Men’s ice hockey coach Reid Cashman was awarded the Spencer Penrose Award on April 7, a recognition given to the top coach in Division I men’s ice hockey.
Under Cashman’s leadership, the Big Green won the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship for the first time in program history and qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament for the first time since 1980 this season.
The team finished 23-8-4 overall and 13-5-4 in the ECAC, which earned them the second seed in the ECAC tournament. After beating Colgate University in a best-of-three series in Hanover, the Big Green punched their ticket to the ECAC championship in Lake Placid, N.Y., where they beat Clarkson University 4-0 in the semifinals and won the championship with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Princeton University. The Big Green earned a spot in the NCAA tournament, facing off against the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the first round. The Badgers, who would eventually qualify for the tournament final, beat Dartmouth 5-1 to end the Big Green’s historic season.
The team’s success this year caps off five years of growth since Cashman became the head coach in 2020, going from just a 7-win season in 2021 to this year’s ECAC championship.
The Dartmouth sat down with Cashman to recap the season’s successes, discuss his goals for next season and what winning this prestigious award means to him.
What did it mean to you to win the Spencer Penrose Award?
RC: It was really exciting. I felt like the Penrose was really a celebration of our program and our staff, so I was really proud of the recognition that our program got for having a successful year.
How did it feel to beat Princeton in Lake Placid to win the ECAC hockey championship?
RC: A really proud moment. We’re the first Dartmouth team to do that. Certainly really proud, especially of our seniors, who have gone through this really incredible journey to win it in their last year.
What were your thoughts at the Selection Show when you heard you made the NCAA tournament?
RC: At that point we were really focused. It didn’t really matter who we were going to play. We had an opportunity to be in the national tournament and be one of the last 16 teams. Obviously I wish the result could have been a little bit better in that game, but we were excited about that challenge of playing Wisconsin.
What was the highlight of the trip to Worcester, M.A. for the NCAA tournament, even though things didn’t go your way?
RC: It was a great learning experience, and it was the first time for all of us. I’ve been there as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac, but I think the biggest takeaway is probably just how great our alumni supported us. President Beilock and a bunch of the senior leadership came down. We had alums flying from all over the world to come support us. It was really cool to see the support that the Dartmouth community had for us.
What were you most proud of this season?
RC: It was the journey that these guys have been on, especially the seniors, who won five games as freshmen, to where they are today. Winning the championship is really challenging. That overtime win versus Princeton in Lake Placid was a really cool moment that I’ll have for the rest of my life.
How do you feel about Hank Cleaves ’28, Hayden Stavroff ’28, Emmett Croteau ’27and CJ Foley ’27 all returning to Dartmouth next year?
RC: We have a lot of guys who could have left. Certainly, a lot of kids go into the transfer portal these days. To have our whole team come back, although we lost four seniors to graduation, is exciting. They’re gonna have a great spring and summer of training and getting better. I really like the depth of our team next year and am excited to start all over again and see what next year’s team can do.
What are you looking forward to next season, and in the future?
RC: We just want to continue to grow. These guys have raised the standard every year, and now, for next year’s group, that’s going to be their challenge –– how far we can push it. It’s just a fun group to be around. This spring and summer is long for us as coaches because we want to be back in the locker room and working with these guys. The thing I’m looking forward to most is being around ’27 or ’28 guys every day and pushing them and watching them grow every day.
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
