Fighting Saints Coach David Wins “Coach of the Year”

(photo courtesy of the Dubuque Fighting Saints)

The awards just keep rolling in for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.  Last week 5 players scored "All Team" honors,  one got Player of the Year and one, Goal Tender of the Year.  Now it's the coaches turn.Here's a portion of the official release from the Dubuque Fighting Sains.

After coaching Dubuque to their second highest winning percentage in the Tier-1 era, Oliver David was named the USHL Coach of the Year. The award was given to a Fighting Saints bench boss for the first time in the Tier-1 era. David led the Fighting Saints to a 33-13-2 record and the team was just a few games away from clinching a third playoff berth in three seasons with David at the helm.

““Receiving this recognition supports some time-tested truisms, stuff I got to see and feel everyday this season,” said David. “Quite simply, we had difference makers behind the bench, in the locker room, and on the ice at every position. Our assistant coaches Evan Dixon and Justin Hale were tremendously supportive, helpful and competent, and most importantly believed wholeheartedly in the work we did.

This season the Saints matched many team records and also eclipsed a few individual records as well. David is responsible for coaching the team’s first Goalie of the Year and Player of the Year in Riese Gaber and Erik Portillo respectively. The 2019-20 team is the first in Saints history to possess six players with 15 goals or more and the team was on pace to be the best defensive team in Tier-1 history.

Dubuque was top-five in most major categories and finished the season behind only the Chicago Steel in the USHL standings. David coached the second highest-scoring offense in the Tier-1 history for Dubuque and by seasons end had Dubuque in a first round bye scenario.