Kevin Swallow took over the UNE men's ice hockey program ahead of the 2015-16 season and made each of his first four years the best in program history. He already owns a 171-63-21 record guiding the Nor'easters, who have been nationally-ranked for 103 out of 119 weeks since the middle of 2017-18 [5 times in top 5] and boast a 29-28-6 ledger versus other top 15 teams.
The 2021-22 campaign was the best in University history, as UNE rode a program-record 13-game winning streak into the national semifinals against SUNY Geneseo, which was contested at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Nor'easters finished with a program-record 23-4-1 mark overall, went 17-3-1 in league play, and were voted 5th in the last poll of the year. UNE captured the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) crown on home ice, rallying twice before beating Endicott in overtime. It was a similar story in Biddeford for the NCAA first round against Plymouth State, as the Nor'easters overcame an early two-goal deficit to move on in double overtime. They then silenced the second-ranked squad in the land, Utica, on the road in the quarterfinals. Swallow received his first CCC Coach of the Year honor, earned the New England Hockey Writers Association (NEHWA) Coach of the Year, and was runner-up for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Division III National Coach of the Year.
The Nor'easters made it back to the national semifinals in 2022-23, joining the likes of Middlebury, Oswego State, Norwich, St. Norbert, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and SUNY Geneseo (alongside Adrian) as programs to reach the semifinals in consecutive years since the NCAA moved to a full single-elimination tournament format in 2003. And, for the second straight year, did so without an All-America selection, becoming the 11th team in the same time frame with the accomplishment. While UNE took a different path to get into the field from the previous season, securing one of three at-large spots by way of the Pairwise computer ratings, the first round and quarterfinal opponents were exactly the same. The Nor'easters posted a road shutout of Plymouth State in the opener, and then upended top-ranked Utica in overtime. UNE then squared off with defending national champion, Adrian, and the game tied for the second-highest combined score (15) for a semifinal in Division III history, finishing at 8-7 in overtime. The Nor'easters wound up at 21-7-2 overall, ranked 4th in the last poll.
During Swallow's tenure, in the eight years of the CCC/Conference of New England (CNE), UNE has always reached at least the semifinals, played in the final on four occasions, and won championships in 2018-19 and 2021-22, totaling to a 12-6 postseason record. The Nor'easters are 102-33-14 during the regular season, sharing the title in 2019-20 and claiming it outright in 2021-22.
UNE has played in five NCAA championships in recent years, which is tied for second in most appearances from 2017-18 to the present, behind Hobart (6). In 2017-18, the Nor'easters used a program-record 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1) to cement one of four at-large berths into the 12-team NCAA Championship, along with hosting rights in the first round. In 2018-19, an opening-round road win booked the University's first spot in a national quarterfinal.
Swallow's initial season (New England Hockey Conference) featured a home quarterfinal-round contest and a spot in the league semifinals -- both firsts.
Over 13 total seasons as a head coach, Swallow's teams have achieved a 226-83-28 record (.716). Through the 2023-24 season, his winning percentage ranked 6th among
active coaches in Division III.
He came to Biddeford following three years as head coach at Nichols College [NCAA III], where the program logged a 55-20-7 record and two postseason championships in ECAC Northeast League. The 2014-15 year was Swallow's most successful at Nichols, as he guided the squad to a 21-4-3 mark and the league title, a berth in the NCAA Championship field, and the No. 14 spot in the final national polls. Swallow was recognized as the ECAC Northeast Coach of the Year for the second time.
Swallow had served as assistant coach at Neumann College [NCAA III] for the 2011-12 season.
Swallow's four-year collegiate playing career was split between Dartmouth College [NCAA I] and University of Maine [NCAA I]. He had 11 goals and 31 points in 59 games with the Big Green (2005-07), during which Dartmouth earned a share of the Ivy League crown and made back-to-back appearances in the ECAC Hockey League semifinals. Then, in 62 contests with the Black Bears (2008-10), Swallow totaled three goals and 14 points and played on one squad that reached the Hockey East finals. He received the UMaine's Unsung Hero Award in 2010.
His playing career also includes a two-year stint as a member of the United States U18 National Team that earned a Silver Medal at the 2004 World Championships, and one year playing for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
Swallow graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management from UMaine in 2010. He and his wife, Kassi, reside in Saco with their young son Henry and daughter Quinn.
CCC Coach of the Year (2021-22)
New England (NEHWA) Coach of the Year (2021-22)
Previous Head Coaching:
Nichols College (2012-15) /
ECAC Northeast Coach of the Year (2012-13, 2014-15)
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(Updated July 2025)