Varsity

Mac Budd – Head Coach

Mac has been coaching hockey at Darien High School since 2011 when he was an assistant under Chris Gerwig. While an assistant, the team enjoyed tremendous success with a record of 81-17-5.  They appeared in three FCIAC finals winning once and two State Championship games winning the title in 2015. He took over the position of head coach in 2016.  Since becoming head coach, the Blue Wave have an overall record of 145-71-10.  They have participated in two FCIAC finals winning the title in 2023 and three State Championship games winning in 2016 and 2025.  They have consistently finished the season as one of the top teams in the state and numerous players have earned post season honors. 

Pat Gore – Associate Head Coach

Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Pat grew up in Fairfield playing for Darien Youth Hockey as well as high school hockey at Fairfield Prep, winning multiple state & regional championships. He was part of the 1998 Squirt AA team that won both State & New England Regional Championships at the Tier 1 level, and has been part of DYHA since 1993. Pat started coaching while in high school for DYHA, and has coached all ages from 3-18 year olds for 20+ years. He has been the head coach of the Pee Wee AA team at DYHA since 2015, winning multiple state championships as well as the 2022 New England Regional championship. Pat initially joined Darien High School as the JV Head Coach & Varsity assistant coach in 2007. During his three years with the Blue Wave, Darien won an FCIAC championship and advanced to the CIAC final four in 2010. From 2010-2017, Pat coached at New Canaan High School, spending 4 years as the Associate Head Coach, and his final 3 seasons as the Head Coach. During his time at NC, Pat won 2 more FCIAC championships and advanced the the CIAC final four twice as well. Pat returned to the Blue Wave prior to the 2017-2018 season and has been the Associate Head Coach since 2020. In 2021-22, Pat was named CHSCA Assistant Coach of the year in CT, as the Blue Wave lost in the Division 1 Championship game. In 2023 Darien’s Blue Wave Varsity Hockey Team won the FCIAC championship and once again made it to the CIAC final four. Many of his players have advanced on to both the D3 & D1 college level, as well as dozens of Club hockey players. Pat is a USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach.

Colin Bernard – Assistant Coach

Colin Bernard, a Stamford, CT native has been deeply involved in hockey for over 20 years as a player and coach.  His hockey journey began with Mid-Fairfield Youth Hockey, where he developed his skills from Mite Minor through Bantam Major.  He then went on to play for Trinity Catholic High School, earning First Team All-FCIAC and First Team All-State honors.  Colin continued his high school career at the Brunswick School in Greenwich CT, where he played a key role in leading the team to its first ever Elite 8 tournament bid during his senior season.  Following high school, he competed in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), where he was recognized as Mainland Defenseman of the year.  His performance in the BCHL earned him a commitment to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Sacred Heart University.  While at Sacred Heart, Colin was part of a historic moment, helping the team secure the first ever Connecticut Ice Championship in the tournament’s inaugural season.  Colin’s coaching career began in 2016 with the CT Oil Kings, where he coached the U-10 team.  Most recently, he completed his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Darien Blue Wave Varsity team, where he helped guide them to a state championship victory.  Colin  has a passion for teaching and mentoring younger players and also coaches at the youth level with Mid-Fairfield.

Justin Pitrack – Assistant Coach

Justin Pitrack grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. He played AAA hockey for CYA and Team Illinois from Mite through Bantam. He then attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT as a Sophomore and played 3 years of Varsity Ice Hockey. Justin continued on to play 4 years at Amherst College.

 Justin joined the Blue Wave coaching staff for the 2024-25 season and also coaches his son, a Mite at DYHA. Justin resides in Darien and spent 15 years as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Point72 Asset Management prior to joining Millennium Management.

Junior Varsity

Patrick Cooper will be our head JV coach for the 2025-26 season.  He will be joined by assistants James Robinson, Tyler Rolston, and Tristan D’Elia.