June 21, 2012

AMHERST, Mass. - University of Massachusetts Director of Athletics John McCutcheon announced the consultative committee which will be involved with the hiring of the next head men's ice hockey coach.

McCutcheon will oversee and chair the committee, which is made of up representatives from the Athletic Department, the University and former players. The committee is comprised of McCutcheon, Rocko DeLuca, Mike Merchant, Peter Trovato, Jeff Smith, Glenn Wong and Juan Jarrett.

DeLuca is the department's Associate Athletic Director, Director of Development and Hockey Program Administrator.

Merchant is the Pond Club President and was a UMass hockey letterwinner from 1974-77, serving as a captain his final two seasons. He ranks eighth in program history with 61 assists and tenth with 99 career points. The native of Framingham, Mass graduated from UMass in 1977 and, following a brief career in the minor leagues, has worked in sales and currently owns Summit Medical Technologies, a medical supply company.

Trovato was a four-year letterman from 2002-05 who finished his career with 13 goals and 35 points. The North Andover, Mass. native played professionally for several teams throughout the United States and also founded and served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund, a charitable trust established for the children of fallen US Service members. In 2011 he received the Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award. He currently is Managing Director of Copley Equity Partners.

Smith is an Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine who has been at UMass for 11 years. He has worked with the hockey program for the past three years after working with football since his arrival in 2001. He is also the sport administrator for the track & field and rowing programs.

Wong is UMass' Faculty Athletic Representative and a professor in the Sport Management Program's Isenberg School of Management. Wong is one of the nation's most recognized experts in sports law and sports labor issues.

Jarrett is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources. He is responsible for the oversight of all Human Resource operations for the UMass Amherst Campus.

The next head coach at UMass will be the 13th in program history and the third since the sport returned to campus in 1993.