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MOORHEAD, Minn. (6/28/10)--Concordia Athletic Director Dr. Larry Papenfuss announced on Monday that Brett Bruininks will serve as the interim head women's hockey coach. Bruininks has been teaching in the Health and Physical Education Department at the college since September and was also an assistant coach for the Concordia men's hockey team during the 2009-10 season.

"We are very fortunate to have someone already on our staff with the professional hockey background and women's hockey coaching experience to take over our program," commented Papenfuss.

Bruininks will serve as the interim coach for one season.

Prior to coming to Concordia Bruininks was the women's assistant coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis for the 2008-09 season.

Bruininks played college hockey at the University of Notre Dame where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996. He then went on to play professional hockey for three different organizations. He played with the Philadelphia Flyers before moving on to play in the Chicago Blackhawks
organization as well as with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Bruininks went on to earn his Master's of Education degree from the University of Minnesota in 2005 and continued on to earn his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2009.

Bruininks was an assistant coach for the girls' hockey team at the Academy of Holy Angels from 2005 through 2009 before taking over as an assistant at Augsburg.

Dr. Bruininks will continue to teach in the exercise science program in the department of Health and Physical Education Department at Concordia.