DUDLEY, Mass. – Nichols College head men's ice hockey coach Parker Burgess has announced his resignation to accept the same position with the Janesville Jets of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).
During his time in Dudley, the Bison compiled a record of 73-51-13 (.580) and advanced to the conference semifinals four times, winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship in 2017-18. Ten different student-athletes earned all-conference honors under Burgess' watch, including three last season: J.B. Baker (CCC Second Team), Curtis Carlson (CCC Third Team), and Curtis Carlson (CCC Third Team). Additionally, Tyler Beasley was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year in 205-16 while Baker took home Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Rookie of the Year honors in 2016-17.
Many of Burgess' student-athletes moved on to play professionally, most recently Baker (Knoxville Ice Bears, SPHL), Hogan Davidson (Huntsville Hitmen, SPHL), and David Chevrier (Elephants de Chambery, FFHG Division I in France). At the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, defenseman Ben Campbell and T.J. Roche signed with the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL.
"I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to everyone at Nichols College who have made the past five years so memorable," said Burgess. "Most importantly, I want to thank the student-athletes I have coached. I love all those guys very much. They totally bought into the culture and vision we had as a hockey program. I am a better coach and person having gotten the privilege of coaching such amazing student-athletes while at Nichols. I am so proud of them.
"I want to thank the staffs I have worked alongside and the great support provided to our program. Thank you to all our alumni who have been so supportive, generous and gracious during my time at Nichols. Our alumni made Jess and I feel like family. I am so proud of all we accomplished during my tenure at Nichols and it is bittersweet to be moving on to our next challenge with the Janesville Jets. I want to recognize and thank former Athletic Director Chris Colvin for taking a chance on me and giving me my first head coaching opportunity five years ago. Nichols is a special place and will always have a special place in my heart. Wherever my coaching career takes me 'The Hill' will always feel like home and I am proud to have been a Bison. #Brothers."
The 2019-20 edition of the Nichols College men's hockey team overcame an 0-9-0 start to earn points on 12 straight contests (10-0-2) and quality for the CCC playoffs. The fifth-seeded Bison went on to upset Salve Regina University, 5-4 in overtime in Portsmouth, R.I. and nearly took down eventual champion Endicott in the semifinals, falling 3-2 in overtime.
Nichols experienced the most successful season in school history in 2017-18, when it posted an 18-9-3 mark, won its first-ever CCC Championship, and picked up the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. After defeating St. Thomas (MN) and Elmira to win the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational and defeating the No. 2 ranked team in the country (Endicott) shortly thereafter, the Bison secured the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. They then went on the road to defeat No. 4 seed Curry (4-3), No. 1 seed Salve Regina (5-4), and No. 3 seed UNE (8-3) to capture their third conference crown in five years. As a result, Nichols was selected to host an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history, where it defeated Fitchburg State 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinal round.
"I would like to thank coach Burgess for all of his efforts in continuing the tremendous success of our men's ice hockey program over the past five seasons," said Nichols College Director of Athletics Eric Gobiel. "While we will surely miss having Parker at the helm of our program, I wish he and his family all the best with his new endeavor. With that said, I have no doubt our men's ice hockey team will continue to compete at the highest level as we have an extremely strong core of returning student-athletes who, along with coach Burgess, built a strong foundation and culture both on and off the ice. We will immediately begin the search to identify the ideal candidate to lead Nichols hockey into this new chapter."
The Bison posted a 15-7-5 mark and advanced to the conference semifinals for the sixth-straight season in 2016-17. Four student-athletes were honored by the conference with postseason awards while 11 earned CCC Academic All-Conference honors. January, 2017 marked the debut of the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational, which was hosted by NC and played at Warrior Ice Arena, the new practice home of the NHL's Boston Bruins.
In Burgess' first season behind the bench at Nichols, the Bison advanced to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Semifinals for the fourth-straight season. The Bison ripped off a program-best 10-game winning streak (Nov. 4 – Dec. 8) and climbed as high as No. 13 in both the D3hockey.com (Nov. 30) and USCHO (Nov. 30 & Dec. 7) poll. Two of his student-athletes –Beasley and Butler – were named to the ECAC Northeast First Team; both signed professional contracts following the season. A total of 16 student-athletes were named to the ECAC Northeast Academic All-Conference Team while the team compiled a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.4
Named the 18th men's ice hockey head coach in Nichols College history on July 28, 2015, Burgess spent the previous five seasons at the University of St. Thomas, first as an assistant coach (2010-13) before being elevated to associate head coach in 2013. As an assistant coach at St. Thomas, Burgess was the head recruiter, scouting the USHL, NAHL, BCHL, AJHL, SJHL, OJHL, EJHL, and Minnesota High Schools. He built relationships and networks with players, coaches, and general managers around the country and helped recruits with applications, financial aid grants, and campus visits and tours.
