David Stockdale
David Stockdale

Bio

Twelve Seasons (197-112-14 through 2023-24)

2021-22 NEWHA Coach of the Year

David Stockdale enters his 13th season as head coach of the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey program in 2024-25. The only coach in program history, through twelve seasons as the bench boss in Rindge, Stockdale has posted a 197-112-14 (.634 winning percentage) record over 323 games.

Hired to begin the program at Franklin Pierce with just 20 games of collegiate head coaching experience under his belt, Stockdale came on board in October of 2011 to begin preparations for the team's inaugural season of 2012-13. In addition to recruiting ahead of the team's on-ice debut, he assisted in overseeing renovations of the program's off-campus home, the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena, ensuring the women's program had a locker room to call its own, adjacent to the space occupied by the Franklin Pierce men's program. Throughout the preparation year and the team's first season, Stockdale also shepherded the program towards a spot in ECAC East, where it began play in 2014-15.

As the program gained experience, wins and relavence, Stockdale eventually helped steer the team into the NEWHA, where it began play in 2017-18. The team made its Division I debut in 2019-20, marking a new era in program history, just seven years after a seven-win inaugural season.

The 2021-22 campaign was the culmination of the program's first decade of existence. Sitting at 9-8-1 at the semester break, the Ravens rattled off 10 straight wins to start the calendar year of 2022 and went 13-1-0 in the second half to storm to their first NEWHA regular season title (16-4-0). Back-to-back shutouts on home ice in the postseason allowed Franklin Pierce to claim its first-ever league title, punctuated with a clinical, 1-0 blanking of rival Saint Anselm in the championship game. Stockdale picked up his first NEWHA Coach of the Year award, while Suzette Faucher collected league Goaltender of the Year accolades to cap a season where she led the country in save percentage (.961), goals-against average (0.97) and winning percentage (.861). Stefanie Caban and Emilie Prive joined Faucher on the All-NEWHA First Team. Highlights from the non-conference slate included victories over ECAC member Union and Hockey East member Holy Cross, as well as a tie against Hockey East member New Hampshire, on the way to a program-record 22 wins (22-9-1).

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ravens played only a pair of games in 2020-21, as they swept a home-and-home series from Becker in February.

The 2019-20 team eclipsed 20 wins for the second straight season, and set a then-program record with 21 wins (21-11-0) in the process. The team's inaugural season at the Division I level saw the Ravens play games on the road against traditional hockey powers New Hampshire, Dartmouth and Maine. A 13-7-0 NEWHA record was good for second place, before the team's season came to a close in heartbreaking, but historic, fashion. The Ravens locked horns with Saint Anselm in the semifinal round of the NEWHA Tournament, and the rival sides produced the longest game in the history of women's college hockey, with Franklin Pierce on the short end of a 2-1 loss in five overtimes, despite a program-record 79 saves from Emme Ostrander. Bridgette Prentiss -- who tied for the national lead in power-play goals (13) -- was the NEWHA Defender of the Year, and later becam the program's first-ever draft pick, when she was selected by the Metropolitan Riveters in the fourth round (21 overall) of the NWHL Draft. Meanwhile, Becca Kniss was the NEWHA Rookie of the Year, and Haley Parker joined Prentiss on the All-NEWHA First Team.

In 2018-19, Stockdale guided the Ravens to the second 20-win season in program history, as the Ravens posted a 20-10-1 mark, including a 7-7-1 record in NEWHA play. Bridgette Prentiss -- who led NEWHA defensemen in scoring (12-10-22) -- and Haley Parker -- the league's leading scorer outright (17-23-40) -- earned All-NEWHA First Team honors to cap the season, while Nicole Amato and Marissa Massaro collected Second Team honors. Goaltender Emme Ostrander piled up eight shutouts in her freshman campaign to land on the league's All-Rookie Team. The Ravens closed out the season with a trip to the league title game, following a 3-2 win over Sacred Heart in the semifinal round, and finished as the NEWHA runner-up.

