GOLDEN GRIFFIN ICE HOCKEY

CANISIUS (2-6-3, 2-1-2) AT AIC (3-8-2, 2-3-2)
Dave Smith
Head Coach • Seventh Season • The Ohio State University ‘92
Dave Smith is in his seventh season as head coach of the
Canisius College hockey program and 14th season as a coach
at the Division I level.
Smith has continued to raise the bar while leading the
Golden Griffin program. Most recently, Smith has mentored
two of the most successful classes in the school’s history in
addition to new found success on the ice. The senior classes
of 2010 and 2011 – Smith’s first two recruiting classes – have rewritten the program’s record book,
while earning a number of historic wins.
During the 2009-10 campaign, Smith led Canisius to one of its most successful seasons with the
team earning its most victories in nine years. The Griffs also progressed to the Atlantic Hockey
Semifinals for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign. In 2010-11, Canisius advanced in the
league’s tournament for the second-straight season – a first for the program – with a convincing
win over rival Niagara, 6-3.
On an individual level, Cory Conacher became the first player in the program’s history to garner
Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year accolades in 2010 after setting a school record with 53 points and
ranking second nationally in points per game. Conacher, who was also named to the Lowe’s Senior
CLASS Award All-America First Team in 2011, graduated from Canisius the following year with 12
school records to his name, including career points and goals.
Following the 2010-11 campaign, Conacher also joined former teammate and 2010 graduate Carl
Hudson as the only two-time all-conference selections in the program’s history. Hudson became
the first Griff to sign with a NHL team after his graduation when the Canisius standout joined
the Florida Panthers, while Conacher signed with the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL following the
completion of his collegiate career.
The achievements under Smith are not limited to just the past two years. In his first six seasons
leading the Golden Griffin program, he has guided numerous student-athletes to success both on
and off the ice. The highlights include:
• A total of 19 Griffs have signed professional contracts after playing under Smith at Canisius,
highlighted by 12 members of his first two recruiting classes in 2010 and 2011.
• Smith has mentored three student-athletes who have earned individual postseason awards.
Conacher highlights the honorees with his Player of the Year accolade, while David Kasch
earned the league’s Best Defensive Forward following the 2007-08 season and Dave Kostuch
was named the Rookie of the Year in 2008-09.
• Four Griffs earned all-conference accolades in the past three seasons a total of six times, two
more than Canisius’ first 10 seasons at the Division I level combined.
• The success of the last two seasons comes on the heels of a breakthrough campaign in which
Smith led the Griffs to a number of firsts. During the 2008-09 season, Canisius swept a pair
of games against eventual NCAA quarterfinalist and 15th-ranked Air Force, marking the first
victories for the Griffs against a nationally-ranked opponent. Canisius also earned its first wins
against a CCHA and ECAC school during the season.
• Smith has also excelled on the recruiting front during his tenure at Canisius, with his first two
full recruiting classes graduating in 2010 and 2011 with a combined 44 school records.
• In his six seasons, 87 Griffs have earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic accolades. In addition,
Max Buetow was named the Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar Athlete in 2005-06 for owning the top
GPA in the league, while Dave Cianfrini picked up the honor in 2009-10.
Smith became the program’s third head coach on April 15, 2005 after serving the previous three
seasons as the associate coach and recruiting coordinator at fellow Atlantic Hockey member
Mercyhurst College. Smith also spent time as an assistant coach with Bowling Green and Miami.
During his tenure as an assistant coach, Smith coached or recruited:
• Two Hobey Baker Award Finalists
• Four Players of the Year
• Two Rookies of the Year
• 22 all-league award winners
• Three Terry Flanagan Award Winners for Perseverance
The Dave Smith File
Coaching Career
1998-2000 Miami University Assistant Coach
2000-2002 Bowling Green Assistant Coach
2002-2005 Mercyhurst Associate Coach
2005-present Canisius College Head Coach
Playing Career
1988-1992 The Ohio State University
1992-1993 Dayton Bombers (ECHL)/
Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)
1993-1994 Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)
1994-1995 Binghamton Rangers (AHL)
1995-1996 Detroit Vipers (IHL)/
Los Angeles Ice Dogs (IHL)
1996-1997 Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL)/
Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
1997-1998 Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
San Antonio Dragons (IHL)
Smith Year-by-Year
Overall
Atlantic Hockey
Year W L T Pct. W L T Pct.
2005-06 10 23 2 .314 8 18 2 .321
2006-07 9 23 3 .300 9 16 3 .375
2007-08 11 20 6 .378 10 13 5 .446
2008-09 15 16 6 .486 12 12 4 .500
2009-10 17 15 5 .527 13 11 4 .536
2010-11 13 19 6 .421 10 12 5 .463
2011-12 2 6 3 .318 2 1 2 .600
Totals 77 122 31 .402 64 83 25 .445
Smith vs. 2011-12 Opp.
Team W-L-T Pct. Streak Last Mtg.
Air Force 5-6-5 .469 T-1 CC 3, AFA 3
AIC 11-6-2 .632 W-3 CC 8, AIC 3
Army 7-8-3 .472 L-1 Army 2, CC 1
Bentley 7-15-1 .326 W-1 CC 3, BU 1
Bowling Green 0-2-0 .000 L-2 BGSU 3, CC 1
Colgate 1-1-0 .500 W-1 CC 7, CU 6
Connecticut 11-5-2 .667 T-1 CC 1, UC 1
Holy Cross 5-14-2 .295 L-1 HC 7, CC 3
Lake Superior St. 0-3-1 .125 L-1 LSSU 4, CC 2
Mercyhurst 11-12-5 .482 L-1 MC 5, CC 1
Niagara 3-5-1 .389 T-1 CC 1, NU 1
Quinnipiac 0-3-1 .125 L-2 QU 4, CC 1
RIT 5-14-0 .263 W-1 CC 3, RIT 1
Robert Morris 3-2-1 .583 L-1 RMU 4, CC 1
Sacred Heart 4-10-4 .333 T-1 CC 3, SH 3