BG alum and assistant coach this past season, Dan Conley, has been named the Cards new head boys hockey coach. (Photo courtesy of Bishop Guertin athletics)

NASHUA – Bishop Guertin officials promised a quick final decision on who would replace legendary boys hockey coach Gary Bishop, and they weren’t kidding.

On Tuesday, to no one’s surprise, Guertin assistant – and alum – Dan Conley was named the Cardinals new head coach.

Conley spent a year behind the bench this season with Bishop and longtime assistant Mark Mantone, who both retired a week ago, Mantone after 27 years and Bishop after a Hall of Fame 35-year career. Conley has deep ties to the school and played for Bishop on the 2000 and 2001 state title teams. He was an alternate captain and Second Team All-State player his senior year.

“BG has played an important role in shaping me academically, athletically, and personally,” Conley said in the school’s announcement release.

“Choosing to attend Bishop Guertin was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I hope every player I have the privilege to coach leaves with the same sense of pride, gratitude and lifelong connection to the school that I have,” Conley said. “I’m excited to build up on the tradition of excellence that defines BG hockey.”

That tradition is something he also tasted as a coach on the BG bench this past season, likely being groomed as Bishop pretty much knew it would be his final season. But he’s no stranger to coaching, having been a head coach in the New England Stars organization in 2021 before returning to BG this winter.

He certainly was no slouch as a player, either, playing a junior season with the Lowell Junior Lock Monsters before a four-year career at Salvae Regina University in Newport, R.I. He was a captain for two seasons, with 66 career points as a defenseman, and earned ECAC All-Academic honors.

He serves in the legal field with the Goffstown Police Dept., as he earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, Mass.

The bottom line? Guertin officials feel he’s the right coach at the right time, especially with his ties to the school.

“Dan’s passion for Bishop Guertin and his commitment to developing young men both on and off the ice make him the ideal person to lead our program moving forward,” Cards AD Ryan Brown said. “He understands the tradition and the expectations that come with BG hockey, and we’re excited for the future under his leadership.”