In 2017-18, the Ravens made it five straight seasons of at least 15 wins, with a 16-12-2 mark, which included an 8-11-1 record in the newly-formed New England Women's Hockey Alliance. Nicole Amato burst onto the scene with a 19-19-38 campaign, which earned her NEWHA Co-Rookie of the Year honors after finishing fourth in the league in scoring. Amato was joined on the All-NEWHA Second Team by sophomore Bridgette Prentiss, who tallied 3-15-18, to tie for fifth among NEWHA defensemen in scoring. Alex Brolsma wrapped up her time in a Franklin Pierce uniform with a school-record 123 career points (49-74-123), and was the third Raven to reach teh 100-point plateau. The Ravens capped the season with the program's first ever multiple-overtime game: a dramatic, 4-3, double-overtime win over Holy Cross in the third-place game at the NEWHA Open Tournament. Haley Parker provided the game-winner 2:44 into the second overtime, while Madison Murray piled up a program-record 49 saves in net. The win also marked the 100th career victory for Stockdale.

In 2016-17, the Ravens finished at 18-7-2 under Stockdale, including a mark of 12-5-0 in the New England Hockey Conference. The season was highlighted by the signature weekend sweep thus far in program history on Jan. 20-21. Franklin Pierce pulled out a 3-2, upset win at No. 3 Norwich on Friday night, backed by 43 saves from Shannon O'Neil, and then turned around and notched a 2-1 win over Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon. O'Neil earned the first major award in program history at the conclusion of the season, as she was named NEHC Goaltender of the Year, and later was named to the New England Hockey Writers All-Star Team. O'Neil (First Team) and Alex Brolsma (Third Team) earned All-NEHC honors on the year, while Meg Gilbride landed on the All-Rookie Team.

In 2015-16, Stockdale led the Raven women to a 17-8-1 mark and a conference record of 10-7. Franklin Pierce played well on the road with a 9-4-1 record. During a tough stretch at the beginning of January, the crimson and grey won five straight contests while four of the five duels were played on the road. At the end of the season, senior defensemen Hayley Arnold became the first player in program history to earn All-Conference honors as she was named to the All-NEHC Second Team. Before the playoffs, the Ravens were ranked as the third seed at the NEHC Open hosted by Saint Anselm and were clawed by the Hawks 2-0. However, the Ravens got another chance and defeated Saint Michael's 6-0 in the consolation game which gave the crimson and grey a third-place finish. 

The program's ECAC East debut in 2014-15 went better than even internal projections could have anticipated, as the Ravens rolled to its first 20-win season (20-6-1), including a 13-4-0 league mark which allowed them to finish tied for third. The program also made its first-ever postseason appearance, where it defeated Saint Michael's in the semifinal round of the ECAC Open Tournament, but eventually fell to Holy Cross in the title game. Among the highlights of the season was a six-game winning streak in November, a seven-game winning streak spanning December and January, and another six-game winning streak in February. The Ravens continued to protect their home ice in 2014-15, with a 10-2-1 record at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena, leaving the team 22-2-1 at home over the last two years.

The success allowed the team to take home a pair of postseason honors in 2014-15, though it likely deserved even more recognition. Sophomore forward Marissa Ketterman led the league in overall scoring, with 15-20-35 in 25 games, and finished fourth in scoring in league play, with 10-11-21 over 17 games, but settled for an All-ECAC East Honorable Mention. Also an All-ECAC East Honorable Mention, sophomore goaltender Shannon O'Neil led the ECAC East in overall save percentage (.947) and ranked third in goals-against average, while ranking second (.953) and third (1.38) in those same categories, respectively, over 479:55 in the crease in league play.

The Ravens set the table for their ECAC East debut with a wildly successful campaign in 2013-14, the program's last of two independent seasons to begin its existence. Stockdale guided the team to an 18-4-2, which included a nine-game unbeaten streak from Jan. 7-25 and a perfect, 12-0-0 record at home at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. The .792 winning percentage ranked fourth in the country among all Division II/III squads.

