Head Coach Jamie Russell
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The Michigan Tech hockey program has experienced a revival under six-year head coach Jamie Russell. The team has made strides every year and the 2007-08 season was no exception.
The Huskies showed that they could compete with any one in the nation after posting a 4-4-0 record against top five teams. The team was the first to defeat No. 1 North Dakota at home on Oct. 26. The Huskies also pushed the WCHA regular season champs to a three-game series in the WCHA playoffs.
The Great Lakes Invitational was also a bright spot during the season. The Black and Gold defeated defending national champion No. 5 Michigan State before falling to No. 1 Michigan in double overtime.
The 2007-08 season marked the first time that the Huskies posted 14 or more wins in back-to-back seasons since 1994-95 and 1995-96.
The previous season the Michigan Tech alum was honored as the 2007 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) co-Coach of the Year and led Michigan Tech to an 18-17-5 overall record, its highest total since 1995-96. The Huskies also posted their best conference finish since 1992-93 with a sixth-place showing in the WCHA standings. Michigan Tech also made its first appearance at the WCHA Final Five since 1996 after knocking off Colorado College in the opening round of the league playoffs.
Russell became the third Michigan Tech head coach to be selected WCHA Coach of the Year, and the first since Herb Boxer gained the award in the 1987-88 season. The legendary John MacInnes won the award six times (1960, 1962, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981) during his illustrious career in Houghton.
Recognized by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) as one of 11 finalists for the prestigious Spencer Penrose Award, Russell fielded a 16-10-3 record against teams in the top 20 a year ago. The Huskies ranked fifth in the country in scoring defense (2.17 gpg), fifth in shots allowed (24.8 spg), and fifth in penalty killing (87.3%). In addition, Michigan Tech surrendered just 21 third-period goals, which placed the Huskies first nationally.
Under Russell's tutelage, Michigan Tech broke a single-season program record by compiling five shutouts, besting a mark set back in 1974-75. The Huskies swept five teams in 2006-07, marking its highest such total since 1997-98.
A native of Kamloops, B.C., Russell owns a 55-112-25 overall record and a 42-91-20 mark in WCHA play.
Russell has coached two All-Americans, five All-WCHA selections, one Hobey Baker Award finalist and 51 WCHA All-Academic Team recipients since arriving in Houghton.
Russell, who played defense for Michigan Tech from 1987-89, spent the four seasons prior to arriving at Michigan Tech helping build the Cornell University Big Red into a national powerhouse.
During his tenure (1999-2003) as the lead assistant at Cornell, the Big Red amassed an 87-39-10 record, won two Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2001-02, 2002-03) as well as an ECAC playoff championship (2002-03). In addition, CU advanced to the NCAA Championships on two occasions, including a final eight appearance in 2001-02 and a spot in the Frozen Four in 2002-03. CU completed 2002-03 with a school-record 30-5-1 mark and was the top-ranked team in the country in the final regular-season poll.
Among Russell's responsibilities at Cornell were working with the defensemen and the penalty-killing units. Cornell finished number one in the country in both team defense (1.36 goals against per game; next closest, 2.21) and penalty killing (.900) in 2002-03.
Prior to his stint at Cornell, Russell spent five years as an assistant coach at Ferris State. While not at FSU in 2002-03 - a year in which the team won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship - Russell had a hand in recruiting the club's senior class.
Russell played two seasons at Michigan Tech after sitting out 1986-87 due to transfer rules. He was an assistant captain in both of his seasons on the blueline for the Huskies (1987-88, 1988-89) and posted career totals of eight goals and 22 assists in 77 games played.
Following graduation, he went on to play for Larjevellan Sweden in 1989.
His final two playing years were spent competing for Winston-Salem of the East Coast Hockey League in 1990 and for Binghamton of the American Hockey League in 1991.
Russell has also been extensively involved with USA Hockey throughout the years. He served as the director of the USA Regional Bantam Evaluation Camp from 1996-99 and has also been a lecturer for the USA Hockey Coaches Achievement Program.
In addition, Russell has been an instructor at multiple hockey schools, including Michigan Tech's Hockey Development Center.
Russell, born Aug. 31, 1966, is a member of the American Hockey Coaches Association. He is married to the former Linda Frankovich of Laurium, Mich., and the couple resides with their sons Ben, Charlie and Graeme in Houghton.
