the Edward Jeremiah Award four times (1990, 1995, 2004, and 2006). The award is presented each year by the American Hockey Coaches Association to the Division III men's ice hockey Coach of the Year. Beaney and Mike McShane are the only coaches to have received the award four times. After his team won its third consecutive NCAA championship, Beaney predicted a fourth: "If I had a choice - if I were to step to one side - I would also pick Middlebury. Good people attract good people, and we have a lot of players who want to come here." When Middlebury won its record-setting fourth consecutive NCAA championship in 1998, The New York Times wrote that the record was all the more remarkable given that it was accomplished by a small, academically oriented college with no athletic scholarships. The Times wrote:"Without consulting Coach Bill Beaney, it is difficult to comprehend how a small college like Middlebury in Vermont can win an unprecedented four straight national championships in a sport as money-minded and competitive as hockey. The entrance requirements are stiff - average Scholastic Achievement Tests of 1,330 - and the annual cost of about $30,000 occasionally eased by a grant based on family need. There are no athletic scholarships." When Middlebury won a fifth consecutive NCAA championship in 1999, the Boston Globe described the accomplishment as "padding a record of domination unrivaled in any level of college hockey." Beaney noted that the fifth championship was "the most special," because he had lost the entire six-player core that had been the foundation for his previous championship teams. In explaining how his young team had won the championship, Beaney offered what the Boston Globe called a bit of Green Mountain wisdom, "Like the sap that runs from the trees, anything is possible." Beaney took a leave from his coaching duties for the 2002-2003 hockey season. Middlebury President John McCardell Jr., announced that Beaney had been granted time off from his coaching duties and would serve as an associate in the Office of College Advancement. He won three consecutive NCAA championships (2004–2006) after returning from the hiatus. Prior to the 2004 NCAA tournament, Beaney took his players on a trip to his home town of Lake Placid. His players "explored every nook and cranny" of the rink where the USA Hockey team had won the Olympic gold medal in 1980 and played a