Sinclair steps down as head coach of Middlebury men’s hockey

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) - The Middlebury men’s hockey program will be looking for a new head coach following the resignation of Panther alumnus Neil Sinclair. The Midd athletic department released a statement Wednesday evening, saying that Sinclair had stepped down from the post after seven. seasons at the helm.

The 1993 Middlebury grad was a star as a player and later served as an assistant under legendary head coach Bill Beaney. He returned to his alma mater after 11 years behind the bench at Skidmore, including a D3 National Coach of the Year season in 2006-07.

But Sinclair’s Panther squads struggled to find the on-ice success the program had grown accustomed to during Beaney’s run to eight national titles: Midd won double digit games just once in Sinclair’s seven seasons and never finished with a winning record or made the NCAA Tournament.

In the statement, Sinclair thanked his assistant coaches and said he had made the decision knowing “this is what’s best for me and the program.”

Middlebury will now begin the search for Sinclair’s replacement.