AHCA

April 2026 | ahcahockey.com 8 COACHES OF THE YEAR F or leading his team to a phenomenal 30-1-0 record and a third straight NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Championship, Joe Cranston of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls has been chosen by his peers as the 2026 CCM/ AHCA Women's Division III Coach of the Year. It is the second time that Cranston has been so honored (2024). Cranston has led the Falcons to their eighth NCAA Tournament "Frozen Four" berth in program history. In his 26th season leading the Falcons, Cranston is the first and only head women's hockey coach in UWRF history and has 548 career wins, third most in NCAA Division III women's hockey history. His overall record is 548-161-48. The Falcons ended their season on a 26-game win streak, having lost their only game, a 4-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire, on November 22. UWRF avenged that loss by defeating UWEC, 4-0, in the WIAC championship game. At the Frozen Four, UWRF was dominant, defeating Amherst, 3-1, in the semifinals and Nazareth, 4-0, in the championship game. Amherst had not allowed more than two goals in any of its previous games and Nazareth had never been shutout this season. A 1990 graduate of UW-River Falls, Cranston began his coaching career in his hometown of Fergus Falls, MN, and then coached the boys' high school team in Somerset, WI, for over a decade before starting the UWRF women's hockey varsity program in 1999. He will receive his award at the AHCA Convention on Thursday, April 30, in Bonita Springs, FL. Cranston was assisted this year by Jim Walsh, Amanda Ryder and Jeremy Weiss. The runner-up for this year's award was Justin Simpson of Norwich University. 8 April-May 2026 | ahcahockey.com 2 0 2 6 Joe Cranston COACH OF THE YEAR WOMEN D III

• Cover