was a representative of the Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationCentral Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
and BGSU on the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Committee. He also served as Ice Arena Director at BGSU and was the color commentator for BGSU ice hockey games on BCSN
BCSN
BCSN is a four-letter acronym for two Cable television networks in the United States:* Black College Sports Network* Buckeye Cable Sports Network...
.
Player Stats
| Season | | Team | | | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||
| 1972-73 | Boston University Boston University Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers... |
ECAC | 27 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1973-74 | Boston University | ECAC | 31 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | |
| 1974-75 | Boston University | ECAC | 32 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 14 | |
| Total | 90 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 26 | |||
Head Coaching Statistics
| Team | | Year | | Regular Season | | | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTL | League Finish | NCAA Finish | |||
| RIT | 1988-89 | 36 | 26 | 8 | 2 | — | ECAC West Champs | NCAA DIII Tournament | |
| RPI Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's... |
1989-90 | 34 | 20 | 14 | 0 | — | 3rd ECAC | - | |
| RPI | 1990-91 | 32 | 19 | 12 | 1 | — | 2nd ECAC | - | |
| RPI | 1991-92 | 33 | 14 | 15 | 4 | — | 1st ECAC | - | |
| RPI | 1992-93 | 35 | 20 | 11 | 4 | — | 1st ECAC | - | |
| RPI | 1993-94 | 36 | 21 | 11 | 4 | — | ECAC Champ runner-up | NCAA DI Tournament | |
| BGSU Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey The Bowling Green Falcons ice hockey team is the ice hockey team that represents Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school's team competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Falcons last played in the NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament in 1990... |
1994-95 | 38 | 25 | 11 | 2 | — | 2nd CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 1995-96 | 41 | 26 | 14 | 1 | — | 5th CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 1996-97 | 38 | 17 | 16 | 5 | — | T-5th CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 1997-98 | 38 | 8 | 27 | 3 | — | 11th CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 1998-99 | 38 | 17 | 18 | 3 | — | 7th CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 1999-00 | 37 | 17 | 19 | 1 | — | 8th CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 2000-01 | 40 | 16 | 19 | 5 | — | T-9th CCHA | - | |
| BGSU | 2001-02 | 40 | 9 | 25 | 6 | — | 11th CCHA | - | |
| Total | 516 | 255 | 220 | 41 | - | ||||