MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin women's hockey associate head coach Dan Koch was named the American Hockey Coaches Association Women's Hockey Assistant Coach of the Year, as announced by the group on Thursday. 

A Madison native, Koch is in his fifth season as the Badgers' associate head coach after serving eight years as an assistant coach, amassing a 365-81-35 (.795) record behind the bench. Koch has assisted the Badgers to seven NCAA Frozen Fours and saw the team win three of their four national titles.

"I'm excited for him and his family," UW head coach Mark Johnson said. "It is an honor that is well deserved. He has put a lot of time in and committed himself to help grow our Wisconsin women's hockey program from the early days. He has a footprint in it and he has been a big reason why we have had success. It is nice for him to get recognized by his peers in coaching and his body of work has been good. It is exciting for him, his family and for our program."

"I'm honored to receive this prestigious award from the AHCA," Koch said. "This award would not have been possible without the support from my wife, Jody, and my sons Connor, Jacob and Malik. I would like to also thank the University of Wisconsin, the athletic department, Coach Barry Alvarez (UW Director of Athletics), Jason King (administrator) and the UW women's hockey support staff for their backing and the resources which allow me to do what I love to do every day.

"I'm extremely grateful for the coaches I've worked with, including head coach Mark Johnson, who's shared with me his knowledge and passion for the game of hockey. I'm also grateful to work with assistant coaches Jackie Friesen and Tracey DeKeyser, who have taught me so many things over the years and have made every day at the rink an enjoyable day."

Koch oversees the stingy UW defense, which has ranked among the top-three teams nationally for scoring defense in 11 of his 12 seasons with the Badgers. That includes the 2006-07 squad that set the NCAA record with a 0.88 goals-against average. His defensemen have led the NCAA in scoring defense in three different seasons.

This season, Koch helped the Badgers set the NCAA men's and women's shutout record, tallying nine-consecutive shutouts that spanned over 624 minutes between Oct. 3 and Nov. 14. The Badgers have recorded shutouts in 12 of their 22 games this season and have a goals-against average of 0.64 to pace the country.

Koch also plays a part in the team's penalty kill, which has led the NCAA four of his 12 seasons. Last year, the UW penalty kill set the NCAA record with a .958 clip.

Koch has coached four UW blue-liners that have earned All-America honors in Molly Engstrom, Meaghan Mikkelson, Bobbi-Jo Slusar and Kerry Weiland. In addition, UW blue-liners Engstrom, Carla MacLeod, Mikkelson and Weiland have gone on to play in the Olympics, with MacLeod and Mikkelson each winning a pair of gold medals.

Koch served as an assistant coach for the Badgers from 2001-2009, including a stint as co-head coach during the second half of the 2001-02 season, before stepping down to become the head coach for the Shattuck-St. Mary's Girl's Under-16 team. In his two seasons with the Sabres, the team had an 80-30-12 record and claimed the Tier I 16-U National title in 2010.

Prior to his first stretch at Wisconsin, Koch worked with the St. Mary's University (Minnesota) women's hockey program from 1999-01,
helping the team win the 2000 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. The following season, he helped the team to a third-place national finish.

Before his time at St. Mary's, Koch was the head coach for the La Crosse Logan/Central High School boy's hockey team from 1996-1999, coaching numerous all-conference and all-state players.

Koch earned his bachelor of science in elementary education in 1991 from Wisconsin, then went on to earn his master's degree in education, teaching, and learning in 2001 from St. Mary's University.

Koch will be recognized on April 29 during the 2016 AHCA Convention in Naples, Florida.