Tied for state wins record, prep hockey coach Randolph loses job

If Mike Randolph breaks Minnesota's record for victories as a boys hockey coach, he won't do it at St. Thomas Academy.

St. Thomas Academy has decided it won't renew his contract, Randolph told The Rink Live, a website that focuses on Minnesota and North Dakota hockey news.

Randolph said Cadets activities director Reed Hornung told him "little things" were behind the decision. Among them, Randolph said, was that he doesn't keep a permanent residence in the Twin Cities; he and his wife live in Duluth.

Randolph, 72, ended last season, his third with the Cadets, tied with Lorne Grosso for the most boys hockey victories in Minnesota history at 707. The Cadets had a chance to get him to 708, but they lost the Class 2A, Section 2 final 3-1 to Cretin-Derham Hall.

After a 13-13-1 first season, Randolph wound up 49-30-3 with the Cadets. He stacked up wins in 32 years as coach at Duluth East before joining the Cadets, leading the Greyhounds to the state tournament 18 times and winning the championship twice. He left there in 2009, resigning because of what he called "parental pressure."

He also has coached at Duluth Cathedral and Duluth Denfeld and in college at Minnesota Duluth and St. Scholastica. He's been a member of the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame since 2018.