F A L C O N A T H L E T I C S
'94 - Bowling Green State University - '95
Released: July 12, 1994 (9:30 a.m.)
RPI's BUDDY POWERS APPOINTED AS BOWLING GREEN HOCKEY COACH
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Francis X. "Buddy" Powers has been named Bowling
Green State University's new head hockey coach, Falcon Athletic Director Ron
Zwierlein announced this morning at a press conference at the Ice Arena
Lounge. Powers, 42, succeeds Jerry York who resigned in mid-June after 15
seasons at BGSU to accept the head coaching position at Boston College.
Powers' appointment is effective as of Monday, July 18.
"The selection committee had a very difficult time deciding from the pool
of applicants because some of the nation's finest coaches showed interest
in the position," said Zwierlein. "We feel the position generated so much
interest because BGSU has one of the best hockey programs in the country
and is among the finest institutions in the nation to be associated with.
"We are elated to attract a person the caliber of Buddy Powers to assume
the head coaching reigns here at Bowling Green. His coaching background,
familiarity with the program and his University ties fit in well with our
philosophy and will add continuity to an already outstanding program. We
are extremely happy to have Buddy back at Bowling Green."
Powers, a former Falcon assistant coach under York for six seasons
(1982-88), returns to BGSU after serving as the head man at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., for five years. While at RPI, he
helped the Engineers to a 94-63-13 record including a 21-11-4 mark last
season. RPI's win total a year ago was the third highest in school history.
Powers guided three of his Engineer teams to 20 or more victories in a
season including each of the last two campaigns. RPI reached the Eastern
College Athletic Conference playoff championship game for the second
straight season in 1994 and for the third time under Powers' tutelage. The
team also advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association
Tournament last year for the first time since 1985 after receiving an
at-large bid.
Prior to his stint at RPI, Powers served as head coach at Rochester
Institute of Technology in New York where he led the Tigers to a
second-place finish in the 1989 Division III NCAA Tournament. RIT compiled
an overall record of 26-8-2 and captured the ECAC III West Region
championship in Powers' lone season behind the Tiger bench.
A native of Boston (Hyde Park), Powers played an integral part in BGSU's
success during the 1980s. As York's top assistant (chief recruiter/on-ice
instructor), he helped the Brown and Orange to Central Collegiate Hockey
Association regular-season titles in 1982-83, 1983-84 and 1986-87, a CCHA
playoff championship in 1988, and the NCAA Tournament crown in 1984. The
Falcons compiled a 174-74-8 record (.695) during Powers' stay at BGSU
including a 129-50-9 mark (.710) in league play. Over that span, BG
finished either first or second in the CCHA on five occasions.
Powers played collegiately at Boston University (1972-75) where he earned
three letters in as many seasons on the Terrier varsity unit. The
fast-skating left winger accumulated 40 points over his BU career on 14
goals and 26 assists. He assisted the Terriers to back-to-back ECAC playoff
championships as a junior and senior. BU also placed third in the NCAA
Tournament each of those years. Powers was the recipient of the Albert Sidd
(Unsung Hero) Award -- given by The Friends of BU Hockey -- his final year
with the team.
After graduating from BU in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in elementary
education, Powers played professional "amateur" hockey in the European
League for three seasons. He skated two years (1976-78) for Kaufbeuren,
West Germany, helping the team to a Division II championship during his
first campaign.
Powers then returned to the United States to begin his coaching career as
an assistant with BU's "B'- team for the 1978-79 season, but returned to
West Germany for one more year to play with Krefeld. A skiing accident
shortened Powers' playing career after the 1979-80 season.
In January 1981, Powers returned to the coaching profession as an assistant
at Colgate University (1981-82) under Terry Slater. In his one and a half
seasons with the Red Raiders, he assisted CU to an NCAA Tournament berth in
1981. In addition to his coaching duties with the Raider hockey program,
Powers served as golf course manager at the University's Seven Oak's Golf
Course. From CU, he made his way to BGSU in June 1982.
A current member of the Board of Governors of the American Hockey Coaches
Association, Powers has been active in USA Hockey's Player Development
Program each summer since 1984 (with the exception of this year). He has
served as an assistant coach at the 1989 and 1993 U.S. Olympic Festivals,
as well as with the U.S. during the USA Cup Challenge in 1992. He was a
much requested speaker and clinician at camps throughout the Northeast
while at RPI.
A 1970 graduate of Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Mass.,
Powers played both hockey and golf as a prep. He was a three-time
all-scholastic hockey pick and led his team to three straight winning
seasons. He earned all-league honors and was recognized as his team's "Most
Valuable Player" as a senior. Powers, a former Massachusetts Junior Golf
Champion, then enrolled at BU where he was awarded a hockey scholarship.
Powers, and wife Lindy (Bastel), the former Director of the Forrest Creason
Golf Course, are the parents of a son, John (6), and two daughters, Barbara
(5), and Caroline (3). Lindy, a native of Upper Sandusky, is a 1976 BGSU
graduate.
Powers' Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record
AT ROCHESTER INSTITUTE of TECHNOLOGY (l Season)
Year W L T Pct. Conf. W L T Pct. Finish
1988-89 26 8 2 .750 ECAC-III 19 2 1 .886 1st (West)
AT RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (5 Seasons)
Year W L T Pct. Conf. W L T Pct. Finish
1989-90 20 14 0 .588 ECAC - I 14 8 0 .636 2nd
1990-91 19 12 1 .609 ECAC - I 14 8 0 .636 5th
1991-92 14 15 4 .485 ECAC - I 6 12 4 .364 10th
1992-93 20 11 4 .629 ECAC - I 15 6 1 .705 2nd
1993-94 21 11 4 .639 ECAC - 1 12 6 4 .636 3rd
RPI Totals 94 63 13 .591 ECAC - I 61 40 9 .595
Career 120 71 15 .619 6 Years 80 42 10 .644
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