The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team assistant coaches Chuck Weber and Mathias Lange '09 brought hardware back to Troy from international ice, as the duo each put on their coaching skills on display on the world stage this past spring. They each captured gold medals, as Weber took on the IIHF World Championships 1A pool on the bench for Great Britain, while Lange coached at the IIHF U18 World Championships for Austria.
 
Weber and Great Britain took down Italy in the final game of Division IA, taking a 5-3 win to earn promotion to the world's top division. For Lange, Austria topped South Korea by a 4-2 score en route to the U18 1B title. Along the way, Weber was able to coach against RPI alumni Kevin Constantine (Hungary) and Ron Pasco (Lithuania), while Lange – an alumni himself – hit the bench internationally for his first World Championships as a coach.
 
For Weber, it was another go-around on the world stage, having coached as well during Great Britain's run in 2016. Despite the amount of time behind the bench for each of them, the experience of winning a goal medal at the international level was once in a lifetime.
 
"One of the top five moments for me, especially after losing out on gold medal my last time coaching with Great Britain in 2016," said Weber. "Anytime you win a championship, it is special and creates a lasting bond."
 
Lange added, "It's always been an honor to represent my home country of Austria in any event, and this was no different. Winning the gold medal and getting promoted to next season's U18 Division 1A World Championship made it that much more special, especially since it's the first Championship I have won since getting into coaching two years ago. Hard to say where it ranks exactly, but I'd say as a coach at the top. Overall in my hockey career, it's right there with the other championships I won as a player."
 
Both tournaments gave the pair extra teaching moments to bring back to Troy, as both squads faced a variety of hurdles en route to earning their hardware. Looking back, each reflected on some takeaways from the tournament to bring back to Troy as learning experiences for the Engineers. For Lange, it was an early loss and experiencing an early setback while Weber looks to the international ideologies on the ice.
 
"[I look at] how our team came together after a loss in the first game, and having to win the remaining four games in order to have a chance at the gold medal was impressive," said Lange. "Short tournaments like that are always different from a long season, but the recipe for success is always very similar: Coaches trusting the players, players trusting the coaches, respect for each other and working together for a common goal."
 
"The things I see are different ways the game is taught, systems used or just how others prepare to get better," added Weber. "You have to keep that growth mindset and always look for ways to make yourself and program better."
 
Both Lange and Weber each took moments in the tournament as ones they will remember, with each giving standout games to each country's success along the way.
 
Weber said, "The last game versus Italy stands out, especially coaching against Mike Keenan again. The last time we coached against each other was in the KHL. It was a winner-earns-promotion to A pool and losing team has to battle again for promotion in 2024. The Great Britain crowd was fantastic, allowing us to play in a sold-out building and that extra boost helped us to the big win and gold medal."
 
"We had to win our last game against South Korea in regulation in order to win the gold medal," added Lange. "We were down 2-1 in the third period and tied it up with 8:15 minutes left on the clock. We scored the game winner with 1:13 minutes left."
 
Weber and Lange will both be back behind the bench for the Engineers along with head coach Dave Smith for the 2023-24 season. The Engineers look to build off a solid 2022-23 season, as they finished their season with a 14-20-1 overall mark, with a 9-13-0 mark in ECAC Hockey play. RPI made the ECAC playoffs, falling to Yale 4-1 in the opening round at Houston Field House.