Tortorella skates to front of Colby coaching crowd

Jim Tortorella has helped transform the Colby College hockey program into a perennial NESCAC contender.

And now the former University of Maine goalie has become the all-time wins leader for Colby’s men’s hockey program.

Last Saturday’s 5-0 triumph over Amherst College was Tortorella’s 127th in his eight seasons at the helm.

He has a record of 127-60-14 and that is also the best winning percentage in the history of the program at .667.

Tortorella, a Concord, Mass., native who graduated from Maine in 1981, coached at Brunswick High School and Cony High in Augusta before serving as an assistant at the University of New Hampshire.

He was named the state’s high school coach of the year on two occasions.

He has led his Mules into the postseason in all eight seasons.

“Jimmy is one of the rising stars in the business,” said Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher. “He is a very talented coach. The thing that sets him apart is he’s an excellent teacher. He understands how to teach.”

Tortorella said, “I’ve been very, very lucky to be surrounded by good, quality coaches like Terry [Meagher], [UNH head coach] Dick Umile, [former UNH assistant] Brian McCloskey and [former Colby and Lake Superior State coach] Scott Borek. Those are all people I network with. I’ve taken a little bit from everybody and I’ve had some ideas of my own. And my brother [Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Tortorella] has helped.

“One attribute I may have and never want to lose is my passion for the game. It allows me to spend a lot of time trying to get better and learn more about the game,” added Tortorella.

Tortorella said he has been fortunate to work at Colby.

“I can’t believe it’s eight years already,” said the 43-year-old Tortorella. “It’s a great place to work. Colby prides itself in providing quality academic and athletic programs. All the people there, from the people in the admissions office to the athletic staff to my assistants have all worked very hard to put together programs that are successful.”

He said the most rewarding aspect of coaching is seeing former players succeed in life.

“You hope the method to your madness in what you believe in has an influence on your players. When you recruit kids to come to your school, you tell them they aren’t making a four-year decision, it’s a life-long decision. They make life-long friendships,” said Tortorella.

The Mules, 17-5-1 this season, will host Amherst in a NESCAC quarterfinal on Saturday at 4 p.m. Colby is the third seed while Amherst is seeded sixth.

Bowdoin sets school mark for ties

The Bowdoin College men’s hockey team set a strange school record when it finished the regular season with five ties.

The 13-5-5 Polar Bears finished with three consecutive ties.

“That was amazing. If you check the NCAA record books, you won’t see that very often,” said Meagher. “It’s not like we were playing for ties. It just happened. We did a lot of things well in those games, but we’re struggling to score goals right now.”

The Polar Bears tied Salem State and Amherst 4-4 and concluded the regular season with a 1-1 tie at Hamilton College (N.Y.).

The same two teams will meet in the NESCAC quarterfinals on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Dayton Arena in Brunswick. Bowdoin is the fourth seed while 13-9-2 Hamilton is the fifth seed.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600, or lmahoney@bangordailynews.net