Moon Township, Pa.  |  August 22, 2017  |  Director of Athletics Craig Coleman, M.D., announced Tuesday that Robert Morris University has signed head men's hockey coach Derek Schooley to a three-year contract extension through the 2022-2023 season.

"We are thrilled to extend Derek's contract and to ensure that he will remain a Colonial for a long time," Coleman said. "As the founding coach of our men's hockey program, he continues to push the program to greater heights, and the sky is the limit!"

Schooley is entering his 14^th season at the Colonials helm, as the program's only head coach since its founding in 2003. Schooley has led the Colonials to a 213-205-58 (.508) record since RMU's inaugural NCAA season in 2004-05, reaching the 200-win plateau in the 2016-17 campaign. Schooley was named the 2014-15 Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year & was one of 8 finalists for the Spencer Penrose Award, given to the nation's top college hockey coach.

"My family and I would like to thank Robert Morris University President Dr. Chris Howard and Dr. Craig Coleman for the confidence that they have shown in me and direction of the Colonial Hockey program," said Schooley. "We are proud members of the Robert Morris community and the city of Pittsburgh."

Since joining the Atlantic Hockey conference in the 2010-11 season, Schooley has coached the Colonials to a 144-92-32 (.597) record, finishing every season above .500 and posting 20 wins or more in four of the last five seasons. In that time, Robert Morris has reached its first NCAA tournament, winning the Atlantic Hockey tournament title in 2014 and back-to-back regular season championships in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Colonials have advanced to the AHC championship game in each of the last two seasons and three of the last four.

The Colonials have played host to several of college hockey's top teams as part of the Three Rivers Classic, played in the home of the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the hometown tournament three times in five years, including back-to-back Confluence Cup titles, aiming for a three-peat in 2017-18. The Colonials have taken down three ranked teams to win the last two Three Rivers Classic titles – over #14 Penn State and #8 UMass Lowell in 2015, and #14 Quinnipiac in 2016.

Playing tough schedules has showcased how far the Colonials program has grown under Schooley. Robert Morris holds a 21-26-3 all-time record versus opponents ranked in the Top 20 in the USCHO.com polls, including a 6-2-1 mark against ranked opponents in the past two seasons. Among those wins, a 4-0 shutout at #10 Michigan in October of 2015 and a win and tie against an undefeated 11^th-ranked Ohio State in November of 2016.

Under Schooley's leadership, the Colonials have seen several student-athletes reach new heights as Hobey Baker Award nominees and a pair of top ten finalists in forwards Cody Wydo '15 and Zac Lynch '16.

More than 60 Colonials have gone on to play professionally after playing at Robert Morris, with 19 players participating in NHL development or training camps, including the NCAA's active career scoring leader, senior forward Brady Ferguson, who attended Penguins development camp and enters the 2017-18 campaign with 118 career points, more than 20 points better than any other men's NCAA player.

In addition to their success on the ice, Schooley's teams have built a tradition of excellence in the classroom, placing a majority of student-athletes on the Atlantic Hockey all-academic teams, earning multiple student-athlete of the year lauds from Robert Morris University and Atlantic Hockey, several Senior CLASS award finalists and a two-time Capital One Academic All-America At-Large Team honoree in 2016 graduate Lynch. The Colonials were honored by the NCAA for the fourth consecutive year with the Academic Progress Award (APR) as one of the top 6 programs in men's college hockey.

"I am honored and humbled every day to lead this program," said Schooley. "We could not have done it without the dedication of great staff members, players and alumni.  I look forward to continuing the success we have built over the past thirteen years."

A native of St. Louis, Schooley played defense at Western Michigan University from 1991-94 and skated in three minor-league professional seasons before beginning his coaching career in 1997 with the Chicago Freeze of the North American Hockey League. Schooley's collegiate coaching career began as an assistant at Cornell University and later, as an assistant and associate head coach at the Air Force Academy, before being named RMU's first varsity men's hockey coach in 2003.

Schooley, his wife Alicia and three children – Kaitlyn, Brendan and Taylor – reside in Moon Township, and are all actively involved in the local Pittsburgh area hockey community.

The Colonials open the 2017-18 season with a home exhibition vs. Ottawa on Sept. 30, followed by a trio of Atlantic Hockey conference road games to start the regular season. Robert Morris returns to the RMU Island Sports Center for the home opener on October 20 hosting Army West Point for a two-game series. Tickets for home games are on sale at RMUtickets.com or by calling 412-397-4949. The Colonials complete schedule can be found here.

COLONIALS MEN'S HOCKEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Snapchat  |  YouTube