NEWPORT, R.I.-- Jay Punsky '07, Salve Regina University men's ice hockey head coach, has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 CCM/AHCA College Division (II-III) Men's Coach of the Year.

Thirteen coaches who have enjoyed on-ice success in 2025-26 have been named finalists for the Edward Jeremiah Award, given annually to the Division II-III Men's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year. Named in honor of the former Dartmouth head coach and sponsored by CCM, the Jeremiah Award will be announced on Thursday in Utica, NY.

"I'm very grateful and honored to be nominated for Coach of the Year, but this recognition is really a credit to our players and staff," said Punsky. "We were fortunate to have a very talented group that worked incredibly hard all season, played for one another, and fully bought into our process from day one. Their commitment, selflessness, and belief in what we were building made this season possible. I also want to sincerely thank Ethan DeStefani for all of his hard work, loyalty, and the impact he had on our team every single day. This nomination is a reflection of a total team effort."

Punsky and DeStefani led the Seahawks to an 20-4-0 regular season finish which garnered the team an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and a chance to host a first round game, as an independent team. 

"An independent schedule is incredibly challenging because there's very little margin for error," commented Punsky. "When you live in that kind of schedule, every game carries a playoff-type feel because each result matters so much and there's rarely time to sit with a win, reset after a loss, or mentally recharge before the next test. I thought our players handled that as well as you could ask — they stayed together, trusted the process, and consistently competed for one another."

The gritty mindset that the Seahawks adopted along with strong coach and captain leadership catapulted Salve Regina to a historic 2025-26 season.

"I want to congratulate Coach Punsky on this very meaningful nomination; a tremendous honor in and of itself, and one he is fully deserving of," said director of athletics Dr. Sean Sullivan. "To be included in a group of such esteemed coaches, all of whom earned a conference coach of the year award, shows the appreciation that other leaders from around the country had for Jay's work this season. With Ethan DeStefani providing invaluable assistance every step of the way, Coach Punsky was able to connect with a group of talented student-athletes completely new to himand lead the squad to a truly special year. We are all extremely proud of this program, from top to bottom." 

The nominees represent any coach who won or shared Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, along with coaches whose teams advanced to the NCAA Men's Division III Ice Hockey Championships to be hosted by Utica University this weekend. Of this year's finalists, only one is a past recipient of this award: Mark Taylor of Hobart College, winner in 2023 and 2024.

Find the full AHCA release here.