The start-up National Collegiate Hockey Conference named veteran sports management executive Joe Novak as its Director of Hockey Operations last Tuesday. The Pioneer hockey team will join the NCHC in October of 2013 during the conference’s first season.

“I am grateful to Commissioner Scherr and the conference members for this remarkable opportunity,” said Novak. “This position is both a great challenge and a great opportunity and, with so much to do, I look forward to working closely with the conference athletic directors and coaches and to getting to work.”

Novak, 56, joins the NCHC staff after working for the Air Force Academy for more than 25 years, including spending the last 13 years as the assistant athletic director. He will remain with the Air Force Academy until his contract expires in July, beginning part-time work for the conference in May and transitioning to full time on July 15.

“When I saw the job description and talked to some of the folks in the conference, it was a dream job that put my passion and my experience in one package,” said Novak. “It was something I couldn’t pass up.”

According to NCHC commissioner Jim Scherr, Novak will be responsible for internal hockey operations and administration for the new Division I hockey conference after signing a four-year contract. His duties will include developing the conference schedule and a system for hiring on-ice officials, as well as creating and implementing conference rules and standards. He will also serve as a liaison between the conference coaches and the hockey community.

“The goal of everybody in the conference is to make [the NCHC] one of the most competitive conferences in college hockey, if not the best ever,” said Novak. “The teams in the conference are very solid from top to bottom.”

Novak’s additional experience includes his current position as an on-ice official and supervisor of officials for USA Hockey. He also served as an off-ice official at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and as the Ice Hockey Game Operations Manager for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

Earlier in his career, Novak played hockey in the semi-professional ranks, as well as junior hockey throughout Germany and Europe. Novak received his bachelor’s degree in political science and education from Fort Lewis College in 1979. He went on to earn his Master’s of Education in Leadership Studies from Temple University in 1987.

“Being able to bring to the conference a proven and imaginative executive with outstanding hockey credentials like Joe to serve as our Director of Hockey Operations is tremendous for our members and for me personally,” said Scherr. “The conference’s inaugural season begins in about 18 months and there are many tasks to complete in advance of dropping the first puck. I will be relying on Joe to ensure that everything relating to hockey operations will be the best in intercollegiate athletics.”

When the NCHC begins play in the 2013-2014 season, its inaugural members will include Denver, Colorado College, Miami University, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University. The league is headquartered in Colorado Springs.