Men's Hockey: Prier named men's hockey head coach

Prier has plenty of experience in the ECAC Hockey league. He spent the last nine seasons on the coaching staff at St. Lawrence University, first as an assistant and later as the associate head coach. He helped guide the Saints to a first-round upset of Princeton in the ECAC Tournament, winning two games at Baker Rink to overcome a 1-0 series deficit.

Before moving to St. Lawrence, Prier began his coaching career at the University of Denver. He then worked as an assistant at Princeton for the 2001-02 season.

“The Princeton hockey program is in a terrific state,” Prier said in the release. “As a coach in the league, I have witnessed firsthand the quality of players on the Princeton roster. They work hard and are fun to watch.”

Prier takes over for Guy Gadowsky, who left the program two weeks ago to become the head coach at Penn State as it prepares to transition to Division I hockey. Gadowsky oversaw a dramatic turnaround at Princeton, leading a team that was previously one of the league’s bottom-feeders to an ECAC Tournament championship in 2008 and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Last season, the Tigers finished tied for fourth in the league at 11-9-2. The outgoing Class of 2011 won more games than any other group in the program’s history.

“I am thrilled to hear of the hiring of Bob at Princeton,” said Gadowsky, who was involved in the search that led to Prier’s hiring. “He’s a great all-around guy and he is a man of a lot of substance. I have really enjoyed watching his teams compete and play over the past seven seasons. They play an exciting brand of hockey, which will fit in perfectly with what Princeton fans and alumni have come to expect in the past few years.”

Prier graduated from St. Lawrence in 1999, leading the Saints to an NCAA Tournament appearance as a captain in his final season. He was signed by the Ottawa Senators after his graduation but played only three minor-league games before suffering a career-ending injury.

Prier was officially introduced at a press conference at Princeton Stadium on Tuesday morning.