Colgate Hockey Coach Terry Slater, the architect of one of the most competitive hockey programs in the nation, died yesterday morning in Syracuse, N.Y. four days after being hospitalized for a stroke.

During his 15-year career at Colgate, Slater, 54, transformed the Red Raiders from a moribund, barely competitive squad into a nationally prestigious Division I hockey team. The winningest coach in Colgate hockey history, Slater compiled a 249-174-22 record, including two NCAA tournament appearances.

"He was the most successful coach in the college's intercollegiate hockey history, but he gave much more to this community than coaching knowledge alone," Colgate President Neil R. Grabois said in a press release. "With his quick sense of humor, his grace and his style, he was a friend to many of us, and a wonderful ambassador for the college."

Harvard Hockey Coach Ronn Tomassoni said that Slater will be best be remembered for the respect and warmth he accorded his students and his peers.

"He just treated everyone with such respect. I felt he looked after me in meetings we had over the years. He was always supportive, always giving advice," Tomassoni said.

"The entire Colgate community mourns the death of Terry Slater," Colgate President Neil R. Grabois said. "In a tough sport where he and his teams competed at the highest levels, Terry Slater never lost sight of the fact that he was, above all, a teacher."

An All-America forward at St. Lawrence from 1957-1961, Slater never strayed far from the hockey world, serving in various professional and collegiate hockey posts before finally settling down at Colgate in 1977.

The Kirkland Lakes, Ontario native brought his passion for hockey to the Red Raiders, and the impact was immediate. With his first recruiting class, Slater compiled 73 wins in four years, including the college's first NCAA tournament appearance in 1981.

While his team would endure tough times in the mid-'80s, Slater reached the pinnacle of his career in 1990, when the Red Raiders advanced to the Final Four before finally being knocked off by Wisconsin in the championship game. That year, Colgate amassed a school record 36 wins, and Slater was voted NCAA Hockey Coach of the Year.

Slater is survived by his wife, Agatha, and his five children: Nora, Leah, Wade, Grant and Todd