Augustana S.F. Hires Garrett Raboin as Head Coach

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Garrett Raboin Named First Augustana Hockey Head Coach - Augustana University Athletics

Garrett Raboin, assistant coach for the University of Minnesota of the Big Ten Conference, has been selected to be the inaugural head coach of the Viking Hockey

goaugie.com

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana University Men’s Hockey Program has its first-ever head coach. Garrett Raboin, assistant coach for the University of Minnesota of the Big Ten Conference, has been selected to be the inaugural head coach of the Viking Hockey program — set to take the ice in the 2023-24 academic year.

“This is a great day for Augustana University and an incredibly important step in the launch of Viking Hockey,” said Augustana President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. “Garrett Raboin brings a passion for the game and genuine enthusiasm for the broader vision that will be energizing for all of us as we build toward our first year of competition in 2023. We are thrilled to welcome Garrett, Emily and their children to Augustana and the Sioux Falls community.”

“We started this process looking for someone who can build a nationally competitive men’s hockey program that competes at Division I and we sure found him,” Josh Morton Augustana Director of Athletics said. “Garrett is a proven winner, excellent recruiter and will help us build community excitement for Augustana hockey. He is a great addition and will add to the excellence of Augustana athletics.

Raboin will be introduced at a press conference Tuesday, April 19, at 2 p.m., inside the University Welcome Center (2100 S. Summit Ave.) on Augustana’s campus. The press conference is open to the public and will be live-streamed on the Augustana Athletics YouTube page. Raboin and Morton will be available for comment at that time.

 

[BTChamp]

Good for him. Remember him from Detroit Lakes. Word on the street was he was heir apparent to Motzko. Or one of the words on the street. Could still be.

 

[TRF Guy]

Great hire for them

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

CCHA adding Augustana University as ninth member of hockey conference

"We felt it was a perfect fit,'' Commissioner Don Lucia said of the Sioux Falls school's new men's hockey program that will begin play in the 2023-24 season.

www.startribune.com

Augustana to the CCHA in 2023-24

When Central Collegiate Hockey Association officials pondered whether to admit Division I newcomer Augustana to the conference, Commissioner Don Lucia had a couple of questions: Why Augustana and why now?

Turns out, the people, the place and the timing meshed for the CCHA.

"They seemed to have it all there,'' Lucia said of the Sioux Falls school. "We felt it was a perfect fit.''

On Tuesday, the CCHA announced it has accepted Augustana as the ninth member of the Division I men's conference. The Vikings will begin play as a program in 2023-24 at Midco Arena, a 3,000-seat on-campus venue that's in the early stages of construction. Augustana will be the first Division I hockey program in South Dakota, and it'll be in the heart of a thriving metro area of more than 275,000. Sioux Falls businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford was a key financial donor in helping Augustana start the program.

"We wanted to keep the momentum going for Augustana University,'' Lucia said. "… That was an important piece. The teams that are adding hockey have to know they're going to have a home.'