COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado College hockey program has found the 15th head coach in program history. Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine has named Kris Mayotte as the next head coach of Tiger hockey.
He was introduced on Monday morning.
Mayotte, who spent the last two seasons at the University of Michigan with head coach Mel Pearson after five years under Nate Leaman at Providence College, has recruited six All-Americans and prepared several of his players for the National Hockey League.
"Kris is very detail-oriented, well organized and made our team better," explained Pearson. "He is a tireless recruiter and opened up new areas for us on the recruiting trail. One of his greatest strengths is building relationships with his players.”
“Kris is one of the brightest coaches I have been around in hockey," added Leaman. "He is an excellent communicator and has won championships at the highest level. He will lead Colorado College to great success.”
The Pittsburgh, PA native is considered one of the rising stars in the college hockey coaching ranks.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kris to the Tiger family,” Irvine said. “Kris is the right leader at the right time for the Colorado College hockey program. I learned quickly why he was known as a rising star. He is a winner, a relentless recruiter and an exceptional leader. Kris is a liberal arts graduate who understands combining academic and athletic excellence. He is positioned to be an outstanding head coach as we plan to move the program forward and open the doors of Robson Arena.”
Earlier this year, Mayotte served as an assistant coach under Leaman on the gold-medal winning U.S. National Junior Team at the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Canada. Mayotte also helped the U.S. win gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018.
“I am honored and humbled to become the next head coach at Colorado College and continue the historic tradition of Tiger Hockey,” Mayotte said. “I am energized by all that CC has to offer and the vision for the program and look forward to being a visible leader on the campus and in the community. The addition of Robson Arena is a game changer and we have all of the pieces in place to build a championship program. I look forward to continuing the high standard of excellence, on and off the ice, at Colorado College.”
As a collegian, Mayotte was Union College's starting goaltender from 2002-06. His final three seasons coincided with the first three seasons of Leaman's tenure as Union’s head coach. Mayotte finished his college career with 116 games played and a 2.69 goals-against average while earning ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team (2003) and ECAC Second All-Star Team (2006) honors.
