Sawyer Diseth no longer serving as LRSC women’s hockey coach

DEVILS LAKE — Sawyer Diseth is no longer the head women’s hockey coach at Lake Region State College.

LRSC vice president of advancement Erin Wood provided a statement:

“Sawyer Diseth is no longer serving as a coach for the Lake Region State College Women’s Hockey program. The college has clear policies and expectations for all employees, and we follow these processes consistently.

“Our focus always is on the success and well-being of our student-athletes. Brady Stein and Austin Kempel will oversee coaching responsibilities at this time. Because this is a personnel matter, the college will not have further comment.”

The Royals went 12-19 in parts of two seasons under Diseth.

On Nov. 18, while Diseth was still in charge, the team posted on social media that it was ranked No. 9 in the ACHA Division 2 Women’s West poll.

“The Lake Region women’s college hockey team has never been stronger. Earmarked for their best year yet,” Diseth said. “I remain their biggest fan as I was when I was coaching from the bench.

“Unfortunately our time was cut short. I have so many great memories working with student-athletes. Many of them are destined for great things. Fortunate that I had the opportunity to wake up every day and work for the right reasons.”

LRSC originally announced Diseth’s hiring in April 2024. A Devils Lake native, Diseth had been coaching hockey in the area for more than a decade. Before serving as the Royals’ head hockey coach, he was an assistant for Devils Lake High School boys’ hockey.

Diseth was also the assistant athletic director in the beginning of his tenure at the college.

LRSC went 8-14 in Diseth’s debut season. Sophomore Veronica Asquith shined under his leadership, finishing second in points among all women’s ACHA Division 2 players in the country during the 2024-25 season.

“The team was shocked when we heard Sawyer was being let go,” Asquith said. “We were all pretty devastated when we were told he wouldn’t be returning as our coach. I spent almost four hours on the phone that day trying to console my teammates.”

After receiving NCAA recruiting interest last year, Asquith opted to return to LRSC for a third season. She had even been talking to national champion Wisconsin. At the end of last season, she said she was hoping to keep her talks with Wisconsin open. Diseth helped guide her through the process of navigating offers and interest.

“Personally, I thought he was a great coach,” Asquith said. “I developed more under him than I ever had under any other coach, and my stats back that up. He saw potential in every one of us, and if we had a dream or a goal for the season, he did everything he could to help us reach it. He had a way of pushing us without ever making us feel discouraged, and that’s something not every coach can do. The team is definitely going to miss him.”

This year, the Royals were off to a 4-5 start before Diseth’s departure.

Head men’s hockey coach Brady Stein is now the interim head women’s coach. Stein becomes the third head coach in the three-year history of the program.

“Honestly, it’s been great,” Stein said of taking over the women’s team. “The girls are great. They really listen. We’re trying to get them just right back on track like nothing ever happened. Just keep the vibes up. Keep the practices good. Their games have been going pretty well.”

The LRSC women won their first game under Stein, a 3-2 victory over Augustana on Dec. 6. They lost to Augustana the following day, 6-4.

Assistant women’s coach Austin Kempel is still in the same role. Kempel had been coached by Diseth since he was a kid. He played for Devils Lake while Diseth was an assistant, graduating in 2024. Kempel is a distant relative of former UND hockey coach Dean Blais.

He joined the LRSC women’s hockey program as an assistant last season, just months after graduating high school.

“Austin Kempel has been doing fantastic, too,” Stein said. “I think he’s right there, and maybe even ready for a coaching job, eventually.”

Diseth missed one game last season while he got married. Kempel served as head coach that day.

Asquith also praised the job Kempel has done, calling him “nothing short of fantastic.”

“He’s brought stability at a time when we really needed it,” Asquith said. “And he’s kept our practices focused, productive and positive. He listens, he’s patient and he genuinely wants what’s best for all of us. Having someone who understands the team so well and cares as much as he does has made this transition so much easier. It’s been really reassuring having him still with the team.”

On the weekend of Dec. 6, the LRSC men’s and women’s hockey teams were conveniently scheduled to play back-to-back at home. So Stein was the head coach for both teams’ games.

“Brady has also been helping out and giving advice whenever we need it, which has made a big difference during the transition,” Asquith said. “Overall, even though the situation was tough, we’ve stuck together. We’re moving forward, we’re focused and we’re not done yet.”

On Dec. 7, Stein said there wasn’t much he could say about Diseth’s exit.

“I don’t know a whole lot. … Nothing against the guy,” Stein said.

Going forward, there are six dates when the women’s team is scheduled to play in a different location than the men.

The plan is for Kempel to lead the women’s team on those dates. The college has volunteers who are helping with logistics and accommodations.

“We have a few other people helping out at the college, just to make sure we have everybody going the right direction, where they need to be,” Stein said. “And just so the teams are taken care of, too.”

The women had two games this past weekend at Assiniboine Community College. Their next action is scheduled for after the new year. They had five games in November.

“The timing honestly couldn’t have been worse. Going into Thanksgiving break, the news hit everyone pretty hard,” Asquith said. “But since then, the team has pulled together and bonded even more. We realized that our goal for the season isn’t finished yet, we still have half a season left to fight for.”