DANBURY, CONN. - ECAC Hockey is proud to announce Yale University's Mark Bolding as the 2025-26 ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year. This is Bolding’s third time being honored as Coach of the Year, most recently recognized in 2023.

Behind the bench for Yale in his 7th season, Coach Bolding led the Bulldogs to a 22-8-0 overall record (14-6-0 in the ECAC) in the regular season, clinching the regular season title for the second time in program history. Yale finished the regular season with 22 wins, third most in program history, and went on an impressive 14-game win streak, only one win away from matching the team's longest win streak since the 2022-23 season.

Before his time at Yale, Bolding built a powerhouse at his alma mater, Norwich University, which captured national championships in 2011 and 2018. During his time, he achieved record-setting success, compiling a 266-68-22 (.778) overall record, guiding the Cadets to seven NCAA Division III national semifinals appearances and nine New England Hockey Conference titles. He became the seventh coach in NCAA Division III history to reach the 200-win milestone and was named the American Hockey Coaches’ Association National Coach of the Year three straight seasons (2010, 11, 12) and then in 2018.

Bolding was named the 11th head coach in Yale Women’s Ice Hockey history in April of 2019. In his second season, Bolding led his team to the Frozen Four, the first Yale coach to lead a women’s team to any NCAA final four event. On Feb. 1, 2025, Bolding earned his 100th victory as head coach of the Bulldogs with a 3-2 win over Union. Bolding currently has 393 career wins, ninth amongst all active coaches, and is one of nine active coaches to reach 390 wins.

Bolding will be behind the bench Friday during Yale’s semifinal matchup against Cornell, seeking his first ECAC Hockey Tournament Title at 4 PM.

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