St. Scholastica has fired men’s hockey coach Mark Wick after 14 seasons.
Wick told the News Tribune on Monday that he was informed Friday of the school’s decision to move on without him. He was given the opportunity to resign, but declined.
Wick led the Saints to 190 victories and one NCAA Division III tournament appearance during his time with the Saints. He declined comment Monday afternoon - when the move was announced by St. Scholastica - but said he would talk more about his time with the Saints at a later date.
St. Scholastica first-year athletic director Brian Jamros also declined further comment about Wick, only saying, “We certainly appreciate his 14 years of guiding the Saints program. We wish him the best moving forward.”
Jamros is a Moose Lake native who was hired by the Saints in July after serving as the vice president and director of athletics at Concordia-Portland (Oregon). He said a search committee will be part of a national search that will begin immediately and that the school is looking for someone to take the men’s hockey program to the next level.
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“The biggest thing we’re looking for is somebody to build upon the foundation that was instilled by the alums, the players who have come through the program,” Jamros said. “It will be a well-vetted process where we get somebody to lead the program for a long time.”
Wick replaced Cory Borys as Saints head coach in 2004. In 14 seasons under Wick, the Saints posted a 190-159-41 mark, with the lone NCAA tournament appearance coming in 2008-09.
The Saints were 15-11-1 in 2017-18, finishing third in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association North Division. St. Scholastica’s season ended in the NCHA quarterfinals.
Shawn Bartlette has been named interim head coach in the meantime. Bartlette just finished his third season as an assistant under Wick.
