Griffins find their groove mid-season
New head coach Stephen had to learn the league and a new group of players
The MacEwan University Griffins men’s hockey team seems to have found some traction after a tumultuous off-season and slow start to the 2012-13 campaign.
Former head coach Jamie Langley was dismissed following a season in which he won the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference coach of the year award, so there were plenty of question marks for the Griffins heading into training camp under new head coach Bram Stephen.
An 0-9 start didn’t help turn the page, but there were finally some positive vibes around the Griffins after winning five of their last six games.
“It’s been really exciting. We got into the program, hired quite late in the summer,” said Stephen, who joined MacEwan after serving as the midget AAA coach for the Canadian Athletic Club (CAC).
“Our coaching staff came together the end of July and, to be honest, there were a lot of things that we weren’t sure about as far as our roster went. We’ve been very pleased with the character of the group that we have. They come from a wide range of backgrounds and they work well together and work hard. It’s made the process very enjoyable for us as coaches.”
Joining Stephen as an assistant is former Oil King and U of A Golden Bear J.P. Szaszkiewicz, who wrapped up his collegiate playing career in the spring.
“J.P. and I have known each other for years growing up and played with each other when we were younger for a season,” Stephen said. “He wanted to work with a younger age group with the Canadian Athletic Club, where I coached last, and then when the Grant MacEwan opportunity came about, he was on board.
For Stephen, who was also an assistant coach with the Drayton Valley Thunder in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for two seasons, having a reliable staff has been a major boost.
“Him and the other coach that we had on staff initially, Darrell Holowaychuk, who I’ve coached with in the past, the three of us have been pretty good. We added a fourth coach later on with Geoff Green.”
It certainly has been a learning experience for Stephen, whose first head coaching experience at any level came six years ago with the CAC bantam AA Yellowhead Honda team.
“Just getting a sense of the competition level in the league and understanding how the flow of the week needs to work and making sure that we manage our players’ energy efficiently,” Stephen said of the biggest difference between his previous coaching experiences and the ACAC level. “I’m not used to having that much coaching time in practice and also making sure that, as coaches, players have a school element as well that they need to excel in.”
MacEwan has slowly rounded into form as Stephen learned the ropes and grew more comfortable with the realities of life as a collegiate coach.
“First of all, we had some players who had to learn different positions earlier in the semester. Quite a few of our guys weren’t used to the pace of play and the level they need to compete at,” Stephen said. “For those who were returning players, the difference in approach and the expectations that we have as coaches, there’s always an adjustment period when there’s any new coaching staff.”
With his team 5-10 and one point out of the sixth playoff spot, Stephen is confident the Griffins will be able to pick up where they left off when the season resumes in the new year.
“That last weekend against Concordia, in particular, it gives us a lot of confidence,” Stephen said of a sweep over their crosstown rivals. “We’re very realistically in a playoff race now, whereas two weeks ago we were quite far back from that No. 6 spot we needed to get into.
“There’s a lot of excitement. The group morale has always been good, but now they really feel they’re knocking on the door of the playoffs.”