DUDLEY, Mass. – Nichols College Director of Athletics Charlie Robert has announced the hiring of Kevin Swallow as head men's ice hockey coach.

Swallow comes to Dudley following one year as a full-time assistant coach at Neumann College, where he helped the Knights to a 15-8-3 mark and a No. 15 ranking in the final United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) poll. Seventeen Neumann student-athletes were named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West All-Academic Team in 2011-12 while two players - Matt Tendler and Will Lacasse - signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO). Tendler signed with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) while Lacasse inked a deal with the Reading Royals of the Eastern College Hockey League.

"I am very pleased to have coach Swallow join our staff," said Robert. "Kevin's experience as player and coach, along with his passion for coaching, are a great fit for NC. His field of study was business management, which will also benefit our student-athletes off the ice with their career preparation. We are looking forward to a very exciting 2012-2013 season."

A 2010 graduate of the University of Maine, Swallow began his playing career at Dartmouth College, where he helped the Big Green capture the 2006 ECAC Regular Season Championship and the 2007 Ivy League Championship. Upon transferring to Maine, he received the team's Unsung Hero Award in 2010 after helping the Black Bears reach the Hockey East Championship at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Swallow was a Hockey East Academic First Team All-Star as a senior and finished his collegiate career with 45 points (14-31-45) in 121 games.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for me,” said Swallow, who takes over a Bison program that posted a 12-13-2 record (9-4-1 ECAC) last season. “Nichols has a very rich tradition and is a program on the upswing. Coach (Lou) Izzi did a great job bringing the program to the next level, and I am excited to continue to build on the foundation he set and take the program to even higher heights.”

Swallow graduated Maine with a bachelor of science in business management. A Dean's List student, he spent two seasons as a member of Team USA at the Under-18 World Championship team in 2004, which captured a Silver Medal in Belarus. He enrolled at Dartmouth following one season with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in 2004-05, where he tallied 41 points (20-21-41) in 60 games.

“I want our student-athletes to receive the total package, and by that I mean obtain success both on the ice as well as in the classroom,” said Swallow. “Our students-athletes will get a great education here at Nichols, be contributing members of the community, and enjoy their experience playing hockey.”

 Before his appointment at Neumann, Swallow gained coaching experience at the USA Hockey NTDP Summer Camp (2003-05), Walker Ice and Fitness Center (2004-06), Global Hockey (2007), UMaine hockey camp (2008), and USA Hockey Select Festivals (2012). He also has international recruiting experience with the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), North American Hockey League (NAHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), and Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

Swallow is a native of Peru, Maine.