David Borges led the Skyhawks to a program-record 16 wins and the first NE-10 regular season championship in program history this season. (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix) |
College removes interim tag after leading Skyhawks to first NE-10 regular season title
EASTON, Mass. (March 10, 2014) – Stonehill College has removed the interim designation and promoted David Borges to head coach of the ice hockey program. The announcement was made by Brendan J. Sullivan, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the College today.
"I am very happy to announce that David Borges will serve as our ice hockey head coach moving forward," said Sullivan. "The success of this past season came together because of the collective efforts of the student-athletes who were directed by a talented head coach. David helped them reach their potential and accomplish achievements that had not been done previously in the history of the program. I am thrilled to watch our program continue to flourish in the coming seasons under his leadership."
Borges took over the program's leadership in an interim basis four days before Stonehill's season-opener at Southern New Hampshire University when former head coach Patrick Leahy resigned for personal reasons. Borges then guided Stonehill to the first Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship in program history with a sterling 11-0 record in league play. The Skyhawks finished with a 16-10 record overall, matching the single-season record for wins set in 1976-77, and posting a program-best ten game winning streak in the process. Stonehill's record streak started with a 2-0 non-conference win at Becker College on January 15 and went through the end of the regular season when it claimed a 6-2 triumph over Assumption College on February 20.
"I would like to thank the Director of Athletics, Brendan Sullivan, for showing confidence in my abilities and giving me the opportunity to lead the Stonehill ice hockey program," said Borges. "I am honored to accept this position as I have a tremendous passion for this College and its hockey program. Stonehill has an excellent academic reputation and I feel that the potential of this hockey team are endless. I look forward to building the program, where we will strive for both academic and athletic excellence."
Stonehill saw four student-athletes earn All-Northeast-10 honors in Borges' first season, with junior Chris Tasiopoulos (Norwell, Mass./Thayer Academy) being named the NE-10 Goaltender of the Year. Tasiopoulos enjoyed a record-breaking season for the Skyhawks, posting a program-record five shutouts and also setting a new career shutout record of six. Senior captain Bryan Rooney (Canton, Mass./New Hampton School) has also been named a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
Borges, father of Stonehill graduate Dana Borges, '13, who served as an assistant coach for the Skyhawks this season, came to Stonehill after a 26 year coaching association with the boy's ice hockey team at Coyle & Cassidy High School in nearby Taunton, Mass., the last nine years as varsity head coach. He led the Warriors to a 121-50-8 (.698) record over his nine seasons as head coach, winning nine straight Eastern Athletic Conference championships and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) state tournament appearances. Coyle & Cassidy reached the MIAA quarterfinals seven of those nine years, reaching three South Sectional finals and winning the 2006 sectional championship to reach the state final. Borges is a three-time Taunton Daily Gazette Coach of the Year, earning the honors in 2008, 2011 and 2013. Borges was chosen to coach in the first ever Massachusetts High School Hockey All-Star Game in 2010 and also coached in the event in 2011.
Borges served as associate head coach at Coyle & Cassidy for nine years prior to taking over the helm in 2005 and was assistant coach for six years after one year as goaltenders coach in 1987. The Warriors won the 1995 Eastern Massachusetts Championship and reached the Massachusetts State Championship in his first year as associate head coach. Borges has also coached the U-14 Hanover Classics since 2008. He led the team to the 2010-11 Massachusetts Tier II State Championship and competed for the USA Hockey National Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.
Borges is a 1985 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, earning a Bachelor's Degree in industrial engineering from its College of Engineering. He is also currently the vice president at Babs Foundry, Inc.
With 20 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. The Skyhawks have finished in the top three in the final NE-10 Presidents' Cup standings nine straight years, winning the Cup four times, including a streak of three-straight from 2009-10 through 2011-12. This prestigious award is given to the top performing athletic school in the Northeast-10, across all sports and seasons. Stonehill has received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first two years if the program's existence of honoring programs with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. The Skyhawks have earned a 97% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for fifth among all NCAA Division II institutions, with ten Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked sixth in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs.
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