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Ex-Phantoms coach promoted
By Tom Williams
Curtis Carr has found a home in one of college hockey’s most competitive conferences.
The former Youngstown Phantoms head coach has been promoted by Merrimack College to associate head coach. Mark Dennehy is the Warriors’ head coach and associate athletic director for the Hockey East program in North Andover, Mass.
Carr said Dennehy is satisfied with the work he’s put in during the past three seasons “that he felt comfortable in giving me a title bump. Nothing is drastically going to change.”
During games, Carr is in charge of the defense and penalty killers.
“It’s a nice school to work for in a big time college conference,” said Carr, noting that six of the NCAA Tournament’s 16 qualifiers last spring were Hockey East teams. “We’re a small school competing against the best.”
In the Phantoms’ inaugural season that began in 2009, Carr, a Kent State graduate who coached the Golden Flashes’ club hokcey team, was Bob Mainhardt’s assistant coach.
Carr took over as head coach when Mainhardt was fired in January 2010. In Carr’s full season as head coach, the Phantoms were eliminated from USHL playoff contention on the last day of the regular season.
In August 2011, Carr resigned to be an assistant at Merrimack. During his three seasons there, the Warriors are 34-38-12.
Carr said September is his busiest month for traveling. In addition to practices starting this week, Carr and the Warriors staff have road trips planned to the junior hockey preview tournaments including the USHL Fall Showcases. He also will scout players in Minnesota, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Once the season starts, the Warriors’ biggest trip will be to Notre Dame when the team flies. Carr said the longest bus trips take about three-and-a-half hours to Maine and Vermont, a far cry from his Phantoms days when it took 19 hours to get to the Dakotas.
“It’s a little bit different,” Carr said with a laugh.