Sioux Falls, SD (KWSN)—The Sioux Falls Stampede announced at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that Scott Owens has been named head coach and general manager of the team.
Owens has an extensive coaching background that includes 15 years as the head coach of Division I Colorado College He is the all-time winningest coach in school history with a 324-228-54 record. During his tenure with the Tigers, Owens led his teams to three Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season championships and seven appearances in the NCAA tournament, including a trip to the Frozen Four in 2005. He coached 16 All-American Selections and two Hobey Baker Award winners, including former Stampede forward by Marty Sertich in 2005. The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top Division I NCAA men’s ice hockey player.
While at Colorado College, Owens coached several former Stampede players, including Sertich, Nate Prosser, Sam Rothstein, Nick Dineen, Gabe Guentzel, Matt Overman, Scott Thauwald and Cody Lampl.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Scott Owens as our next head coach and general manager,” said Stampede CEO/President Tom Garrity. “Scott’s coaching record speaks for itself. He is someone we feel can come in and continue the winning tradition we have built here in Sioux Falls. I know he is eager to get started right away with tryout camp in a few weeks and we are excited to have him lead the team as we look to defend our Clark Cup title next season.”
Along with his lengthy collegiate resume, Owens holds an impressive USHL coaching background as well. He coached the Madison Capitals for four seasons in the mid ‘80s where he posted an impressive 136-85-16 overall record. He then went 179-76-9 (.695 winning percentage) in four years (1995-99) with the Des Moines Buccaneers including a league runner-up finish in 1998 and a record setting season in 1998-99 when the Bucs claimed the Anderson and Clark Cup titles while finished with a 62-12-1 (.833) record.
A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Owens lettered all four years as a goaltender at Colorado College (1975-79). He later spent four campaigns (1991-95) as a member of the Tigers coaching staff, serving as recruiting coordinator and playing a key role in the program’s revival in the mid ‘90s before moving onto Des Moines and returning to Colorado College as the head coach in 1999.
The Stampede will now prepare for tryout camp, June 12-15th at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. It marks the first time ever that camp will take place in Sioux Falls. More details, including a complete schedule, will be made available in the next week. For the latest Stampede news follow the club on Facebook and Twitter @sfstampede.
Courtesy: Sioux Falls Stampede