Bemidji State Men’s Hockey Coach Tom Serratore to Retire After 2026-27 Season
- Tom Serratore will step down as Bemidji State men’s hockey head coach following the 2026-27 season, concluding a 26-year tenure that transformed the program into a national contender,...
- Serratore enters his final season standing among the winningest coaches in NCAA Division I men’s hockey history with 416 career victories.
- Coach Bob Peters gave me the chance to play for him, and he instilled values and principles that shaped me personally and professionally,
Tom Serratore will step down as Bemidji State men’s hockey head coach following the 2026-27 season, concluding a 26-year tenure that transformed the program into a national contender, according to an announcement made Wednesday by BSU Director of Athletics Britt Lauritsen. Associate head coach Travis Winter will succeed Serratore as the program’s eighth head coach upon his retirement, stepping in as the designated head coach in waiting.
A 26-Year Coaching Legacy at Bemidji State
Serratore enters his final season standing among the winningest coaches in NCAA Division I men’s hockey history with 416 career victories. Within the 71-year history of Bemidji State, his victory count stands at second place, alongside holding the 29th position all-time among Division I coaches and ranking seventh among active Division I head coaches. Since taking over the program in 2001, he has guided the Beavers through a transformative period, moving the team from Division II and Division III prominence to national relevance at the NCAA Division I level.
During his time at the helm, the Beavers secured three conference tournament crowns, claimed seven conference regular-season titles, made six trips to the NCAA Tournament, and advanced all the way to the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four. Serratore also steered Bemidji State through its shift to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and subsequently the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, capturing regular-season titles in those conferences in 2017 and 2024. He is a nine-time American Hockey Coaches’ Association Spencer Penrose Award finalist and an eight-time conference Coach of the Year.
Coach Bob Peters gave me the chance to play for him, and he instilled values and principles that shaped me personally and professionally,
Serratore played two years under R.H. “Bob” Peters in the mid-1980s, serving as a two-year letterwinner and team captain in 1987 while helping BSU win the 1986 NCAA Division III National Championship.
Travis Winter Named Head Coach in Waiting
Incoming successor Travis Winter brings an extensive resumé in recruiting, player development, and leadership to the position. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Winter served as head coach and director of hockey operations for the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings, where he led the organization to a 53-24-7 record and a playoff appearance. Over a four-season span with the USHL team Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, he managed the club through four consecutive trips to the postseason, captured an Anderson Cup title, and oversaw the progression of numerous NHL Draft picks and NCAA Division I athletes.
Winter recently served on the staff for the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota. Throughout his tenure on the coaching staff at Bemidji State, Winter has contributed to the squad securing two 20-win campaigns, two conference titles, and a pair of NCAA Tournament qualifications. Under his positional guidance, Bemidji State’s power-play unit has ranked among the top-15 in Division I in three of the last five seasons, while the defense has placed among the nation’s top 20 in goals against in five seasons, highlighted by a second-place national ranking in 2016-17.
Having played four seasons for the Beavers from 2005 to 2009 and serving as team captain twice, Winter played an instrumental role on the 2008-09 roster that secured the NCAA Midwest Regional championship and made the institution’s first-ever Frozen Four appearance.
Travis has earned the respect of our players, administration, alumni, and his peers in college hockey,
Serratore and the Beavers will begin their preparations for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign, which marks the final season of his historic tenure before Winter assumes leadership of the program.