[1] Mike Gilligan started as a defenseman for Salem State for three seasons, serving as captain and earning All-American honors in the final two[2] before moving onto a brief minor league career in the early 1970s.

Playing in ECAC Hockey's now defunct Division II league, Salem State became a powerhouse under Gilligan, winning at least 20 games in each of his six seasons behind the bench.

Two years later Taylor took a hiatus from the university to serve as an assistant for Team USA at the 1984 Winter Olympics, leaving the Bulldogs in the hands of Gilligan for the 1983–84 season.

[2] Gilligan returned to Vermont in the fall of 2006 as an assistant for the women's team and remained in that position until his retirement in 2014.

Conference tournament champion * Vermont canceled the 1999–2000 season after only 17 games due to a hazing scandal.