University of Connecticut Athletics
Matt Plante Named Assistant Mens Hockey Coach
8/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. (August 25, 2006) — University of Connecticut men’s hockey head coach Bruce Marshall announced Friday the naming of Matt Plante as assistant coach in preparation for the 2006-07 season.
Plante makes his return to UConn after serving as a volunteer assistant coach under Marshall during the 2003-04 season. Plante arrives in Storrs after two successful seasons as an assistant coach at Wesleyan College where he served under head coach Chris Potter, a former All-American and two-time All-ECAC and All-New England selection at UConn
While in Middletown, Plante’s primary duties included assisting with game preparation while also working with the defensemen and serving as the recruiting coordinator. He played an instrumental role in guiding the Cardinals to an NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) playoff berth, losing to eventual national champion Middlebury.
Prior to his stint at Wesleyan College, Plante completed his collegiate playing career after four successful seasons at Quinnipiac. In his senior season, Plante was a member of a team which captured the MAAC Conference Championship title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. That same season, he was also selected as the recipient of the coaches award for his efforts on the ice. As a forward for the Bobcats, Plante appeared in 49 games, scoring two goals while dolling out six assists in his career.
Before enrolling at Quinnipiac, Plante played for the Walpole Junior Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. He finished second on the team in scoring in both of his final two seasons, and served as the team’s captain in his final year (1997-98). That same year, Plante also served as maintenance coordinator at Iorio Arena in Walpole, Mass.
“We’re very excited to bring Matt Plante into our program,” said Marshall. “We got to know him extremely well as a volunteer assistant coach and his work ethic is impeccable. Having worked with coach Potter at Wesleyan over the last few years, we feel he’s prepared to take that next step of getting our program to the championship game of our league.”
A native of Troy, N.Y., Plante earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Quinnipiac in 2002.
Plante and the Huskies open the 2006-07 season with an exhibition match against Ottawa on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1:00 p.m. from the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum.
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