BOSTON – Northeastern Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Madigan announced the hiring of Jerry Keefe as the 11^th Fernie Flaman Head Men's Hockey Coach on Wednesday. Keefe has served as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Northeastern for the last 10 seasons under Madigan.

"I'm thrilled for him to have this opportunity to lead our hockey program to the next level," said Madigan. "He's been a dedicated loyal coach and member of the Northeastern community. I'm excited to watch his future and to watch our program grow and develop under his leadership."       

Keefe spent the last seven seasons as associate head coach helping the Huskies to three straight Beanpot championships, three NCAA tournament appearances, two Hockey East titles and one Belpot championship in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A total of eight Northeastern players earned All-American honors over the course of the last decade and the power play was No. 1 in Hockey East at nearly 27 percent under Keefe's tutelage last season.

"I'd like to thank President Aoun, Chancellor Henderson, Athletics Director Jim Madigan and the University Senior Leadership Team for this opportunity," said Keefe. "This is my dream coaching job and I'm excited to build on the great culture we have established over the past 10 seasons."
 
Along with his role with Northeastern, Keefe was selected to coach with the United States National Junior Team from 2018-20, helping Team USA win the silver medal in 2019. During the World Junior Championships, Keefe worked with fellow Huskies Tyler Madden (LA Kings), Cayden Primeau (Montreal Canadiens) and Jordan Harris (Montreal Canadiens draft pick).

Before Northeastern, Keefe established himself as a notable name in the New England college hockey ranks, making stops as an assistant coach at UMass Boston (2006-07) and a head coach at Westfield State (2008-09), before his two seasons as an assistant coach at Brown University (2009-11). He resurrected Westfield State's hockey program and led the Owls to a runner-up finish in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) for the first time since 1981.

Keefe was a four-year center with Providence College from 1996 to 2000 and finished with 98 points (30 goals, 68 assists) in 102 career games. After leading the Friars with 52 points in 37 games, the highest single-season point total in 15 years, Keefe was honored as New England's Most Improved Player (1998-99). Upon graduation, Keefe's professional hockey career started at the end of the 2000 season with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (AHL) and Trenton Titans (ECHL). He spent five seasons playing professional hockey, including a pair of seasons in Europe, before retiring in 2004.

A native of Billerica, Mass., Keefe was a three-time All-Scholastic player and a member of a state championship team at Matignon High School, earning Massachusetts Player of the Year honors in 1993. Prior to enrolling at Providence, Keefe also played for the U.S. National Under-17 Team that won a silver medal in Tokyo, Japan in 1994 and the U-16 team that went 4-0 in Switzerland.
 
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