Friars sign Molly Illikainen, Courtney Kukowski, Lexi Slattery, Lexi Romanchuk and Sarah Bryant.
One of the most consistently successful mentors in collegiate women's hockey, Bob Deraney enters his 13th season as head coach of the women's ice hockey program at Providence College. He begins the new campaign after earning the last two Women's Hockey East Association Coach of the Year awards.
Deraney has registered a career coaching record of 227-151-48, and is quickly approaching the school record for career wins, currently held by the legendary John Marchetti, of 264. Under Deraney's watch, the Friars became just the second program to eclipse the 600-win milestone. In addition, he has guided Providence to three Hockey East titles, one ECAC championship and one NCAA tournament appearance. He has also guided five All-Americans (Sara Decosta in 1999 and 2000; Jessica Tabb in 2001; Kelli Halcisak in 2003 and 2004; Kristen Gigliotti in 2006; Karen Thatcher in 2006) and four Olympians (Thatcher, DeCosta, Mari Pehkonen and Laurie Baker).
Last season, the Friars compiled a team record of 22-12-1, marking the sixth time a Deraney-led squad has reached the 20-win plateau. Providence became the only Women's Hockey East Association member to advance to the conference semifinals each and every year since the conference's inception in 2002. Overall, the Friars continued a remarkable trend of qualifying for the post season in each of the last 28 campaigns. The team fell in the semi-finals, a 3-2 overtime loss at the hands of the eventual champion, Boston College. Providence spent 14 weeks in the USA Hockey/USA Today national polls, finishing the year as the number 10 team in the country. After receiving his second consecutive Hockey East Coach of the Year honor, he was nominated for the American Hockey Coaches Association Women's Coach of the Year award.
The 2009-10 season saw Deraney lead the Friars to their third regular-season Hockey East Championship, with an 11-5-5 record in conference play, and a 15-11-9 overall mark. That year, Deraney led the Friars to several milestones, including the program's 600th victory. The Friars became the first Hockey East team to defeat New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. since the league's inception in 2002-03. Deraney also reached a personal milestone as he earned his 200th victory at the helm of PC. At the annual Hockey East awards banquet, Deraney was honored as Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Again, Providence was ranked for much of the season and finished the year ranked No. 10 in the national polls.
In 2008-09, Deraney led PC to a 17-16-3 record. The Friars reached the Hockey East Tournament for the seventh consecutive season and defeated Connecticut, 3-0, at Schneider Arena in the first-ever Hockey East quarterfinal game. PC traveled to Durham, N.H., but fell to eventual champion UNH, 3-1, in the semifinals.
The Friars finished the 2007-08 season with a 16-16-4 record and advanced to post-season play for the 25th straight season. Deraney helped the Friars upset No. 10 Connecticut on their way to making their fifth Hockey East title game appearance in the last six seasons.
In 2004-05, Deraney led the Friars to their 10th tournament title and their fourth in a row, including the ECAC Eastern title in 2002. En route to capturing the 2005 Hockey East Tournament crown, the Friars defeated Boston College and ninth-ranked Connecticut. The Friars earned an automatic bid and made their first NCAA appearance against No. 1 Minnesota. The Friars also posted their 14th 20-win season, the fifth in Deraney's seven-year tenure. The Friars finished with a 21-11-5 record.
During the 2003-04 season, Deraney led the Friars to their 500th victory after defeating Boston College, 5-2, on February 22, 2004. The Friars defeated UNH, 3-0, earning their third-straight Hockey East Championship.
The 2002-03 season saw the Friars finish with the best record in the program's history, 24-6-6, and as the Inaugural Hockey East Regular Season and Tournament Champions.
In 2001-02, Deraney led the Friars to their seventh ECAC Tournament title and their first since 1995. The Friars defeated second-ranked Niagara and fifth-ranked Northeastern to capture the 2002 ECAC Eastern League crown. Providence also posted its 11th 20-win season finishing 20-13-4.
In his first season, 1999-2000, Deraney led the Friars to their 10th 20-win season with a 20-10-3 mark. Deraney's first season saw many high points, including an eight-game unbeaten streak, a road victory over No. 1-ranked Harvard and a shutout win over eventual national champion, the University of Minnesota. The Friars later reached the ECAC playoffs for the 17th consecutive year. The squad traveled to Dartmouth for the ECAC quarterfinals, and after 85 minutes of scoreless play, the Friars' season came to an end, as they fell to the Big Green, 1-0, in double overtime.
Deraney, who graduated from Boston University in 1987, has extensive experience in college hockey. As a goaltender, he played for some of head coach Jack Parker's greatest teams. In 1984-85, Deraney was named Most Improved Player on the Terrier squad. During that season, he helped the team to a 24-14-4 record and a second-place finish in Hockey East. The following year, 1985-86, was the most successful during his time at BU. The Terriers captured the Beanpot and Hockey East titles with a 25-14-4 record, and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
In 1989, Deraney served as an assistant/goalie coach with the Northeastern University men's program. After one season at Northeastern, Deraney joined the staff of Dartmouth College and spent three seasons as the Big Green's recruiting coordinator while working with the team's forwards, defensemen and goaltenders. During that period, the program experienced a significant turnaround, going from the 45th-ranked team in the country in 1990 to No. 29 in 1993. During his first season at Dartmouth, Deraney was an assistant under Ben Smith, who would later guide the U.S. Women's National Team.
Deraney went on to become the top assistant coach at UMass-Amherst from 1993-98. His responsibilities at UMass included working with the defense and goaltenders, recruiting, and acting as the program's university liaison. Deraney was instrumental in helping rebuild the hockey program at UMass after it was re-instituted in 1993.
In addition to his coaching duties at the collegiate level, Deraney has coached at various levels with USA Hockey. In 2008, he was on the coaching staff for the U-18 Women's National Team that won the gold medal at the inaugural IIHF World Women's U-18 Championships. He joined current Friar seniors Ashley Cottrell and Kate Bacon to defeat Canada, 5-2. Deraney helped select the 1998 Men's USA Select Team, which competed at the IIHF Pool-A World Championship Qualification Tournament in Austria. Deraney also worked closely with the 1996 Men's U.S. World Junior National Team and has been involved with all levels of national player development since 1989 for both men and women.
Deraney, a native of West Roxbury, Mass., resides in Shrewsbury, Mass. with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Danielle and Alexa.