A program which had featured lopsided production out of its top line in its inaugural season began to flash some depth the second time around, as 10 players topped 10 points. Karsyn Baker (17-15-32) and Colleen Doucette (7-15-22) both improved on their freshman go-arounds while continuing to man the team's top line, along with Michaela Faia (6-11-17). Marisa Ketterman (11-8-19) proved to be the team's leading freshman threat, as she finished second on the team in goals and third in scoring while splitting time between the second and third lines. Defensively, a pair of freshman backstops, Noelle White (52.1% of team's minutes) and Shannon O'Neil (47.7%), combined to notch three shutouts on the way to posting a 1.66 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.

In the program's only season thus far, it began its history with a 7-14-0 campaign in 2012-13. The mark was good enough to post the most wins among three Division II/III squads playing their inaugural campaign that year, bettering both Stevenson (6-15-1) and Univ. of New England (1-10-0). During the season, the Ravens faced off five times against Division I independent Sacred Heart, including squeaking out a 3-2 win at home on Feb. 15 against a team which finished 16-13-2; it was arguably the premier victory of the program's first season.

Stockdale The inaugural edition of the Ravens was led by an all-freshman top line of Karsyn Baker (9-18-27), Colleen Doucette (12-9-21) and Michaela Faia (11-9-20), who combined to account for 32 of the team's 49 goals on the season (65.3%). The trio were the only players on the club to top 20 points, while Sarah Sheils (2-8-10) also reached double digits in only 11 games, before missing the rest of the season due to injury. Amelea Gray, a transfer from Hamline, proved herself a respectable backstop in the Ravens' debut, as she posted a 2.93 goals-against average while logging 93.9% of the team's minutes in net. With a roster featuring only two juniors and 22 freshmen, the Ravens will look to continue to add depth and are poised for growth through the program's formative years.

Stockdale joined Franklin Pierce from Castleton State, where he took over as the head coach six games into the 2006-07 campaign and oversaw every facet of the program, including budget, travel, recruiting and academic monitoring of his student-athletes. Three of the top four scorers in program history played for Stockdale during the season and all three posted their highest single-season scoring totals under his mentoring.  

Following Castleton State, Stockdale served as the assistant coach and head recruiting coordinator for Chatham University for two seasons from 2007-09 and then joined Univ. of Maine as an assistant coach for the 2009-10 season. It was a return to Orono for Stockdale, who opened his coaching career with three years as an assistant for the Black Bears in 2003-05, before becoming an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Maine in 2005-06.

In addition to his collegiate experience, Stockdale -- a 2003 graduate of the University of New Hampshire -- recently served as the head girls’ hockey coach at Seton Catholic Central School in Plattsburgh, N.Y. During Stockdale’s time at Chatham, he helped to recruit four of the top-five players in program history for career scoring. He also has extensive instructional experience as he has served as an evaluator and counselor at various hockey camps, including serving as an evaluator and camp coach for USA Hockey since 2006.

Career Record: 165-97-10 (.625)

Franklin Pierce: 161-81-10 (.659) overall, 45-29-2 (.605) NEWHA
#2021-22: 22-9-1, 16-4-0 NEWHA (NEWHA champion, NEWHA regular season champion)
*2020-21: 2-0-0
#2019-20: 21-11-0, 13-7-0 NEWHA (NEWHA Tournament semifinalist)
2018-19: 20-10-1, 8-7-1 NEWHA (NEWHA Tournament finalist)
2017-18: 16-12-2, 8-11-1 NEWHA (NEWHA Tournament third place)
2016-17: 18-7-2, 12-5-0 NEHC (NEHC Open Tournament fourth place)
2015-16: 17-8-1, 10-7-0 NEHC (NEHC Open Tournament third place)
#2014-15: 20-6-1, 13-4-0 ECAC East (ECAC Open Tournament finalist)
#2013-14: 18-4-2
#2012-13: 7-14-0
# Set program record for wins
* 2020-21 season shortened due to COVID-19 pandemic

Castleton State: 4-16-0 (.200)
2006-07: 4-16-0, 2-13-0 ECAC East*
* Took over as head coach after five games