The Fritz Files at Lake Forest College

Hockey season update

2008-12-14T19:19:00.003-06:00

Hi to all,

The holidays are almost here and we have basically reached the midway point of the season. With 13 games played and 12 regular-season games remaining, this is a good time to reflect on the first half of the campaign and look ahead to the coming months.

Having won just 3 of our first 13 games, there has not been a lot to celebrate – but there have been positives, so far. We are playing better than we did last year and have already equaled our win total of last winter. We’ve also had two great overtime wins (a 3-2 victory over MSOE, and a 4-3 triumph over Concordia College), which were extra exciting and satisfying because they came in front of the home crowd.

Our biggest problem has been our struggle to find the net, at full strength and especially on the power play. The best part of the first half has been the play of the goaltenders, Scott Campbell and Brandon Kohuch, whose play has bordered on sensational. Campbell, who has played 7 games, has stopped 93 percent of the shots he’s faced, and Kohuch has stopped 92 percent in his 6 games. They are giving us a chance to win. But we are not scoring enough, and have lost 5 one-goal contests and been shutout twice.

One pleasant surprise has been the play of sophomore forward Zach Kozak. He is just a rookie, but second on the team with 4 goals. He scored the tying and winning goals against Concordia College, the latter coming with just 32 seconds left in overtime.

Senior center Peter Morrison has 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) and is tops on the team with a plus-6 plus/minus. He has been tremendous blocking shots and killing penalties. He’s done an all-around good job.

To a man, the guys have not lost their willingness to work hard, despite the disappointment. Their effort has been terrific, but the results just have not gone our way. Not to make excuses, but the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association is such a strong league. Six of the 8 teams are ranked among the Top 15 in the country. So even when we’ve played well, we’ve just not played well enough to beat really good teams.

Losing is always tough no matter how long you’ve been in the game. For me, the hardest part is what it does to the players; it erodes their self confidence and self worth. There is nothing like seeing how happy they are after wins, like those overtime victories, and how the fans react. When you’re losing, it can be hard to leave the game at the rink, but you can’t let it affect you’re day-to-day life. The sun comes up the day after a loss and the beauty is that there is always another game coming up, where you can get back that positive feeling.

After taking finals, the guys will have a chance to go home and spend the holidays with their families. For the freshmen, the break comes at a good time since they are often homesick. That first semester is always a tough one. We return to practice on December 30, and resume our schedule on January 3. It’s a long time to be off, but maybe in this case it will be good for us to go and come back fresh. Over the coming months, we expect to have a say in how the conference race plays out.

An event I’m looking forward to early next year is Alumni Day, which will take place on Saturday, February 14. All former players and their families are invited. We will celebrate the program’s history and success, as well as honoring our All-Americans and those who have received the Sweet Award and Taylor Award.

We’ll have our alumni game, followed by a reception and our game against St. Norbert, the defending national champions. It is my greatest wish that as many of you as possible will be there. Please spread the word and get your teammates to attend, even if they don’t want to play.
It will be a great event for all of us to enjoy together!

Happy Holidays,

Coach

Offseason, onseason - a better-late-than-never posting

2008-11-25T09:00:00.004-06:00

(This post was written back in late October but just got to cyberspace now. Sorry for the wait!)

Greetings,

Hope you all had a wonderful offseason. It’s great to be back communicating with everyone on the blog. The puck drops on the 2008-09 season on Friday up in Milwaukee, and our opening-night opponent, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, comes to our rink the following evening.

On the eve of the new season, you’re always anxious to get out there and play somebody else. We’ve been practicing hard and putting in the systems and we’re tired of playing against each other. We’re geared up and ready to go! You don’t know how good you will be until you play somebody.

That being said, I have a really good feeling about this season. We have an experienced team, with nine seniors, and the guys have come back stronger and in better shape. More than anything, they are very serious about winning, especially the veterans who are tired of losing after two rough seasons. The guys know they have to come out of the box quickly. A good start is important to show ourselves we can win again. Some teams are young and have time to develop over the course of the season. But these guys are not feeling like that. They know the time is now.

Our team returns five of our top seven scorers, including leading point men, senior Mike Kneeland and junior Peter Pfeffer. Senior goalkeeper Scott Campbell was a first-team all Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) pick last season. We have a few minor injuries on the blue line, but we have some veteran defenders to lean on back there.

No matter how many or how few players you return, the dynamic of every team is different. But a squad’s success begins with its leadership on the inside, its captains. The longer you are in the business, the more you realize how important leadership is in the locker room. We have some strong captains this season. Senior defender Joe Papineau will wear the C for us, and Campbell and junior forward Adam Love will wear the As on their sweaters as alternates.

