With one month remaining until opening night, Miami has hired one of its former graduate assistants to fill its vacant coaching position.
Zack Cisek took over as a RedHawks’ assistant coach on Thursday, two weeks after Eric Rud accepted the head coaching job with Sioux Falls of the USHL.
Cisek, 30, from Canton, Mich., has been an assistant coach for Lake Superior State the past four seasons. He was a graduate assistant with Miami in 2015-17, where he earned his master’s in kinesiology and health, and was volunteer assistant for Notre Dame the following campaign.
The Lakers surged in Cisek’s time with the Lakers. They were 74-61-10 (.545) and two seasons ago earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996. They had posted six straight losing records prior to his arrival.
Cisek was also the goaltending coach for Team USA’s Under-17 Men’s Select team earlier this year.
Cisek joins head coach Chris Bergeron and associate Barry Schutte, both of whom are in their fourth seasons in their respective positions behind the bench.
It has been a busy late summer for the program, as Jonathon Elliott was recently added as Miami’s director of hockey operations and Keith Parker took over the vacated human performance coach position.
Elliott played Division III hockey for St. Mary’s (Minn.) and has coached at the NA3HL level.
Parker held the same position at Sacred Heart University the past four seasons. Like Cisek, Parker also earned his master’s in kinesiology and health from Miami, acquiring his degree in 2019.
Miami made one key on-ice move this week, naming senior Jack Clement its next captain.
The shut-down defenseman has logged 94 games in three seasons, notching seven goals and 13 assists. Clement’s seven helpers and eight points last season were personal collegiate highs.
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