In 2011-12, Rand Pecknold, in his 18th season as Quinnipiac's head coach, guided the Bobcats to its 16th consecutive non-losing season with a 20-14-6 overall mark, including a 9-8-5 record in ECAC Hockey, giving Pecknold 20-win seasons in 14 out of his 18 years behind the bench for Quinnipiac, as well as his 11th in 14 years at the Division I level. In addition, Quinnipiac’s 13-4-3 home record matches the 2009-10 team’s mark for most wins on its own ice while giving the Bobcats their best winning percentage (.725) since 2005-06.

For his career, Pecknold is currently 288–188–53 (.595) at the Division I level with a combined 337-230-62 (.585) mark at both the Division I and Division II levels. His win total (337) and winning percentage (.585) over the past 18 years rank first all-time at Quinnipiac. Included in that overall mark is an astounding ledger of 200–112–49 (.680) in conference play at the Division I level. Pecknold's 337 career wins are ninth while his .585 winning percentage ranks 12th among all active NCAA Division I coaches. 

Last season, Quinnipiac also improved on its league-best streak as the only team to win a ECAC Hockey Championship tournament series in each of the last seven years after the Bobcats took two of three games against Brown in the ECAC Hockey Tournament First Round on Mar. 2-4 at High Point Solutions Arena at the TD Bank Sports Center.

Off the ice, the Bobcats ranked among the top half of Quinnipiac’s Department of Athletics in Positive Play points, which encourages community involvement by Quinnipiac’s student-athletes and coaches. Also, Quinnipiac was one of four ECAC Hockey schools, along with Brown, Yale and Rensselaer, to feature 20 or more student-athletes on the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team. In all, 21 Quinnipiac skaters posted a 3.0 grade-point average or higher over the last three semesters. 

For his career, Pecknold boasts a career record of 337-230-62, making him just the fifth coach in Quinnipiac Athletics history to reach the 300-win mark, while ranking among the top 10 in active coaches in NCAA Division I hockey. Since joining the Division I ranks for the 1998-99 season, Quinnipiac ranks in the top ten in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey in wins and winning percentage. Among his many honors, Pecknold is a two-time Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year finalist, the 2005 Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year, the 2006 InsideCollegeHockey.com ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year and was a member of the inaugural class of the Elm City Legends in 2008.

Prior to the start of the 2010-11 season, Pecknold was selected as ECAC Hockey's representative on the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey committee. Pecknold will serve the second year of his two-year term in 2012-13 seasons. 

Since taking over as head coach of the Quinnipiac University men’s ice hockey team 18 years ago, Rand Pecknold has asserted himself as one of the nation’s best. He has seen plenty of changes, but one constant is a proven track record filled with success and accom­plishment, both on the team and individual fronts. 2009–10 was no exception, as the program reached its all-time highest national-ranking, fourth in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Division I polls.

Quinnipiac’s early-season success featured wins against nationally-ranked Ohio State on the Buckeyes home-ice to open the season before ultimately winning 12 of their first 13 games. Included in the run, that culminated with the No. 4 ranking, were wins against nationally-ranked UMass and Cornell, including Quinnipiac second win in their last three regular-season games at Lynah Rink. Pecknold’s line-up featured a pair of early-season nationally-ranked scoring leaders in Brandon Wong and Eric Lampe, as well as the AHCA National Player of the Month in goalie Dan Clarke. Quinnipiac hit a lull over the middle part of the season, before clinching home-ice advantage for the ECAC Hockey First Round for the fifth consecutive year, while also extending their streak of Quarterfinal appearances to five. When the dust settled, Wong was signed by the Grand Rapids Griffens of the American Hockey League, while Lampe and Jean-Marc Beaudoin landed in the East Coast Hockey League, with Lampe lacing them up for the Florida Everglades while Beaudoin helped the Bakersfield Condors to their league championship for the first time in program history. In addi­tion to his team’s success, Pecknold won his 300th career game as the Bobcats clinched their ECAC Hockey First Round series.

In 2008–09, the Bobcats line-up included the nation’s leading scorer in Bryan Leitch, who also led the nation in assists. It was a first for the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey program at the Division I level and was also the first time since All-American Reid Cashman word the Bobcats’ sweater that Pecknold coached a player that landed among the nation’s leaders. In addition to Leitch, linemate David Marshall also ranked in the top ten in points scored as well as goals scored as the duo sat in the top two spots on the ECAC Hockey scoring list. Leitch was named to the ECAC Hockey Second Team, become Quinnipiac’s first all-league player since 2006–07.

Prior to the Bobcats joining ECAC Hockey, Pecknold guided Quinnipiac to two MAAC regular-season titles, one Atlantic Hockey regular-season title, one MAAC tourna­ment title and the first-ever NCAA berth in program history in 2002.In addition to individual success, the Bobcats won their second con­secutive in-season tournament when they knocked off Merrimack and nationally-ranked Air Force to win the Toyota UConn Hockey Classic. The Bobcats went on to defeat Harvard and Dartmouth, also nationally ranked at the time, for an impressive four wins in six days. The feat pushed Quinnipiac into the national polls for the first time that year while they were also named the College Hockey News National Team of the Week.

