U.S. University Select Team Coaching Staff Announced For 2003 Winter World University Games

USA Hockey today announced the coaching staff for the 2003 United States University Select Team, which will compete at the Winter World University Games, in Tarvisio , Italy . The U.S. University Select Team is comprised of players from collegiate club ice hockey teams affiliated with the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Joe Battista was named head coach for the United States, and will be assisted by Josh Brandwene and Chad Cassel. Dr. Alan Murdoch will serve as general manager and Ashley Bevan will be the team leader.

USA Hockey today also named the coaching staff for the 2002 USA Hockey Summer Select Camp, to be held at the Iowa State University Ice Arena in Ames , Iowa . The evaluation camp will consist of four teams (North, South, East and West), each comprising 22 players and competing in a three-game round-robin format. Following round-robin play, championship and third-place games will be held on Aug. 4.

In addition to the 2003 U.S. University Select Team coaching staff, ACHA coaches Joe Brantolino, Paul Fassbender, Robert Larson, Chris Schmale, Jon Sutton and Chris Wilk will participate in the camp. The camp will consist of 88 players who are registered members of USA Hockey and the ACHA, which includes 213 registered college club teams nationwide.

Both announcements were made by USA Hockey President Walter L. Bush, Jr., USA Hockey Vice President & International Council Chairperson Ron DeGregorio, USA Hockey Vice President & Adult Council Chairperson John Beadle, and USA Hockey Senior Director, International Administration Art Berglund .

Joe Battista currently is the head coach of the Penn State University men's ice hockey team. In his 15 years as a head coach he has won five ACHA National Championships, 12 Nittany Lion Invitational Tournament championships, and two Atlantic Collegiate Hockey League titles. He was International Collegiate Hockey League Coach of the Year in 1992, and ACHA Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002. In 1996 he was inducted into the Penn Hills Sports Hall of Fame. Battista reached the 300-win milestone in January 2000 and has a career coaching record of 394-27-21. At the professional level, he was director of amateur hockey development from 1982-85 with the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins.

He attended Penn State University (1978-82) as an undergraduate and was a standout defenseman for the Icers. He was named team captain and most valuable player during his senior season when he finished with 50 points.

Josh Brandwene is entering his seventh season as head coach of the University of Delaware men's ice hockey team after posting a 24-6-1 record in 2001-02, the second best in school history. In 2000-01, he led the Blue Hens to an improbable run at the ACHA National Championship tournament, resulting in a runner-up finish. He is a Pennsylvania native who graduated from Penn State University in 1991, where he set a career record for points by a defenseman and was part of the 1990 National Championship team. He also served as team captain, and earned honors as most valuable player in the ICHL. He was a recent inductee to the Penn State Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and was 2000-01 ACHA Coach of the Year. Brandwene serves the ACHA as its president and is the organization's first officer to serve on the Board of Governors of the American Hockey Coaches Association.

Chad Cassel is currently the head coach for the University of Illinois men's ice hockey team and led the Fighting Illini to the 2001-02 ACHA National Championship tournament where they finished second. Before becoming head coach, Cassel played for the Illini from 1993-95 and was named team captain. He set the school's single-season assist mark in 1994 and earned All-Central States Collegiate Hockey League honors and the league's best defenseman award in 1995. Following his playing career, Cassel returned to the team as an assistant before taking the reigns as head coach in 1997.

One of the most accomplished coaches in the history of the ACHA, Dr. Murdoch is the men's ice hockey team head coach and program coordinator at Iowa State University . In addition, he is an assistant professor at the school. In 1994 Dr. Murdoch was honored with the Sports Image Award in recognition of his 25 years of service to Iowa amateur athletics. In 1995 he notched his 500th win as head coach at Iowa State and his 600th victory came just three years later in 1998. Dr. Murdoch was elected as a director of USA Hockey in 1996 and was named head coach for the 2001 U.S. University Select Team at the Winter World University Games in Poland . The U.S. squad represented the first time ACHA players participated in the tournament.

A member of the USA Hockey national office staff as Manager of Adult Hockey for the past two years, Bevan is making his first appearance as a team leader with the U.S. University Select Team. Bevan oversees the organization's relationship with the ACHA, in addition to six USA Hockey Adult National Championships, and various recreational tournaments, seminars and special events. He originally joined USA Hockey in April of 1998 as Coordinator of Events Administration for USA Hockey InLine. Bevan earlier worked with the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues and the National In-Line Hockey Association.

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U.S. University Select Team Coaching Staff Announced For 2003 Winter World University Games