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Cap Carey of the Watertown(NY) Daily Times reported via Twitter that Lake Superior head coach Jim Roque is leaving the school in order to join the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant coach:
Jim Roque is leaving Lake Superior to join the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant. Worked with Ron Rolston at Clarkson from 96-99
— Cap Carey (@CapCareyWDT) May 14, 2013
Roque had a moderate level of success at Lake Superior, going 120-146-45 over his eight seasons as head of the Lakers. He pulled the Lakers out of the depths the program had sunk to during Frank Anzalone's second tenure at the school, but could never return the Lakers to their glory days of the late '80s/early '90s when they were one of the most dominating programs in the country.
His departure would create a second coaching vacancy in the new WCHA, with Alaska-Anchorage still bumbling their way through their coaching search. Lake Superior is a program with a lot of history, but the small school has struggled in recent years to keep up with the money spent by other schools they compete against.
Update: According to Lake Superior assistant coach Tim Christian, Roque has not yet been offered the job by the Sabres:
@sbncollegepuck I'm sitting in Jim's office right now, Jim has not been offered any job by Buffalo Sabres.Tim Christian
— Tim Christian (@TimChristian8) May 14, 2013
Roque also told Kukla's Korner that the report is false, and that he has no intentions of leaving his current job:
Even if he were offered the job, it's not a certainty he would accept it.
"I like it here," Roque said. "My family is here and I don't plan on going anywhere."