The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey 2007–08 season started off on a high note when the team was ranked in the top 15 by both the USCHO.com/ CSTV Division I and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Preseason Polls. The Bobcats became mainstays in the national rankings for most of the season, rising to 10th in both polls while also being fea­tured in College Hockey News’ first NCAA Tournament prediction of the season.January 21, 2008 marked the date for Quinnipiac’s highest ranking all-time in a national poll. The Bobcats locked down the 10th slot in the InsideCollegeHockey.com poll while also being ranked in the top 15 in the RPI and PairWise Standings.

In addition to their accomplishments in the Blue and Gold, 14 play­ers were ECAC Hockey All-Academic selections, for the second straight season. Captain Jamie Bates was also signed by the Norfolk (Va.) Admirals, the top AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, before then signing with the Springfield (Mass.) Falcons, the top AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers.

The Bobcats took a strong step forward on the national stage in 2006–07. Quinnipiac was ranked in the top 20 for 18 weeks and reached the finals of the ECAC Hockey Tournament in just its second year in the league. During the league playoffs, the Bobcats recorded three victories against nationally ranked teams-including a two-game series sweep at Cornell’s hostile Lynah Rink. Ultimately, Quinnipiac fell one game shy of reaching the NCAA Tournament, as it was defeated by No. 5 nationally ranked Clarkson in the tournament final.

On the individual front, 14 players earned All-Academic honors from ECAC Hockey. In addition, senior defenseman Reid Cashman was selected as a First-Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs following the sea­son. Brandon Wong was tabbed as a Freshman All-American after earning league Co-Rookie of the Year honors.

Faced with one of the biggest challenges since taking over as head coach of the program, Pecknold made sure that things didn’t skip a beat while joining ECAC Hockey in 2005-06. The Bobcats reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in eight seasons, finishing at 20–18–1. For his efforts, Pecknold was named ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year by Insidecollegehockey.com.

Despite winning 15 of its final 18 games in 2004-05 to finish with a 21–13–1 mark and the Atlantic Hockey regular-season title, Quinnipiac finished one victory shy of earning an NCAA Tournament berth, falling in the conference tournament final.

Pecknold was selected as the 2005 Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year and was tabbed as a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award. Cashman was voted a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top player in college hockey, and earned All-America accolades from two national media outlets. Off the ice, senior goaltender Jamie Holden was named a CoSIDA First-Team District I Academic All-America selection for his performance in the classroom.

In 2003–04, Pecknold coached a unit that was decimated by injuries but still managed to achieve a winning record for the eighth straight year at 15–14–6.

During the 2002–03 campaign, Quinnipiac reached the MAAC tourna­ment final for the third consecutive season, but fell one goal short of its second straight NCAA Tournament berth. Nevertheless, the Bobcats did reach the 20-win plateau for the fifth straight year, closing with a 22–13–1 mark.

The 2001–02 campaign was arguably the most successful of Pecknold’s tenure in Hamden. Despite being picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Bobcats closed out the regular season with a second-place effort. Then, in the MAAC Tournament, Quinnipiac registered one-goal wins over Iona and Sacred Heart before taking a 6–4 win over Mercyhurst in the title game. As a result, Quinnipiac earned its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
Pecknold became the winningest coach in program history with his 141st win on March 1, 2002, a 6–2 win over UConn.

In 2000–01, Quinnipiac registered a final mark of 22–11–4. After finish­ing with a 17–7–2 mark in the regular season, the Bobcats finished one game shy of their first ever NCAA berth, falling to Mercyhurst, 6–5, in the MAAC Hockey League championship game.

Quinnipiac finished the 1999–2000 season with a 27–6–3 final record. The 27 wins broke the school record of 26, which was set in 1998–99.

In its first season in Division I in 1998–99, Quinnipiac set a school record with 26 victories on its way to the inaugural MAAC Hockey League regular-season title.

In 1997–1998, its final Division II campaign, Pecknold guided the Bobcats to a 19–3–1 record. Quinnipiac also set a school record for win­ning percentage (.848).

BEFORE QUINNIPIAC:
Hired at Quinnipiac on May 5, 1994, Pecknold previously served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Connecticut College, for three seasons under head coach and former NHL player Doug Roberts. A standout for the Camels, Pecknold led Connecticut College to the 1990 ECAC South Championship. As a senior, Pecknold set school season records for goals (17) and points (47) by a defenseman. He earned First-Team All-ECAC South honors and a spot on the Division III All-England Team. Playing as a forward in his first three collegiate seasons, he led the Camels in goals as a sophomore (19) and junior (23).

PERSONAL:
An economics major, Pecknold earned his bachelor’s degree in 1990 and added a master’s degree in education in 1993. A native of Bedford, N.H., Pecknold played scholastically at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass. Pecknold, his wife, Nikki, son, Tate, and daughters, Cecelia and Georgia currently live in Southport, Conn.

RAND PECKNOLD'S YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD