HANOVER, N.H. — Former Dartmouth assistant men’s lacrosse coach Paul Schimoler passed away Friday evening after a short battle with cancer. He was set to begin his second season on the Big Green lacrosse staff, but stepped down when he was diagnosed with the illness in January.

Well-known for his passion and intensity on the lacrosse field, and his kind and gentle nature off it, Schimoler left a lasting legacy in the sport of lacrosse as a player, coach, mentor and friend.

”Paul was passionate about life and all about people,” Dartmouth head men’s lacrosse coach Andy Towers said. “As terrific a lacrosse player and coach as he was, he was always very humble and down-to-earth. He was certainly taken much too early, and his passing is tragic for his family, friends and the sport of lacrosse.”

A 1989 graduate of Cornell, he was a four time All-Ivy and All-American selection and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year as a freshman. During his sophomore year the Big Red were crowned Ivy League Champions and were NCAA Division I runners-up in 1987 and 1988. In his final campaign he was named Ivy League Player of the Year and was selected to the North-South team.

For nearly two decades, Schimoler had been an instructor at numerous lacrosse camps throughout the country. He also co-developed and produced the lacrosse goaltending video “Peak Performance” in 1992 and that same year organized the “Stick it in Stowe” tournament. After a stint at his alma mater as an assistant coach, he enjoyed successful tenures as the head coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and St. Michael’s — earning the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coach of the Year award in 2011 — before joining the Dartmouth staff.

Schimoler is survived by his wife Lynn Ellen, their son Jack (5) and daughter Serena (19). A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m., Feb. 23 at the chapel of St. Michael the Archangel on the campus of St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt.