Rivier announced it has hired Matt Keating as its new head men's ice hockey coach after initial hire Eric Sorenson left to be an assistant at Holy Cross. (Courtesy photo)

NASHUA — About a month ago, then-inaugural Rivier University men’s hockey coach Eric Sorenson gave athletic director Joanne Merrill a heads up.

And soon after, the first Raider men’s hockey team ever became Matt Keating’s team.

Keating, a now former Babson and Tufts assistant, was named the second Riv men’s hockey coach on Wednesday before the team has played a single game in its history as Sorenson left the post to become an assistant at Division I Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

“Eric did a fantastic job recruiting,” Merrill said. “He told me this was a chance to go to Division I, something he really wanted. It makes sense. But this wasn’t something he was out there looking for. They (Holy Cross and new coach Bill Riga) contacted him.”

And then Merrill contacted Keating, a former minor league baseball player who was a finalist for the job Sorenson was hired for back in late November, about five weeks after Rivier announced it was adding men’s and women’s varsity hockey to its athletic program. Both seasons will commence this October.

“I’m honored and excited to build the ice hockey program at Rivier and coach a team of committed student-athletes to compete at the national level,” Keating said in a release issued by the school. “The program will support solid academic standards and strive for excellence on the ice and in the community.”

Keating joins Rivier after serving as the NCAA Division III top Assistant Coach and Recruitment Coordinator for men’s ice hockey at Babson College (NEHC) and Tufts University (NESCAC). He helped lead Babson College to a third-place finish in the conference standings during his first season with the program in 2018-19.

The following year a second-place finish in the NEHC brought Babson to the NCAA Tournament, and the team finished its 2021 campaign at 8-0 with top Division III rankings–#1 in scoring offense, #1 in scoring defense, #4 in power play percentage, and #5 in penalty kills.

Prior to Babson College, Keating spent five seasons at Tufts University, helping to guide the team to the conference tournament in each of his final four years with two semifinal appearances. Before Babson, Keating served as a volunteer assistant coach and Supervisor of Athletic Facilities/Student Lead Coordinator at Bentley University, a head coach for the Greater Boston Junior Bruins, and as a coach and evaluator for the USA Hockey New England District.

In addition to coaching, Keating served as a scout for the Madison Capitols (USHL). He was a Division I college athlete in ice hockey and baseball at Northeastern University, where he received numerous honors and awards. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the June 2000 Major League Baseball free agent draft and played minor league baseball for five years.

Keating is a resident of Arlington, Massachusetts. He holds two bachelor’s degrees–one in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and another in Accounting from Bentley University–and a Master of Education in Athletic Administration from Endicott College.

“Matt is a powerhouse,” says Kurt Stimeling, Vice President for Student Affairs. “Rivier’s hockey recruits will benefit from his investment in their success on every level.”

Sorenson had brought in about 34 players, Merrill said, and it’s unlikely Keating will add to them this year. And, said Merrill, it’s unlikely any of the recruits will leave because of the coaching change.

“Time will tell,” Merrill said. “But I think this is an opportunity for them to play. Matt has already met with them all.

“Matt’s passion, experience, and record of accomplishments promise a strong program and an exciting year. Under his leadership, I believe our students will grow as individuals, scholars, and athletes.”

(Rivier Associate Director of Marketing and Communications/Senior Writer Michelle Marrone contributed to this report.)