WEST FARGO, N.D. – Kennedy Blair is named Head Girls’ Hockey Coach for West Fargo United.
The Bismarck native is a special education teacher at Horace High School. She was a state champion and two-time All-State honoree goaltender for the Bismarck Blizzard. Blair was named College Hockey America Goaltender of the Year in 2018 and All-Tournament MVP in 2019 when she played for the Mercyhurst Lakers. She also won a national championship in 2021 with the Wisconsin Badgers. Blair also was the head junior varsity coach at Moorhead High School and was an assistant coach at Concordia College.
“Coach Blair brings a wealth of experience and a competitive drive that will energize our program,” said Justin Behm, Activities Director. “Her player-first mentality and dedication to fostering both individual and team success make her the perfect fit for United Hockey. Talking with Kennedy, it was clear she was the right choice for our program. We are thrilled to have Coach Blair behind the bench and look forward to the incredible future ahead for United Hockey.”
Former United Girls Hockey Head Coach and West Fargo softball coach Pat Johnson resigned in February after district officials said they were opening an investigation into him. He still is a teacher in the district. District officials say video from a January practice shows two players being cross checked by Johnson as they were skating backwards and about to collide with him.
“In examining the entire practice recording on video, it appears that Coach Johnson makes a concerted effort to move closer to where the girls are skating backwards in the drill,” the report said. “It also appears that he makes a more prepared effort to strike the second student as she is skating into that space.”
When meeting with Johnson, he explained that a player was ‘going to run into him, so he put his arms up to stop her from running into him.’ He told both Athletic Directors Justin Behm and Logan Midthun ‘he cannot move as fast anymore, so he couldn’t get out of the way.’
