Dan Fridgen announced his resignation today as head coach of the Rensselaer Men's Hockey team. Fridgen was head coach for 12 seasons, compiling a 211-193-38 overall record. He spent the previous five seasons as assistant coach to Buddy Powers.

Fridgen said, "Rensselaer has offered me a tremendous opportunity over the past 17 years. My family and I are very thankful for all the experiences we have shared with some tremendous people in the program, on the campus and in the community. I wish the team nothing but success."

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson said, "I applaud Dan for his hard work and dedication to the Institute and for the compassion and commitment he has exhibited to his players. We wish him all the best. Rensselaer has a great hockey tradition, and we will now take the necessary steps to begin a new chapter in our program’s history."

Dan Fridgen was considered an excellent recruiter when he served as Buddy Powers' assistant. The program continued to find many excellent student athletes during his tenure as head coach, but the team never achieved the success that it had under Powers. Critics point to Fridgen's 116-116-31 overall record in ECAC/ ECACHL league play and only one league championship in 12 seasons as indications that he wasn't cut out for a head coaching role in a program like RPI's. This isn't exactly a fair criticism, since Fridgen also amassed more victories than any other hockey coach in school history.

USCHO's report on Fridgen's resignation said: "The last four years have been difficult for Fridgen as his team’s finished 11th, 5th, 11th and 6th. This past season the Engineers battled through injuries to finish in a tie for 6th place in the ECACHL, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Quinnipiac in two games."

According to the press release issued by the Athletic Department, Assistant Coach Frank Bretti will manage day-to-day operations of the program while the search for a new head coach takes place.