Matthew Bland joined the Aquinas Athletic Department in the summer of 2023 and serves as the head coach of the AQ women's hockey program. Bland is the fourth head coach in the history of the AQ women's hockey program.Â
Bland took on the task of beginning to rebuild the women's hockey program in his first season. The Saints went 4-17-1 over the first year, highlighted by an incredible 1-0 shootout victory over Miami of Ohio to end the season.
Prior to taking the Aquinas position, Bland worked as the head coach/skills coach with the youth developmentally focused Fox Motors Hockey Club for six years. Bland was there at the beginning when Fox Motors Hockey branched out to included girls hockey team. The Fox Motors Hockey club is well known in the West Michigan area with teams that compete at a wide variety of skill levels and age groups.
Prior to joining Fox Motors Hockey club, Bland was a head coach/skills coach with the Kalamazoo Optimist Hockey Association from 2006 to 2017. He was also a sales associate for Hockey Services, a sporting goods store in Kalamazoo, for a year and an half from 2008-09. Bland is a Western Michigan University graduate.
