Adrian, MI – Head coach of the Adrian College NCAA women’s hockey team, Shawn Skelly, resigned on Wednesday morning. After serving six seasons as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Skelly has decided to move on to pursue a Division I coaching opportunity.
During his time as head coach of the NCAA women’s hockey team, the Bulldogs won six NCHA Regular Season Championships and five NCHA Slaats Cup Championships. He compiled a career record of 140-22-7 with an 80-5-4 NCHA record. He’s coached four NCHA Players of the Year and 12 All-Americans. Skelly led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Division III Frozen Four Appearances including a third-place finish in 2019, and another national semifinalist award in 2024.
“It has been a true blessing to have the chance to lead this program for the past six years,” Skelly said. “The countless wins, championships, and memorable experiences this program has provided me and my family is unmeasurable. This may have been the hardest decision of my life.”
Prior to serving as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Skelly was a member of the staff as an assistant. During his playing career, Skelly played four years at Adrian College on the NCAA men’s hockey team where he continues to hold multiple career records. Skelly was the first NCAA men’s hockey player in program history to be named to the Adrian College Athletics Hall of Fame. After his collegiate career, Skelly played professionally in the ECHL and the SPHL. Adrian College will begin a search for the next head coach of the NCAA women’s hockey team.
“I struggle to put into words what Coach Skelly has meant to 96.5fm The Cave, and myself,” stated 96.5fm The Cave Program Director Ian Wendt. “He bent over backwards to accommodate travelling with his team because he knew what college athletics means. It’s bigger than yourself, and all about the Bulldog on your sweater. He made it his mission to give his student athletes the best, most memorable experiences, that he could. Shawn knew how important local media is, and I will be forever grateful of that. From early-morning interviews in hotel lobbies across the mid-west, and in-studio conversations prior to games, he always made time for The Cave. We know he will continue to bring success wherever he may go, and that he left the program at Adrian College in good hands.”