MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota named Brett Larson its men's hockey coach on Tuesday, turning to in-state rival St. Cloud State for a second straight hire after the Gophers and Bob Motzko agreed last week to make a coaching change.
Larson agreed to a five-year contract, pending completion of a background check and approval by the university's board of regents. Minnesota introduced Greg May as its women's hockey coach on Monday.
Larson, 53, spent eight seasons at St. Cloud State after replacing Motzko, who departed for the Gophers in 2018 after coaching the Huskies for 13 years. Larson guided St. Cloud State to two National Collegiate Hockey Conference championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and the program's first appearance in the national championship game in 2021.
“Throughout the process, it became clear that he possesses the leadership, vision, and drive to guide our program,” Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said. "He understands the responsibility that comes with this job and our expectation to compete at the highest level.”
Larson was an assistant coach on national championship teams in 2011 and 2018 at Minnesota Duluth, where he played for his hometown school from 1991-95. Between his two stints on staff there, Larson was the head coach and general manager of the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League for one year and an assistant coach at Ohio State for two seasons.
The Gophers finished sixth in the seven-team Big Ten Conference this season and went 11-22-3 overall, their worst record since 1971-72.
“I have an incredible amount of respect for everyone who has played, coached, and built this program, and I am both humbled and energized to carry that torch forward,” Larson said. "This job comes with great responsibility, and I could not be more excited to get to work.”
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, the Musical,” is a documentary chronicling … Read morePremiere of Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, The Musical
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we set sail into the world of luxury river cruising!… Read moreLegendary Rivers & Tours Expo
San Francisco Symphony players get together in an intimate setting of the Gradus Ad Parnassu… Read moreSoirée Française: Our Favorite Violin Sonatas
Planning your dream wedding? Discover everything you need at the Wedding Fair in the Park – … Read moreWedding Fair in the Park
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
CA Is Burning said:
JustMike650 said:
This is 3 paragraphs of ABUSE per house rules.
CoastalBoy said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.