Personnel

Dave Fryer has been serving as the Commissioner of College Hockey Mid-America since 2021, but his contributions to the league started many years prior. Fryer was first involved with the CHMA when he was the Head Coach at Duquesne University from 2007 to 2010, simultaneously serving as the league's webmaster. During that time, Fryer designed a new league logo and created new league championship banners, both of which are still used by the CHMA today. Fryer then moved to Robert Morris University in 2010 to become the Head Coach of its ACHA Men's Division 1 team, serving in that capacity for 2 seasons. In 2011, he partnered with Mercyhurst University to move both RMU and Mercyhurst out of different leagues and into the CHMA for the 2012-13 season. That move has proven to be quite beneficial for Robert Morris, Mercyhurst, and the CHMA.

Fryer first entered the collegiate coaching ranks when he joined the California University of PA as an assistant coach in 2005 after considerable success as a high school coach. In his two seasons with the ACHA Men's Division 3 team at Cal, he played a key role in the Vulcans’ first-ever league championship in 2007 and the program's accompanying rise to national prominence. Fryer then moved on to the ACHA Division 1 ranks as the Head Coach with Duquesne, where he guided the Dukes to a CHMA league championship in both the regular season and playoffs. Fryer's leadership propelled Duquesne to the 2009 ACHA Men's D1 National Tournament and placed him as a finalist for the D1 National Coach of the Year. Fryer finished his collegiate coaching career at Robert Morris, where he was named to the ACHA Men's D1 All-Star Game for a record fourth time.

After stepping away from coaching in 2012, Fryer was prepared to take on administrative roles in the sport. He became the Commissioner of College Hockey East in 2013, which is one of the largest and oldest collegiate club leagues in the country. The CHE consisted only of Men's Division 3 teams at the time, but Fryer initiated the immediate addition of a women's division to the league. He also brought a sister league under the CHE umbrella and further developed the structure of that group of teams, thereby helping to establish more hockey programs at regional colleges. Fryer has also worked as the Associate Commissioner of the scholastic hockey league in Western Pennsylvania, guiding that organization into a new era of improved competition and modernized operations. After leaving the scholastic side of the sport, Fryer entered the amateur hockey ranks in 2022 and now serves as the Executive Administrator of the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League (PAHL), which consists of over 300 teams and nearly 6,000 players in Western PA, Northern WV, and Eastern OH.

Fryer also boasts a wealth of other experiences in the sport beyond league operations. He has also been the Director of Business Operations for Pittsburgh Ice Hockey Officiating (PIHO), the Operations Director for the Pittsburgh Elite Officiating Camps (PEOC), the Host Director & Scouting Director for America's Showcase, and the Assistant General Manager for Team Pittsburgh. He was a major contributor to the NHL's Hockeyville event in 2017 and continued that campaign's grassroots efforts to grow the game as a board member on the non-profit Mon Ice Project. He is a highly-respected on-ice official and served for two seasons as the Referee-in-Chief for the local officiating organization in Western Pennsylvania. His success in officiating roles ultimately led him to form Keystone Hockey Officials (KHO) in 2023 as a partner organization to the CHMA and CHE, providing officiating services to many of the teams in both leagues.

Fryer is also an experienced Arena DJ, having done in-game music and announcing for hockey events ranging from youth games to the USHL. Plus, he has worked in prominent roles at two ice rinks in Western PA, managing hockey operations from an entirely different angle. And other than serving as a medic, there is not a role Fryer has not done in a hockey game: player, coach, official, scorekeeper, clock operator, goal judge, announcer, arena DJ, broadcaster, security guard, and even Zamboni driver.

Fryer played his scholastic hockey in the suburbs of Pittsburgh at West Allegheny High School, where he founded the team as a freshman and went on to become a team captain and league all-star. He then played his collegiate hockey at the University of Pittsburgh, during which time he was a 3-year captain, a team MVP, and twice led the team in scoring. During his playing time at Pitt, Fryer helped form the University Hockey League (UHL), which was the first collegiate hockey league comprised entirely of ACHA teams in the region.

Fryer graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in psychology and has an extensive background working in Information Technology. He was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and currently resides in Oakdale, PA. He is a member of the Allegheny Center Alliance Church and has volunteered with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), working extensively in its hockey division to mentor young athletes. Fryer is an avid fan of NASCAR and all of the Pittsburgh sports teams, spending much of his spare time at racetracks, stadiums, and arenas. He adds to his enjoyment of golf by annually participating in several charity golf outings and working as a caddie for major events at Allegheny Country Club.

Contact Information

Commissioner: David L. Fryer, Jr.

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