Michael Sisti is the women's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

current head coach at

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

. Since 1999, he has coached Mercyhurst to 4 Frozen Four appearances, 15

College Hockey America College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New Y ...

(CHA) post-season titles, and 1 Great Lakes Women's Hockey Association (GLWHA) post-season title. He reached 500 wins in 2020, becoming only the second coach in Division I women's college hockey to achieve that milestone. In 2018, he was inducted into the Erie Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Sisti is a native of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. He graduated from

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

in 1991. He holds numerous scoring records at Canisius, and is a 2002 inductee in the Canisius Athletic Hall of Fame.

Coaching

After graduation, he was an assistant coach for Canisius men's program, and came to Mercyhurst in 1993 as an assistant coach on the men's team. In 1999, Sisti became the head coach of the newly formed women's varsity team. To date, he has been the only head coach of the program. Sisti's team reached the NCAA Tournament each year from 2005 through 2014. The 10 consecutive appearances are an NCAA Division I record. In 2009, Mercyhurst reached the NCAA Championship game, losing to Wisconsin 5–0, in their first of four Frozen Four seasons. Mercyhurst teams have won fifteen conference championships, with Sisti as head coach. On December 11, 2020, Sisti reached the 500-win milestone as head coach, when Mercyhurst defeated RIT by a score of 5–1. Only one other head coach, Wisconsin's Mark Johnson, has achieved this milestone in Division I women's college ice hockey. Sisti is the 30th coach in the history of college hockey to earn 500 wins.

Awards and recognition

AHCA Coach of the Year The AHCA Coach of the Year is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I women's college ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association The American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members c ...

award, 2005. USCHO Coach of the Year, 2007 Erie Sports Hall of Fame, inducted 2018

Head coaching record

References

Living people Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey coaches Year of birth missing (living people) Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York {{US-icehockey-coach-stub