Chris Bergeron

Chris Bergeron begins his fourth season as the head coach of Miami Hockey. Bergeron’s RedHawks went 7-27-2 in 2021-22 and added 10 new faces, nine of them freshmen, to a talented returning nucleus. Seven of Miami’s top 10 scorers from a year ago are back with the Red and White, including the first line of PJ Fletcher, Red Savage, and Matthew Barbolini. Goaltender Ludvig Persson returns for his third season in Oxford after setting the program’s single-season saves record a year ago.

Bergeron’s 2021-22 team played half of its 36 games against opponents ranked in the top 10 in the country and was tied or ahead at some point in the third period in a total of 20 games. Freshman forward Red Savage was named NCHC Rookie of the week a league-high four times, while team captain Derek Daschke was a finalist for the conference’s Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.

In all, 23 student-athletes on the 2021-22 Miami Hockey roster were named to the NCHC’s Academic All-Conference team, with nine of those players earning Distinguished Scholar-Athlete status from the conference. Bergeron’s program also produced three AHCA All-American Scholars in 2021-22.

In 2020-21, Miami went 5-18-2 with the entire season being played against conference opponents. Persson had an impressive debut season that year, leading all NCHC goalies with a .930 regular-season save percentage. The Miami freshman goaltender earned conference All-Rookie honors, was named to the All-NCHC second team, and picked up Miami’s first Three Stars Award from the NCHC.

In his first season trying to restore Miami Hockey to the perch, he helped it reach in his prior stint as an assistant, Bergeron and his staff upped the RedHawks' competitiveness down the stretch of an 8-21-5 season. Miami’s power play emerged as a weapon under Bergeron’s system, finishing the 2019-20 campaign 10th nationally with a 23.9 percent conversion rate. Senior Gordie Green enjoyed his finest campaign, logging 36 points and earning Second-Team All-NCHC honors in his final season donning the Red & White.

Director of Athletics David Sayler chose Bergeron to be the sixth head coach in Miami hockey history on April 5, 2019. Bergeron, a 1993 Miami graduate who played on the school’s first conference championship team and NCAA Tournament qualifier that same year, had been the head coach at former Central Collegiate Hockey Association rival Bowling Green for the past nine seasons. Under his guidance, the Falcons went 171-154-44.

Bergeron took Bowling Green to two Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament finals in his last three years, taking the eventual champion to overtime in both occurrences. In 2018-19, the Falcons secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament thanks to a 25-11-5 season, a record that represented the program’s most victories since 1994-95 and its first postseason berth since 1989-90.

Bowling Green won a mere five games the year before he arrived on the bench and had not enjoyed a winning record since the 1996-97 campaign, but that changed in 2013-14 when the Falcons went 18-15-6 in Bergeron’s fourth season. The Falcons then jumped from there, posting 20 or more victories in five-straight seasons, going a collective 114-66-24 in that span.

Prior to taking the Bowling Green job, Bergeron played a crucial part in Miami’s rise to prominence. His recruiting chops and influence on the bench helped the RedHawks go 226-139-37 (.608 winning percentage) in his 10 seasons as an assistant coach. MU went to the NCAA Tournament six times, and advanced to the first two Frozen Fours in school history in 2009 and 2010, appearing in the 2009 national championship game. During that stretch, MU won two conference titles (2005-06 and 2009-10), set a school record with 33 victories in 2007-08, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament twice (2008 and 2010), and was the top overall seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Individually, Bergeron helped coach nine players who went on to earn All-American honors, including 2011 Hobey Baker winner Andy Miele, who became the first-ever Miami player to win the award. Additionally, Bergeron coached 17 RedHawks who went on to play in the NHL during his tenure.

Bergeron played at Miami from 1989-93 and was a two-year team captain. As a senior, Bergeron scored a team-high 61 points on 21 goals and 40 assists. Along with his offensive achievements that year, the four-year letter winner was named the CCHA’s Best Defensive Forward as well as Miami’s Most Outstanding Senior.

He then spent seven years playing professionally before returning to Miami as an assistant coach. During that time, he played with the Adirondack Red Wings (AHL), the Birmingham Bulls (ECHL), the Toledo Storm (ECHL), the Cincinnati Cyclones (IHL), and the Columbus Cottonmouths (CHL), being named a league all-star four times. He also has coaching experience at the professional level, having served as a player/assistant coach with the Port Huron Bordercats of the United Hockey League for two seasons.

Bergeron earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Miami. He and his wife, Janis, have two sons – Logan and Connor.

 

Barry Schutte

Miami University head hockey coach Chris Bergeron made his first staffing hire by bringing in Barry Schutte as associate head coach prior to the 2019-20 season. Schutte stayed with Bergeron after spending nine years on staff with him at Bowling Green.

The RedHawks went 7-27-2 in 2021-22 and add 10 new faces, nine of them freshmen, to a talented returning nucleus. Seven of Miami's top 10 scorers from a year ago are back with the Red and White, including the first line of PJ Fletcher, Red Savage, and Matthew Barbolini. Goaltender Ludvig Persson returns for his third season in Oxford after setting the program's single-season saves record a year ago.

Miami's 2021-22 team played half of its 36 games against opponents ranked in the top 10 in the country and was tied or ahead at some point in the third period in a total of 20 games.

Beginning in 1999, he spent the next four years working at Miami in various capacities, including physical education instructor and head coach of the Miami University club hockey program. As head coach, Schutte guided the team to their first-ever National Championship in the 1999-2000 season.

After leading the club team for two seasons, Schutte eventually took the role of volunteer assistant coach for the varsity hockey team from 2001-2003.

In 2003, Schutte left Miami for the first time in his professional career, serving as the associate head coach and general manager for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League. While in Chicago, Schutte earned 60 victories from 2003-05.

Schutte returned to Oxford in 2005, resuming the role of Director of Goggin Ice Arena. After his return to Miami, the RedHawks compiled a 135-52-21 overall record, five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, two regular-season CCHA championships, and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four each of the last two seasons.

The Thunder Bay, Ontario native played four seasons at Miami, helping the Red and White qualify for their second-ever NCAA tournament as a senior during the 1996-97 campaign. He tallied 58 points on 25 goals and 33 assists over 131 games. He received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Miami in 1997. He and his wife, Carey, have three children--Hallie, Brady, and Colin.

 

 

Zach Sens

Zach Sens joins Miami after working at Trine University with their college and youth hockey programs. Zach will work as the Assistant Director of Ice Hockey Player Development and will become the head coach of the Miami Youth Hockey High School hockey team. 

 

Kaitlyn Johnson

Kaitlyn Johnson joins the Goggin staff as Assistant Director for Customer Service and Student Engagement. Johnson was formerly on staff as an Intern for Programming after completing her collegiate playing career at Marion University in Wisconsin. Johnson served as the associate head coach for Miami's Division I ACHA Women's Hockey Team and has served on the staff of multiple camps including Miami Hockey School. Johnson joined the Lindenwood-Bellville coaching staff in 2017-18 and helped guide the Links to a National Championship appearance.

 

Zack Cisek

Zack Cisek joined the Miami RedHawks' staff in September 2022. Cisek spent the previous four seasons at Lake Superior State, first as an assistant coach and most recently as associate head coach. He returns to Oxford after serving as a Miami graduate assistant from 2015-2017.

 

Jonathon Elliott

Jonathon Elliott graduated from Saint Mary's in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in sports management and played four years of NCAA Division III hockey for the Cardinals from 2012-2016. He recorded 22 points in his college career (10-12-22). Jonathon joined the Miami RedHawks' staff in August 2022.