Utica University Women's Ice Hockey

Clausen returns for his 16th season and is the first and only head coach in the history of the Utica College women's hockey program.  While building a nationally recognized program at UC, he has compiled an impressive overall record of 220-150-27.  Clausen has posted a 135-86-19 record in arguably one of the top conferences in all of Division III women's hockey, the ECAC Women's West.  He has rallied UC to a 122-63-8 ledger at the friendly confines of the Utica Memorial Auditorium, while guiding his squad to an ECAC West playoff berth in 14-of-15 seasons at the helm.   Clausen was recently named co-coach of the mens and newly announced womens golf team with mens soccer coach Bryan Marcantonio.   As a two-time ECAC West Coach of the Year selection, he has coached a school-best five All-Americans including Deana Wiegand (2006-07), Stephanie Price (2006-07), Megan Myers (2012-13), Jill Nolan (2005-06) and Morgan Reed (2015-16).   This past season, Clausen led the Pioneers to a program best 19-8-1 overall record and a 13-4-1 ECAC West record. UC hosted a first round conference tournament playoff game for the fourth straight season. Utica defeated #2/3 ranked Elmira in the conference tournament semi finals before falling to eventual national champions Plattsburgh in the conference finals. Clausen guided six players to the All-Conference team including Laura Patterson who won the ECAC West Rookie of the Year title, three players to the All-USCHO teams, two D3hockey.com All-Region players, and one American Hockey Coaches Association CCM Division III Second Team All-American and D3hockey.com All-American. Clausen also had 13 Pioneers earn a spot on the All-Academic squad.   In 2014-15, Clausen led the Pioneers to an 11-11-5 overall record and a 7-7-4 mark in the ECAC West.  Utica clinched a spot in the conference tournament and hosted a first round playoff game for the third straight season.  Utica lost in the conference semifinals to national runner-up, Elmira College.  Clausen also guided freshman defender Samantha Husak to ECAC West All-Rookie team honors and 11 Pioneers earned a spot on the All-Academic squad.    In 2013-14, coach Clausen and the Pioneers enjoyed their most successful Clausenseason in six years posting a 17-9-1 overall record and a 9-6-1 record in ECAC West play. The Pioneers finished the season ranked just outside of the top-ten as they received two votes in the final D3hockey.com national poll. He also guided the Pioneers to an eight game winning streak in the first half of the season. He brought the Pioneers back to the conference tournament, defeating SUNY Potsdam in the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual National Champions Plattsburgh State.   Senior forward Megan Myers 14 made her fourth straight appearance on the ECAC Womens West All-Conference team and was named to the All-USCHO Division III Womens Hockey Third team. Myers graduated ranked second on the College's all-time scoring list with 143 points (74 goals, 69 assists) in 104 games.  Myers also tied All-American and Pioneer Hall of Famer Deana Wiegand '07 for first on the College's all-time goal scoring list.   In the classroom, his Pioneers set a school-record with 15 players being named to the 2013-14 ECAC West All-Academic Team. The Pioneers had the most representatives out of any of the Conference's nine teams. To be named to the All-Academic squad, a student-athlete must have completed at least one academic year at their current institution and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.   In 2012-2013, Coach Clausen got back to his winning ways as he garnered his second career ECAC West Coach of the Year honor, posting his best season in the last five years. He recorded a 16-9-2 overall mark including a 9-5-2 record in the conference. He helped guide Pioneers to the conference tournament semifinals, only to lose to the eventual national-champion Elmira College. He led the squad to an 11-2-2 ledger to close out the regular season, including a 7-2-1 mark on the road. Clausen guided Myers to CCM All-American Second-Team status, along with her third consecutive ECAC West First Team appearance. She became just the third player in program history to reach 100 points in her career, joining fellow All-Americans Stephanie Price '07 and Deana Wiegand '07.  In the classroom, his Pioneers were one of the record-setting 16 teams to earn a combined 3.0 or better grade point average.   In 2011-2012, Clausen recorded his 150th career win on Nov. 11, 2011 as the team defeated conference rival Oswego State, 3-1, on the road.   In 2010-2011, Clausen finished 13-14 overall while posting an 8-11 mark in the ECAC Women's West Conference.  He led the squad to a 2-1 victory against host and national-power Elmira College in the opening round of the conference tournament.  The Pioneers lost to nationally ranked No. 2 RIT in the semifinals, 2-0.   In 2007-08 Clausen earned ECAC Womens West Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Pioneers to their third consecutive 18 win season. He was also named a finalist for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) College Division (NCAA Division II/III) Womens Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Award. The award is given annually to the top coach in Division II/III womens hockey.   Clausen led the team to a program best 18-5-3 record in 2006-07. The Pioneers entered the conference tournament semifinals ranked No. 7 in the nation, but fell to Elmira, 1-0.   In his 2005-06 campaign, Clausen led the Pioneers to an appearance in the ECAC championship game. They ended the season ranked No. 9 nationally by USCHO.com, marking the first time ever that the team finished the year ranked in the top 10 nationally.   Clausen came to Utica from Brunswick, Maine where he was the assistant coach with the Bowdoin College Polar Bears. As assistant coach, Clausen helped lead Bowdoin to its fifth consecutive post-season appearance and a Division III womens hockey Top 10 national ranking. He was also an assistant coach at Hamilton College and for Maine Maritime Academy.   During the three years as an assistant coach at Hamilton, he played a major role in the teams transition from a small club to a nationally competitive varsity program.   Additionally, Clausen spends the off-season as a director and coach at various womens and girls summer hockey camps and clinics including USA Hockey's National Development Camp. Clausen was also a member of the Division III Womens Ice Hockey NCAA Championship Committee.   In 1998 Clausen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from nearby Hamilton College and he currently resides in Whitesboro with his wife Amy and three children, Noah, Casey and Luke.  

Owens joined the UC womens coaching staff with over 30 years of experience at the youth and high school levels where he held several head and assistant coaching positions. Within youth hockey, he has taken teams to the state competition three times and also made two trips to the nationals. As an assistant coach of the Clinton Warriors varsity team, he played a lead role in the success of the varsity program, resulting in three consecutive Section III crowns and back-to-back New York State championships in 2005 and 2006. Bills coaching philosophy focuses on the total win- it may or may not be in the scorebook, but its always in the lesson of teaching healthy competition, good sportsmanship, a positive work ethic and winning and losing with class. Bill currently resides in Clinton, NY with his wife, Nina, and his daughter, Meghan. He looks forward to a successful season.

Furia was hired in the summer of 2015 as the assistant womens hockey coach.  Furia will assist head coach Dave Clausen in all facets of the program, including day-to-day operations, scouting, recruiting, as well as game and practice preparation.   Prior to Utica, Furia spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach for SUNY Cortland, where she helped the Red Dragons clinch their first ever ECAC West Conference playoff berth and match the programs single-season win record.    She earned her Bachelors degree in Business Management from Division I University of North Dakota, where she was a four-year letter winner on the Fighting Sioux womens hockey team.  While at North Dakota, Furia played in 140 career games, collecting 36 points.  She helped lead the Sioux to four WCHA Tournament appearances and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.  Upon graduation, she played professionally for one year in the Swedish Riksserien League for the Sundsvall Wildcats.    Originally from Sedalia, CO, she is a 2009 graduate of Castle View High School, where she earned a state championship with the Castle View Saber Cats in her senior season.  Furia also played club hockey for the Colorado Selects AAA team that finished as Runners-up at the USA Hockey National Championships in 2008 and 2009.    Ashley currently resides in Utica and is pursuing her masters degree at UC.