Gophers Extend Lucia’s Contract Thru 2019

MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – The University of Minnesota and Gopher Hockey head coach Don Lucia have agreed to a two-year extension that will keep the two-time national champion coach under contract through the 2018-19 season – Lucia’s 20th season as head coach at the University of Minnesota.

“It’s truly an honor to coach this program, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished here at the University of Minnesota,” Lucia said. “We have high expectations for ourselves just like we know people have high expectations for us, and our program is proud of the bar we have set. We require dedication and excellence in everything we do, and everybody in our locker room buys into that. We’ve had that mindset since we got here, and our goals aren’t going to change.”

The 2016-17 season stands as Lucia’s 18th at the University of Minnesota and 30th overall season as a Division I head coach. A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., Lucia holds the Gophers record for coaching victories at 415 (415-219-68, .640) while his 694 career wins rank eighth all-time in NCAA history regardless of division (694-374-97, .638). A four-time conference coach of the year and the 1994 Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year, Lucia led the Maroon & Gold to back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003.

The Gophers start this year as the three-time defending Big Ten regular-season champions and have won five-straight regular-season conference titles.

Minnesota opens the 2016-17 season on Oct. 7 against Alaska Anchorage and plays Alaska on Oct. 9 (both games will be played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska). They'll host the U.S. Under-18 Team at Mariucci Arena on Oct. 14 before the official regular-season home opener against St. Cloud State on Oct. 21.