Setting the Tone for Blazer Ice Hockey

Over my 13 years of coaching, I have had the opportunity to coach every level of women's and girls' hockey in the US (NCAA Division 1, NCAA DIII, high school, youth, club, etc). I am also a Level 4 certified USA Hockey coach and have been invited to multiple USA Hockey national camps to coach. When it was announced that Hood would be starting a Women's Ice Hockey team, I started looking into the school and the Frederick area and was very intrigued.

When I stepped on campus for my interview, I knew that it would be a great school to start a program. The energy across campus was apparent and the philosophy of the athletic department fit perfectly with my coaching philosophy. When offered the position, I knew it was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to start a program from scratch with my beliefs and philosophies ingrained in it. It was an opportunity I could not pass up!
 

I'm not sure if I feel any pressure necessarily--more excitement about it. I bring new and different thought processes to coaching ice hockey, so being able to instill those into the program's foundations is a really cool experience that not a lot of coaches get. For the first 4 months of recruiting, it was tough to get the Hood name recognized by the hockey community, but after I did, and after players started visiting campus and the Frederick area, we jumped off the page! We have one of the most active and most followed Instagram accounts in Division III hockey, which has been a major way for us to share our story.

Right off the bat we were thrown a curveball. Our home rink, Skate Frederick, closed for mechanical reasons and we were stuck scrambling to figure out where to play our games and practice. There aren't many ice arenas in this area, and with schedules being set months in advance, it was a scramble for us. Luckily, the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex welcomed us with open arms, which helped us with our morning practice times. It took some rearranging, but we were also able to get our games rescheduled.

On the ice, the NCAA game is completely different from what our players had been used to at the high school level before they got here. It was expected that there would be a learning curve, but that was an on-ice challenge we faced, getting players up to speed as quickly as possible to learn how to play the college style game. 

With all of the bumps we have hit along the way, we have had a ton of highlights and success as well. In our program we preach "control the controllables," and they (the players) have gotten a firsthand experience with that. Even as a team of first-years, they have learned how to be resilient in a short period of time. We have been competitive in every game we have played and have had some great individual showings. 

Currently, we have 2 goaltenders, Maggie Grijalva '28 and Kamryn Sohner '28,  who are ranked within the top 40 of the nation in save percentage (out of 160 qualified goalies). Our top scorer, Sofie Ancona '28, ranks top 50 in the nation in goals per game (out of over 1,000 players)! In addition, Reece Gall '28 ranks second in the nation in shorthanded goals scored! As a team, we have really surprised other teams we've played and gotten a lot of compliments from other coaches and even referees. 

Not only have we had success on the ice, but we have also been great in the classroom. In the first semester we had 11 players who had a 3.5 GPA and above, and 2 players who had a perfect 4.0! We have also made great strides in the community with volunteering and building community relationships.
 

The Frederick and Hood communities have been incredible. They have been so welcoming and excited for Hood Women's Hockey. Before we even stepped on the ice, I spent 18 months recruiting players and building the foundations for the program. During that time, the number of people who reached out eager and willing to help was incredible! 

Last July we partnered with the Frederick Keys to have a Hockey Night at the Ballpark for one of their games. They helped create a lot of buzz for our program. In fact, they invited us back for a game in September where they invited the team down to the field and we were able to do a community jersey reveal as each player was introduced. 

The other really cool thing is the amount of fan support we get at games. Even though we play 30 minutes away from campus, we have had multiple home games sold out, packed with fans and even students on the glass. It has been a fun environment for our players!
 

In season, it is pretty much hockey 24/7 from September to March. But when not in season, I enjoy golfing, going for hikes, adventuring outdoors, trying new breweries, and exploring the Frederick area (walking the creek!). I am originally from Minnesota, so the outdoors are second nature to me. I was raised on the outdoors and hockey! My random hobby that not a lot of people know about--I love playing the piano. I have played on and off since I was a kid, and it is a nice calming break for me during the busy season. My wife and I are expecting our first child in April, so I am sure my hobbies will drastically change soon!

https://hoodathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey