BOSTON – After guiding the Northeastern men's ice hockey program to two NCAA appearances in the last three seasons and the program's first Hockey East championship and Beanpot title since 1988, Fernie Flaman Men's Hockey Coach Jim Madigan has agreed to a multi-year contract extension that will keep him at Northeastern through the 2022-2023 season.
 
In addition, Northeastern and associate head coach Jerry Keefe also reached an agreement that will keep him on Huntington Avenue through the 2022-23 season.
 
"Coach Madigan has guided our men's hockey program to new heights during his eight seasons," said athletic director Jeff Konya. "Under his leadership, along with Coach Keefe and the rest of the coaching staff, Northeastern is known as one of the top men's hockey programs in the NCAA and one built for a national title run."
 
"Moreover, their student-athletes' performance in the classroom and presence in the community is something we are extremely proud of," added Tim Duncan, deputy athletic director for external affairs and the men's ice hockey sport supervisor. "We're ecstatic to have Coach Madigan and Coach Keefe part of the Northeastern Family moving forward."
 
Madigan is the 10th head coach in program history, and is in his eighth season as leader of the Huskies' hockey program in 2018-19. During his tenure, Madigan has led Northeastern to its first Hockey East Championship and Beanpot championship since 1988, two NCAA appearances, the first Hobey Baker Award winner in program history, and seen 13 of his players drafted by NHL teams. Madigan also played a key role in establishing the first endowed head coaching fund in university history with the creation of the Fernie Flaman Endowed Men's Hockey Coach Fund in 2017.
 
"I've been privileged to work at my alma mater in various capacities over the years, but nothing has brought me more pride in my professional career than serving as the Fernie Flaman Men's Hockey Coach," Madigan said. "We're incredibly proud of the culture we've established within our program and what we've accomplished in recent years, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I'd like to thank President Aoun, Provost Bean, Madeleine Estabrook, Jeff Konya and Tim Duncan for providing our team with the resources to succeed and represent our prestigious institution at the highest levels."
 
Madigan brings more than 30 years of college and professional hockey experience to his post on Huntington Avenue. He played for the Huskies from 1981 to 1985 and was an assistant coach at the university from 1986 to 1993. 
 
Keefe also is in his eighth season on Huntington Avenue, and fifth as the associate head coach. In that time, he has established himself as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, and was recently named as an assistant coach for the United States National Junior Team that will take part in the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada next month.
 
"Over the last eight years, Northeastern has become my home," Keefe said. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to continue building on the strong foundation that we've established for our program as we continue to work towards our goals. I'm very excited to work alongside Coach Madigan, the coaching and support staff, and our dedicated student-athletes well into the future."
 
Since joining the Huskies in 2011-12, Keefe has been instrumental in Northeastern's notable successes. He oversees the Huskies' power play unit and holds a significant role in Northeastern's recruiting process, including the recruitment of Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Gaudette, All-Americans Kevin Roy, Zach Aston-Reese, Jeremy Davies and Dylan Sikura, and current Edmonton Oilers defenseman Matt Benning. He was also at the forefront of the recruitment of Northeastern's current NHL draft picks Matt Filipe (Carolina), Ryan Shea (Chicago), Cayden Primeau (Montreal), Jordan Harris (Montreal) and Tyler Madden (Vancouver).
 
The Huskies are in the midst of an 8-3-1 start to the 2018-19 season that has them ranked No. 13 in the USCHO.com poll, USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and in the PairWise Rankings. Behind strong goaltending from Primeau, team defense led by captain Eric Williams and assistant captains Davies and Shea, alongside scoring depth up front led by Grant Jozefek (nine goals, five assists), Northeastern was won four straight one-goal games for the first time in program history and currently sit in second place in the Hockey East standings.
 
The Huskies are coming off an historic 2017-18 season in which the Huskies captured their first Beanpot title in 30 years and returned to the NCAA tournament. Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Gaudette led the nation in scoring with 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists), earning CCM/ACHA First Team All-American, Hockey East Player of the Year, Walter Brown Award and Beanpot MVP honors, among many others. Sikura (54 points) and Davies (35 points) also earned First Team All-American honors, leading the Huskies to a 23-10-5 record, good for the third most victories in team history.
 
The Huskies stole the hearts of Northeastern fans around the globe and es­tablished itself as the best team in Boston when the Huskies captured the elusive Beanpot championship for the first time since 1988. With tournament MVP Gaudette supplying the offense and Eberly Award winner Primeau providing a steady presence in goal, Northeastern used the Beanpot win as a springboard to seven consecutive victories down the stretch to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and shine the national spotlight on the program for the second time in the last three seasons.