Matt Funk is entering his first year at Cretin-Derham Hall after most recently being the Head Coach of the St Paul Academy Spartans. Coach Funk led the Spartans to a 55-33 record since taking over the reins in the play-offs during the 2014-15 season. His teams went to three straight Section 4A Championship games and one state tournament appearance (2015-16), finishing in fourth place. Coach Funk is very active in the Minnesota High Performance program. Prior to his head coaching role at SPA he was a high school assistant for 13+ years at SPA and Saint Thomas Academy, and coached in the St. Paul Capitals system for three years as head coach of their A Peewees and Bantams programs.

Coach Funk comes from a family with a long history of hockey coaching. His grandfather, Bill, coached at the University of St. Thomas in the 1950s and his father, Pat, coached at Central, the University of St. Thomas, and Saint Thomas Academy.

Coach Funk grew up in St. Paul and played his youth hockey in Highland and high school at STA. Matt, a University of Notre Dame alum, works for Target Corporation, and currently resides in St. Paul with his wife, Jovanna, and two daughters, Bridget (10) and Claire (7). Coach Funk’s father is a scout for the San Jose Sharks and his brother John is a scout for the Colorado Avalanche.

Funk says “it is a tremendous honor to coach at Cretin-Derham Hall. I grew up blocks from the school and have always had a strong respect for the school and what it means to our community. I am excited to be a part of the Raider family and build upon Coach O’Neill’s stellar legacy of building a championship culture on and off the ice.”