Bill Downey is certainly familiar with the Penn State Icers program -- but now, he will have to take charge off the ice, not on it.
Downey, who was an Icer from 2000-04 and a captain his senior year, was recently named the Icers new assistant coach. He will replace former assistant Matt Bertani, who left the team to take a coaching position with the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
"I think the biggest [reason] was his passion for the program," Icers head coach Scott Balboni said of why Downey was hired. "Billy truly had a strong desire to see the program succeed both academically and athletically."
The Icers job will not be Downey's first coaching job. He was a volunteer assistant coach with the Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League and has also coached youth hockey in New Jersey. He has also served as the Hockey Director of Team Comcast in Pennsauken, N.J., since 2006.
As a player, Downey played in 134 games, racking up 57 goals and 102 assists. In 2003, he traveled to Treviso, Italy, to participate in the World University Games as a member of Team USA. Following his graduation from Penn State, Downey played in the Southern Professional Hockey League, the United Hockey League and the ECHL.
"He was a tenacious player -- he'd give 110 percent each shift," Balboni
said. "He's only 150 pounds, but he played like he was 225 pounds. He had a huge heart, and he played with his heart on his sleeve for Penn State."
Senior goaltender Nick Signet said that while the Icers have only practiced with Downey during the team's summer scrimmages, the team has taken a liking to their new assistant coach.
"He has a very strong desire to win," Signet said. "Everyone's responded pretty well so I think it'll go just fine."
That strong desire to win served Downey well as a player. He played on three-straight Icers national championship teams from 2001-03 and a national runner-up in his senior year.
Both Signet and Balboni said Downey's coaching style greatly differs from Bertani's, but Balboni said this will only help Downey in his transition to coaching college hockey.
"I think Billy may be a little more serious in his coaching style," Balboni said. "Matt had a fun relationship with the guys, but Billy's a little more serious, and I think he'll earn a little more respect."
