KALAMAZOO – The Western Michigan Bronco hockey program and head coach Andy Murray have announced the departure of associate head coach Rob Facca, who will be leaving Kalamazoo for a scouting position with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Former Bronco head coach Jeff Blashill brought in Facca back in 2010, and Facca has been an integral part of returning the Broncos to national prominence as an assistant coach, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.
“My four years in Kalamazoo and at Western Michigan have been wonderful for me, my wife NIkki and our children,” said Facca. “We’ve made a lot of great friends here, and Kalamazoo will always be a home to us.”
Over the past four seasons, the Broncos have compiled a record of 78-54-29 with Facca on the staff, the most wins over a four-year period for Western Michigan since Bill Wilkinson’s teams of the early 1990s.
The Broncos have made it to three conference semifinals, two conference finals, two NCAA tournament appearances as well as a CCHA Tournament Championship in 2012.
Also, over the course of his four seasons in Kalamazoo, Facca has seen five of his recruits named to All-Rookie teams.
“We are very proud of Rob and all he has accomplished here,” said Murray. “This is a tremendous opportunity for him and we are both happy and sad to see him go. He has been a very important part of the Bronco Hockey Family these past four years. Rob’s wife Nikki and his entire family have been great supporters of the program and while we will miss them greatly, we know they will always be Broncos.”
Facca also created Western Michigan’s annual Ice Duchenne weekend, helping the hockey program raise thousands of dollars to benefit research for Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, a disease in which his son Louie suffers from.