April 15, 2008

For his efforts in leading the Wolverines of the University of Michigan to both the CCHA regular sea¬son and tournament titles, Gordon "Red" Berenson has been chosen winner of the 2008 Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Men's Coach of the Year. Michigan went 33-6-4, ending the regular season ranked as the #1 team in the country. Making the accomplishment even more impressive was the fact that Michigan regularly skated as many as ten freshmen in a game.

Berenson is the eighth CCHA coach to capture the Spenrose Penrose Award and the third in a row from the conference after Jeff Jackson of Notre Dame was honored last year and Enrico Blasi of Miami in 2006.

The Wolverines won the NCAA East Regional with victories over Niagara (5-1) and Clarkson (2-0) to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in Denver. There, the season ended with a tough 5-4 overtime loss to Notre Dame in the semifinals. Still, the trip to the Rocky Mountains was not without success as Michigan's Kevin Porter was presented the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's best player. This is the first national Coach of the Year award for Berenson who has compiled a career mark of 644-298-68 in 24 seasons at Michigan. His 644 wins rank him eighth all-time among all NCAA coaches.

The 2007-08 edition of the Wolverines qualified for the NCAA Tournament for a record 18th consecutive year. The CCHA regular season and tournament titles were the 10th and 8th, respectively for Berenson.

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Berenson was a two-time All-American and a captain at Michigan, graduating in 1962. He followed his college exploits with a 17-year NHL career in which he scored 261 goals and had 397 assists, playing 987 games for Montreal, New York, Detroit, and St. Louis. He once scored six goals in a single game against Philadelphia, four of the goals coming in a nine-minute span.

Before starting his college coaching career at Michigan in 1984, Berenson coached briefly in the NHL, earning Coach of the Year honors with St. Louis in 1981. His contributions to the game were recognized most notably when USA Hockey and the National Hockey League presented him the Lester Patrick Trophy in 2006.

The runners-up for this year's AHCA Men's Division I Coach of the Year award were Guy Gadowsky of Princeton University and Jerry York of Boston College.

The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first ten NCAA championship hockey tournaments. It will be pre¬sented at the AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet in Naples, Florida, on Saturday evening, April 26.

Past Winners of the Spencer Penrose Award Division One Coach of the Year

1951 Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth

1952 Cheddy Thompson, Colorado College

1953 John Mariucci, Minnesota

1954 Vic Heyliger, Michigan

1955 Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard

1956 William Harrison, Clarkson

1957 Jack Riley, Army

1958 Harry Cleverly, Boston University

1959 John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College

1960 Jack Riley, Army

1961 Murray Armstrong, Denver

1962 Jack Kelley, Colby

1963 Tony Frasca, Colorado College

1964 Tom Eccleston, Providence

1965 Jim Fullerton, Brown

1966 Amo Bessone, Michigan State

1967 Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth

1968 Ned Harkness, Cornell

1969 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire

1970 John MacInnes, Michigan Tech

1971 Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard

1972 John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College

1973 Len Ceglarski, Boston College

1974 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire

1975 Jack Parker, Boston University

1976 John MacInnes, Michigan Tech

1977 Jerry York, Clarkson

1978 Jack Parker, Boston University

1979 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire

1980 Rick Comley, Northern Michigan

1981 Bill O'Flaherty, Clarkson

1982 Ferny Flaman, Northeastern

1983 Bill Cleary, Harvard

1984 Mike Sertich, Minnesota-Duluth

1985 Len Ceglarski, Boston College

1986 Ralph Backstrom, Denver

1987 John "Gino" Gasparini, North Dakota

1988 Frank Anzalone, Lake Superior

1989 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence

1990 Terry Slater, Colgate

1991 Rick Comley, Northern Michigan

1992 Ron Mason, Michigan State

1993 George Gwozdecky, Miami

1994 Don Lucia, Colorado College

1995 Shawn Walsh, Maine

1996 Bruce Crowder, MA-Lowell

1997 Dean Blais, North Dakota

1998 Tim Taylor, Yale

1999 Richard Umile, New Hampshire

2000 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence

2001 Dean Blais, North Dakota

2002 Tim Whitehead, Maine

2003 Bob Daniels, Ferris State

2004 Scott Sandelin, Minnesota Duluth

2005 George Gwozdecky, Denver

2006 Enrico Blasi, Miami

2007 Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame

2008 Red Berenson, Michigan