Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold Signs Four-Year Contract Extension

May 25, 2004

Courtesy of Quinnipiac Sports Information Department

Guided Bobcats to NCAA prominence; eight straight winning seasons behind bench

Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey coach Rand Pecknold has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will run through the 2007-2008 season, as it was announced today by Director of Athletics and Recreation Jack McDonald.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

In Pecknold's 10 seasons at Quinnipiac, he has become the all-time winningest coach in Quinnipiac hockey history, won two MAAC regular season titles, one MAAC tournament title and guided the team to its first-ever NCAA berth in program history.

A 2002 finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, given to college hockey's national Division I Coach of the Year, Pecknold has amassed a 181-105-28 career record. Included in that overall mark is an astounding ledger of 107-31-19 in conference play at the Division I level.

"Rand Pecknold represents all that is good about college ice hockey and intercollegiate athletics," said Quinnipiac Director of Athletics and Recreation Jack McDonald. "In addition to his very successful winning seasons, his student-athletes are very active in the community and excel in the classroom."

Said Pecknold: "I am extremely excited about the future of the Quinnipiac men's ice hockey program. I am very proud of program's accomplishments over the past 10 years, but I feel that the best is yet to come as we continue to elevate Quinnipiac hockey on a national level."

The conclusion of the 2003-2004 season marked the sixth straight winning season at the Division I level for Quinnipiac and the eighth in a row dating back to the Division II days. The only Division I clubs to own such an active streak are Michigan, Michigan State, New Hampshire and Maine.

The Bobcats finished the 2003-2004 season with a 15-14-6 mark and played the most challenging non-conference slate in program history. Quinnipiac lost four games against No. 7 Michigan (twice), No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 9 Ohio State by a combined four goals, including one in overtime and another with less than one second to play. The Bobcats also became the first MAAC/Atlantic Hockey school to defeat a Hockey East opponent when they defeated Merrimack, 3-2, on Nov. 29, 2003.

Consider this - since Quinnipiac made the jump to Division I for the 1998-99 season, the school ranks among the top Division I schools in win percentage and total victories. Furthermore, from 1998-2003, only five schools - Quinnipiac, Michigan, Michigan State, New Hampshire and Maine - managed to win at least 20 wins each season over that span.