People: Reno Ice's Mike Harder named head coach at Colgate University

Reno Ice announced that Mike Harder, hockey director, will leave the organization for a position as head hockey coach at Colgate University, a division 1 NCAA team.

Harder came to Reno Ice after coaching for six years at his alma mater Division I Colgate University, where he had been an All-American and Hobey Baker finalist.

After earning his degree in international relations, Harder played 13 seasons professionally. Included were stops in the American Hockey League along with European League ventures in Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, and Italy.

He helped Hartford claim the AHL Calder Cup Championship in 2000 and was a key figure in winning the 2004 German Elite League Championship.

While playing in the AHL, he founded IPH, a skills-based hockey development program in Connecticut that has trained over 1,200 youth and collegiate players.

Harder returns to Colgate as the 15th head men's hockey coach in program history. He takes over a program coming off its first ECAC Hockey Championship since 1990 and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.