April 20, 2010

OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami Head Hockey Coach Rico Blasi announced changes to the coaching staff for the 2010-11 season Tuesday with the promotion of Brent Brekke and Nick Petraglia. The moves come following the departure of long-time assistant Chris Bergeron to become head coach at Bowling Green.

Brekke, who completed his second season on the Miami bench, will hold the title of Associate Head Coach, while Petraglia, a former RedHawk player, Volunteer Assistant Coach, and Director of Hockey Operations, will take on the role of Assistant Coach with on-ice and recruiting responsibilities.

"Brent Brekke is a nationally proven hockey coach," Blasi said. "His time spent at Cornell and his two years here at Miami have proved to myself and our athletic administration that he is very deserving of this promotion. Brent is ready to become a Division I head coach and we are very fortunate to have him continue with our program into the foreseeable future."

"Nick Petraglia is one of the most loyal and trusted people I have ever met," Blasi continued. "His time and dedication to our program for the past ten years is evidence in this fact. He is ready to take the next step within his professional career to be an assistant coach. We are extremely fortunate to have the quality of a person, like Nick, who wants to continue their career in helping us achieve our vision."

Preparing for his 12th season in the collegiate coaching ranks, Brekke came to Miami in 2008 after spending the previous nine seasons as an assistant coach at Cornell University of the ECAC and Ivy League. With a focus on the defensive corps, he is instrumental in the RedHawks' reputation as being tough to score upon. In 2009-10, Miami led the nation in scoring defense (1.95 goals per game) after finishing fourth the previous year. He has personally tutored Will Weber, who was named the Best Defensive Defenseman in the CCHA this year, and Kevin Roeder, a finalist for the award two years in 2008 and 2009. Brekke has been a part of both of Miami's Frozen Four teams, while leading this year's squad to the CCHA regular-season championship.

During Brekke's time with the Big Red, the team made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Frozen Four in 2003, and compiled a 185-90-30 record. During the 2003 season, he helped guide the team to its first No. 1 national ranking in program history.

Prior to his stint with Cornell, Brekke spent two seasons with the Chicago Freeze of the United States Hockey League as an assistant coach and director of player personnel. Some of his coaching responsibilities included working with the defense and special teams. As the director of player personnel, he was responsible for recruiting and player development.

After a four-year playing career at Western Michigan University, Brekke graduated with a degree in marketing in 1994. He served as the team's assistant captain for the 1992-93 season, and during the 1993-94 season was the first player in the program's history to be unanimously named the team's captain by his teammates.

A ninth-round selection (188th overall) of the Quebec Nordiques in 1991, Brekke skated with the USA Hockey National Junior Team that placed fourth in the 1991 World Junior Hockey Championships. Once his time at Western Michigan was complete, Brekke went on to play for the Cornwall Aces, Quebec's American Hockey League affiliate, for the 1994-95 season. One season later, he went on to captain the Dayton Bombers of the East Coast Hockey League.

"I'm excited for the opportunity and very thankful to Rico and the entire athletic department for their confidence in me," Brekke said." I'm looking forward to working alongside Nick Petraglia. His promotion to assistant coach is great and well deserved. He is a diligent, hard-working student of the game and will do a great job in his new role. We have a talented group of players returning for next season and we are looking forward to our next journey."

Petraglia just finished his sixth season as a member of Miami's coaching staff and his third as the director of hockey operations. His primary role for the past three seasons has been focused on scouting upcoming opponents through video breakdown and scouting report preparation. He also has handled all administrative aspects for the program. Prior to his current position, Petraglia spent three seasons as a volunteer assistant coach where he worked closely with the team's defensive corps and special teams units, while also helping develop the RedHawks' dominant goaltending tandem of Jeff Zatkoff and Charlie Effinger.

During the offseasons, Petraglia has coached both the Select 14 and Select 16 festivals for USA Hockey over the past three years, primarily focusing on the goaltenders. For the past two summers, Nick was selected to coach at the Warren Strelow National Team Camp with USA Hockey, which included the nation's top goaltenders eligible for international play. He has also worked closely with Nashville Predators (NHL) goalie coach Mitch Korn since 2000.

As a student-athlete at Miami, he posted a .902 career save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average of in his four years as a goaltender for the Red and White. In his senior season, he set career-bests with a 1.94 GAA and .920 save percentage as the RedHawks qualified for the NCAA Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo. Following the 2001-02 season, he was presented with the team's Most Improved Player Award and was a recipient of Miami's Scholar-Athlete Award in 2004.

Prior to Miami, Petraglia played at the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep School under current NHL head coach Andy Murray and finished his prep career with a 65-9-3 record, including a 35-7-1 mark as a senior. In 1999, he was in goal as the Sabres captured the school's first Under-18 Tier I National Championship. He received his bachelor's degree in Sport Organization from Miami in 2004, and his master's degree in Sport Behavior and Performance in 2007.

"I am extremely excited and honored about this opportunity to serve Miami University," Petraglia said. "I would like to thank Rico Blasi and everyone within the athletic department who was involved in this decision for their belief and trust in me to take on this responsibility. It truly is a dream come true. Miami University and the Miami Hockey Brotherhood are very dear to my heart, and my wife Becky and I look forward to continuing to make Oxford our home."

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