Dave Smith, the head Ice Hockey Coach at Canisius College has received a contract extension through the 2016-17 season after leading the team to its first conference championship and NCAA tournament berth.

"Dave has done a tremendous job in building Canisius into a championship level program in the Atlantic Hockey Association," athletic director Bill Maher said. "He continues to recruit outstanding student-athletes who represent what is best about Canisius, both on and off the ice. This past season was another positive step for Canisius College hockey and we are thrilled that Dave will lead the program as we continue building on last season's success."

Golden Griffin had the most successful season in the school history during the 2012-13 season when it won its first AHA title with a 7-2 win over Mercyhurst and made it to the NCAA East Regional semifinals, before losing to Quinnipiac.

The team also finished the season 19th in the final USCHO.com Division I poll, the program's highest placement in the national rankings.

Smith, entering his ninth season, led the hockey team to a cumulative GPA of 3.42 - the highest score by any team at Canisius. It has three student-athletes in the team who have been conferred with Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar Athlete in the last seven seasons.

Plus, one of the team members, Cory Conacher, became the first Giffi to play in the National Hockey League after scoring 29 points, 11 goals and 18 assists in 47 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators this past season. Conacher was the 2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year.

"I am very grateful to the Canisius community because of the commitment it has shown to developing leaders both on and off the ice," Smith said. "President Hurley, Bill Maher and John Maddock have been great leaders for Griffs hockey and it is a really exciting time for our program."

Prior to Canisius, Smith served for three seasons as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Mercyhurst, led the Lakers to two league titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also an assistant coach at both Bowling Green and Miami.