It took 2½ months, but the Green Bay Gamblers got their man.

Jon Cooper will leave the successful junior hockey program he built with the St. Louis Bandits and try to do the same as the Gamblers' coach and general manager, two sources with knowledge of the search process said Sunday night.

The sides agreed to contract parameters late last week. Cooper flew into town Sunday to finalize the deal and prepare for this week's United States Hockey League entry draft. A media conference announcing the hire is expected today.

The Gamblers interviewed seven candidates to replace Mark Mazzoleni, who was fired in the midst of a 13-41-6 season. It was down to Cooper and Houston Aeros assistant Luke Strand after the third finalist, University of Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick, withdrew his name from consideration last week.

Though Strand and Patrick — both former Gamblers assistants — had Wisconsin ties that made them attractive, Cooper won out with his extensive experience and success as a head coach, including back-to-back North American Hockey League championships with the Bandits.

The Gamblers were referred to Cooper early in the search. They decided it was worth waiting to negotiate with him until the Bandits wrapped up their second straight Robertson Cup on May 4 — the day after Cooper's wife, Jessie, gave birth to twin girls.

No terms were available, but it likely is a five-year contract. The Gamblers were believed to be looking to spend roughly the USHL average, which is in the neighborhood of $90,000 per year.

A British Columbia native, Cooper played hockey and lacrosse at Hofstra University. He won a Junior B national championship with the Metro Jets of the Central States Hockey League in 2002. Cooper was coaching the top-ranked Honeybaked Midget AAA team in Oak Park, Mich., when he closed his law practice in 2003 to take over as the Bandits' coach and GM. In August 2007, he coached the U-17 national team to a silver medal at the 5 Nations Tournament.

There was no word on whether Cooper would retain assistant coach Dave Insalaco, who served as interim coach after Mazzoleni was fired Feb. 26, or try to bring along either of his Bandits assistants.

The Gamblers' struggles last season weren't limited to the ice. Attendance slipped to 2,654 per game — ninth among 12 USHL teams and down significantly from 3,390 in the 2006-07 regular season.

Shortly after PMI named him team president in March, Brendan Bruss said his goal was to find a coach who understood the politics of junior hockey and was willing to be the face of the franchise.

Cooper, twice the NAHL's coach of the year, fills the former requirement. His work at the latter begins today.