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Mark Dennehy has hired former UMass colleague Bill Gilligan to be his new assistant coach at Merrimack College following the departure of Glenn Stewart to UNH. Gilligan and Dennehy worked together under Don 'Toot' Cahoon at UMass from 2000-2004.
Gilligan, a Beverly, Mass. native, is a Brown University alum where he was a prolific scorer from 1974-1977. He has spent much of his career as a player and coach in Austria and Switzerland, including stints as the national team coach for both countries.
Gilligan will hop into the position vacated by Stewart who returned to his alma mater to replace Jim Tortorella who left to take a job outside of hockey recently. Stewart was a former alternate captain at UNH for Dick Umile before enjoying a successful minor pro career.
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Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSports.