Ryan McGrath returns to UMass Boston for his fourth season on the Beacons' bench.

McGrath owns an impressive coaching background and a wealth of experience coaching college caliber players, having spent the last four years coaching on the junior hockey circuit, including the previous three seasons with the Portland Junior Pirates. He helped call the shots as the Associate Head Coach of the Pirates' Junior A team in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League from 2006-08, before being named the Head Coach for the Junior B squad of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League last season. Prior to his arrival in Portland, McGrath was an Assistant Coach for the Northern Cyclones of the MJHL for the 2005-06 campaign.

The native of Reading, Massachusetts has not been limited to instruction in junior hockey circles. In the spring of 2006 and 2007, McGrath was selected by USA Hockey to coach at the New England Yankee Conference Festival. He also served as the Head Coach for the East Coast Selects 93's during the Summer AAA season this past summer.

A former defenseman, McGrath starred at Reading High School and led the Rockets to a USA Today number 11 national ranking as well as three Middlesex League Championships. McGrath also put together a fine junior hockey career with the Tyngsboro Huskies of the Eastern Junior Hockey League from 1998-2000 and was tabbed a top 10 blueliner by the Red-Line Report.