FARGO, ND –(Fargo Force release) Fresh off a Western Conference Championship season, the Fargo Force will have a new look behind the bench next year. The team announced today that Head Coach Pierre-Paul Lamoureux and Associate Head Coach Chad Demers will not be returning to coach the Force for the 21-22 season.
Lamoureux is pursuing many opportunities in and out of hockey, while Demers is taking a position with his alma mater, the Air Force Academy.
“Obviously we are disappointed to be losing two great coaches that have done an outstanding job for us” said Force General Manager, Cary Eades. “However, the USHL is a developmental league, not only for players, but for coaches as well. All you have to do is look at the 2-time defending Stanley Cup Champions – the Tampa Bay Lightning – who’s Head Coach Jon Cooper and Assistant Coach Derek Lalonde both coached in the USHL prior to moving on to pro hockey, to see what kind of coaching talent is being developed in this very competitive league. Additionally, two of our most recent Assistant Coaches – Byron Pool (N. Michigan) and Josh Hauge (Clarkson) used their experience behind the Force bench as a springboard into NCAA D1 hockey”.
Lamoureux has been involved with the Force in many different capacities for 5 of the past 6 seasons. He has served as an Assistant Coach, Director of Scouting, Associate Head Coach and for the past 2 seasons: Head Coach. In those two seasons, he compiled 62 total wins and over his 5 seasons in Fargo the Force tallied more playoff wins than any other team in the league. Lamoureux helped lead the Force as Associate Head Coach to the organizations first Clark Cup Championship in 2018 and won the Western Conference Championship as Head Coach this past season. Along with team success, Lamoureux aided in the development of many players, coaching over 40 D1 College Hockey commits in his past two years.
“At this time, I want to commit to spending more time with my family. I will take this year to invest time with the ones I love. Being a teacher and role model for the young men I coach is very important to me. I love the game of hockey and I plan to be around the game. I am excited to watch this group of players grow from afar and will continue attending games with my wife and daughter.”
Demers has been a part of the Force coaching staff as both Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach for the past 3 seasons, as well as playing for the Force from 2008-2011. He’s had an instrumental role in the team’s success over the last three seasons both on and off the ice. Demers will be returning to his alma mater, the Air Force Academy, as their Director of Hockey Operations.
“I am grateful for the opportunity the Fargo Force have afforded me over the past 3 seasons. Working with coach Lamoureux has been a great experience that will serve me well in the future. I want to thank all our players that have come through the doors as well as our support staff. I am extremely proud of all we were able to accomplish during my time here and I wish everyone the best in their futures.”
“On behalf of the Force organization, we’d like to thank Pierre and Chad for their dedication and commitment to excellence, as well as wishing them all the best in their professional futures,” said Fargo Force team president, Jon Kram.
Any inquiries about these two coaching positions can be directed to GM Cary Eades via e-mail only at carye@fargoforce.com.
In other Force news, the team is hosting their try-out camps this week at Farmers Union Insurance Center, which is connected to Scheels Arena. The Top Prospect Camp runs July 16-18 and the Main Camp is July 18-21. Try-outs are open to the public and a full schedule of game times can be found at fargoforce.com.
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