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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Women's Ice Hockey
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- bill.bowes@unh.edu
- Phone:
- 603-862-5367
Bill Bowes joined the UNH women's ice hockey staff as an assistant coach in July 2014 end enters his seventh year with the program in 2020-21.
Bowes assists head coach Hilary Witt and associate head coach Stephanie Jones in all aspects of the program. Bowes works with forwards, defensemen, and goalies in all contingencies including power play, penalty kill, forecheck, defensive zone and other strategic elements. He also focuses on recruiting.
In the 2019-20 season, UNH ranked No. 9 in the nation in penalty kill and 10th in defense (2.00 goals per game allowed). The Wildcats finished with 18 wins overall, including 12 in Hockey East -- both were program highs since the 2009-10 season -- and the 'Cats advanced to the WHEA semifinals for the first time since '10.
Bowes, whose coaching career began at Worcester Academy in 1979, came to New Hampshire from Castleton State College (Castleton, Vt.), where as head coach he led the Spartans to a program-best three-year win total of 35, including a single-season high 16 wins in the 2013-14 season, when Castleton finished as ECAC East runner-up and two student-athletes became the first in program history to receive All-America recognition.
In his first season at Castleton, Bowes led the team to its first double-digit win campaign with a 10-14-2 overall record in 2011-12; CSC recorded its first ever ECAC East tournament victory and he was honored as the conference's Coach of the Year – it marked the fifth such award in his career.
The Spartans followed that with its first home conference playoff game in program history in 2012-13 and established team records for most goals scored in a single season as well as fewest goals allowed; and under Bowes' tutelage, three Spartans were selected to the ECAC East All-Rookie Team, including the Rookie of the Year.
Prior to his three-year stint at Castleton, Bowes spent seven seasons (2005-11) as an assistant coach with the College of the Holy Cross women's ice hockey program. He helped the Crusaders to three consecutive ECAC Open Tournament titles (2009-11) that included a 24-2-1 overall record in 2009 and 20-4-2 mark in 2010.
Before Holy Cross, Bowes was head coach of the men's hockey team at Wentworth Institute of Technology from 1995-2004. Bowes took a winless program to new heights with four conference championships and three NCAA tournament appearances. During his tenure with the Leopards, he was honored as both the ECAC North/Central/South Coach of the Year and New England Hockey Writers Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
Bowes began his coaching career as head coach at Worcester Academy from 1979-86 and then went to Assumption College, where he was named New England Hockey Writers Coach of the Year twice (1992, 1994), from 1986-95. His other hockey experience includes the Phillips Exeter Academy Hockey School, where he served as instructor and off ice administrator (1985-98) and director (1998-2003).
Bowes graduated from Worcester State College in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and earned a master's degree in Counseling from Fitchburg State in 1985. He was a four-year letterwinner as a goaltender on the WSC hockey team and won the ECAC Division III title on the 1977 team that was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. Bowes was also part of the 1973 schoolboy hockey Division I championship team that was inducted into the Auburn High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
