Erik Strand enters his 10th season as UW-Eau Claire's Head Women's Ice Hockey Coach in 2024-25. Hired in May 2015, Strand became the second coach in program history.
Under Strand's guidance, the Blugolds have regularly contended for Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and featured in the national rankings. He led the team to a WIAC regular season championship in 2020 and O'Brien Cup championships in both 2018 and 2019. His teams have qualified for four NCAA Tournaments, including 2020 when the Blugolds earned a bye into the national quarterfinals before the competition was canceled due to COVID-19. Strand carries a career record of 164-59-17 entering the 2024-25 campaign.
Strand is a four-time WIAC Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022. His teams have produced six All-Americans, three WIAC Players of the Year and two WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athletes. He has had multiple former players go on to play hockey professionally or get into coaching upon graduation.
Strand, a 2002 men’s hockey alumnus, had previously served as an assistant coach for the Blugolds' men’s hockey team. He joined the Blugold coaching ranks in 2005 when current men’s head coach Matt Loen took the helm. Together, they coached 10 First Team All-National Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) and 12 NCHA honorable mention recipients along with 34 NCHA All-Academic selections. In the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) they have coached 17 All-WIAC First Team and 19 All-WIAC Honorable Mention honorees in addition to four All-Americans and one CoSIDA Academic All-American. The Blugolds won NCHA and WIAC Championships in 2012 and 2013. Strand managed the Blugold defense that holds several NCAA records, including season goalie save percentage (.972), goals-against average (.71) and goalie winning percentage (.944) (Jay Deo, set in 2014). Following the 2013 season and the program’s first NCAA Division III National Championship, the coaching staff received national awards including USCHO and D3Hockey.com National Coach of the Year honors. Strand also earned the UW-Eau Claire Joe Merten Coaching Award.Â
The Bloomington, Minnesota, native played three years in juniors following high school and won the Anderson Cup and a national championship with the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) before starting his Blugold career where he played in 104 games.
In addition to his coaching duties, Strand is also a Commercial Relationship Manager at Security Financial Bank. Strand resides in Eau Claire with his wife, Andrea (’02), son, Gavin and daughter, Nora.
