Minnesota fires women’s hockey coach Frost after 19 seasons

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota dismissed women’s hockey coach Brad Frost on Tuesday after 19 seasons, a decade since the program’s last national championship.

Athletic director Mark Coyle made the announcement three days after the Gophers lost at home in the NCAA quarterfinals to Northeastern. Frost, who made about $300,000 annually, was in the final year of his contract that was last extended in 2023.

Frost went 554-133-43 after taking over for the program’s first coach, Laura Halldorson, in 2007. He was an assistant under Halldorson on national title teams in 2004 and 2005. Under Frost, the Gophers were NCAA champions four times in five years: 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Minnesota has four appearances in the Women’s Frozen Four since then, but Ohio State and Wisconsin have become the conference powers and accounted for every national title since 2018.

The U.S. women’s team that won the gold medal at the Olympics last month had five players who played for the Gophers under Frost, including current captain Abbey Murphy and former standouts Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein and Grace Zumwinkle.

“Brad is a great coach and an even better person, which is why today is extremely difficult,” Coyle said in a statement distributed by the university. “This decision was made after a review of the program on and off the ice. We expect to contend at the highest level in every aspect of women’s college hockey, and right now we are not doing that.

“I want to thank Brad for leading our team with class and integrity for 19 years.”