By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor Robert Lavin, 58, is back on Framingham State’s coaching staff as the women’s ice hockey program’s first head coach. Lavin said he has been coaching for over 30 years. He began coaching at Nichols College. “It was kind of the same situation we have here with a team that was struggling. But, after four years, we advanced to the playoffs, and it was a really good, solid program.” After working at Nichols, Lavin coached at Salve Regina University. He helped with recruiting and started rebuilding, and the team ended up making the playoffs in his second season as head coach. He then came to Framingham State and was named the head coach of the men’s ice hockey program from 2001-03 before transitioning into coaching high school hockey. Lavin said leaving Framingham State was a hard decision to make. “We had a very small roster when I came in and I recruited some really good players. I was really excited about the class I had coming in,” he added. He coached at Natick High School, Acton-Boxborough High School, and Winchester High School. After working at the high school level, Lavin started coaching at Worcester Academy in 2016. He supported the team to two league championship games and helped establish the men’s JV team. “The women's program was something that I thought could be a good opportunity to build something here. So, I came back to Framingham,” he said. He said he has always liked Framingham State. Athletic Director Thomas Kelley and Deputy Director Carey Eggen were also a part of the reason he came back. “I really like working with them. … They support me. “Mark Greenfield was there as well, as the facility manager. So they're all people I felt comfortable with,” he added. Lavin said he has a great coaching staff for the women’s ice hockey team. “We have a really good nucleus here. … I think it’s probably one of the best coaching staffs I've ever had.” Lavin was inspired to be a hockey coach because of the “competitiveness … and creating a team that pulls in the same direction. “That’s what we're trying to do here now,” he added. Lavin said his high school coaches are the ones he learned the most from. He added that his junior hockey coach, Jeff Jackson, in Detroit was helpful as well. He added that Jackson is now the Notre Dame coach and has brought the team to national championships. “He’s a ‘players’ coach’ who worked hard to develop players. He emphasized practice and team cohesion, so he influenced me to get into coaching.” Lavin said his favorite hockey memory is when he was coaching at Salve Regina. “My second year, they were all freshmen and we made the playoffs as the eighth seed. “We were down 5-2 to Tufts, who was a really good team. They beat us two times before - 10-2 and 8-2 - they were beating us going into the third. But, the team came out in the end - we had beaten them in overtime, 6-5, and then advanced to the semifinals in the league. That was pretty exciting, because they were really young guys,” he said. Lavin said his plan for recruiting is to “keep pushing.” He added that last year, they tried to recruit local women but “ended up shifting to get girls in Canada and the Midwest.” Now, they are looking hard into girls’ club hockey. He said, “These travel teams have a lot of interest. We've had a lot of visits on campus, which is great!” He said the team has been playing well this season so far in three games against Nichols and Salem State University. Against Rivier, he said the team gave up some very easy opportunities. “It's not concerning to me, though, because I thought they played pretty well.” Lavin said he is doing his best to keep the team positive. “We had a tough start … so the biggest thing for me is keeping us together. We're gonna have ups and downs.” He said he expects the women’s team to finish the season strong. “Right now, we have two girls out, who are very good players. When they're healthy, it will give us three lines - which gives every player more rest every game. “They're going to keep improving in the next year,” he added.