St. Thomas' Women's Hockey Coach Joel Johnson Resigns

Update 11/20/24: According to Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News, St. Thomas has launched an investigation into an incident that occurred after Friday's game. The school provided The Hockey News with the following statement:

“While I cannot comment on the specifics of the incident itself, I can confirm we immediately started an investigation after concerns were brought to our attention following Friday night’s game," Esten wrote. "Coach Johnson did not coach the team on Saturday night and resigned on Tuesday. We hold all our coaches to the highest standards consistent with university values and convictions, and prioritize the experience and well-being of our student-athletes.”

Tuesday afternoon, the University of St. Thomas announced women’s hockey head coach Joel Johnson had resigned from his position. The school named current assistant coach Bethany Brausen interim head coach of the team.

St. Thomas gave no reasoning for the departure, but Nicole Haase of The Victory Press reported Johnson missed Saturday’s game against Bemidji State after coaching the team on Friday. Haase also added she had first heard Johnson was on administrative leave before the sudden announcement. 

The 2022 Team USA Winter Olympics head coach leaves the program after almost four seasons with an overall record of 28-88-4. 

Brausen has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach for the Tommies. She joined St. Thomas after holding the same position at Minnesota from 2016-2021. 

The Tommies will head to Wisconsin to face the Badgers this upcoming weekend in WCHA play.