Along with our seven rookies, we have a new assistant joining Kenny Klein and me. Seamus Gregory is a native of Newfoundland, played his hockey in the Maritimes, after which he coached and taught in the Boston area. He knows the game and the guys like him. He has great contacts and will be our main recruiter and JV head coach.

In addition to having a great school and tradition-rich program to sell, Seamus can now tell prospective recruits that renovations to the Alumni Memorial Field House should happen during their college careers. Though we still need generous contributions from the Lake Forest Hockey family to help make that a reality. If you’ve found my blog, you’ve probably seen that we are charting the progress of the Home Ice Advantage Campaign on this Web site. We are looking to equip The Rink with a state-of-the-art playing surface, updated locker rooms, new stands and a revamped lobby.

I want to extend my deepest thanks to all who have donated thus far. Your acts of kindness, especially during these challenging economic times, are greatly appreciated by everyone associated with Forester sports and by the many folks in the community who will benefit from these renovations.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at our home opener at 7:30 p.m. on October 25.Continue to watch this space for updates on how the season is progressing.

Recruiting Blues

2008-05-13T14:54:00.002-05:00

Hello again folks. I hope you’ve been eagerly awaiting my next blog entry. First of all, let me say that I’ve enjoyed hearing from some of you over the last few weeks. I’d also like to acknowledge local sportswriter Dan Shalin for taking down my words and sending them out to you. It’s nice to have him to assist with this because we’re still quite busy here even though it’s the “offseason.”

In the past, by March our recruiting class was full, end of story. But junior hockey players are waiting longer and longer to make college decisions and the process can carry on into the summer. We’re always looking to add one more key contributor.

We’ve already put together a strong recruiting class with 2 goaltenders, both of whom will fight for playing time after our current goalies graduate after next season; 2 defenseman, one of them the power-play defenseman we’ve been looking for; and 7 forwards, 2 of them I would describe as difference-makers.

Recruiting is a continuous process. Sometimes it begins when kids in high school, prep school or junior hockey get in touch with us, often sending videos of themselves in action. Other times, coaches and other contacts inform us about a player and we reach out to him.

On the ice, I’m looking for those difference makers. For us, that means a kid who is a marginal Division I talent, but has dropped through the cracks for whatever reason; maybe he’s not big enough, not fast enough or doesn’t quite have the skill-level.

We’re also looking for a guy with solid character. You find that out by asking his coaches, ‘what kind of person is he? Is he a leader?’ We try to get guys who were captains or assistant captains and have shown leadership ability. We want to find out what they are like in the dressing room. We’re looking for a guy who sacrifices everything for the team.

Many players, especially in junior hockey, are hedging their bets and waiting for that big-time scholarship. That Division I ride. That’s why they go into junior hockey in the first place. But then they find out the realties of life, that those opportunities are only available to a select few. Many still want to chase that Division I dream and contemplate going to a big school as a recruited walk-on, hoping they will someday earn a scholarship. But those kids often will end up just as practice players.

When I talk to players considering this path, I first tell them about the education they can get at Lake Forest College. Then I ask them, ‘at the end of the day, do you want a wet jersey, or a dry one? (At a Div. I school) you can be someone who doesn’t play and sits in the stands, or you can come to my school and be a difference maker!’ And that’s the No.1 thing, to play.

When I am looking to sell kids and their parents on Lake Forest College, I tell them they can come here and get the best of both worlds. It’s a great small school in a wonderful little town that is safe and beautiful. But you can be in Chicago in no time. Chicago is a great classroom and a place to find internships during the school year and in the summer.

When a recruit and his family visit, I obviously take them to The Rink. Though the inside needs renovation, the building itself has character. A lot of the guys, especially the Canadians, love that old building because it reminds them of their rinks back home. With our planned renovation, it’s important that we retain the look of the building, but with modern amenities inside.

I can talk to somebody about all the school has to offer, but there is no selling tool quite like word of mouth from current and former players and their parents. We do well with that. People come here, they like the school, enjoy their time as a player, graduate and then spread the word about their experiences.

Often, spending time with our players helps convince a recruit to become a Forester. My guys are like a family and a kid is attracted to that. A recruit comes in and sees the guys are always together and that they like being together. Other teams can be cliquey. But you go to the cafeteria and you see all my guys eating together. Other coaches wonder how come they’re like that. But that’s how they are. Hockey players have that bond. I talked in my last entry about the common experiences all hockey players have growing up. That’s the case whether they come from Western Canada, New England or Michigan. It seems to cut across economic lines too. Wealthy, poor, it doesn’t seem to matter. They’re hockey players.

People often ask how kids have changed over my many years as a coach. Today, they are more questioning and not as intimidated by authority. When I started, authority was authority and nobody questioned you. Now, it’s not like that. Even as a coach, you have to convince them, like a sales job, about your style of play and your system. It’s not just ‘because I said so.’ You have to give them rationale, and that’s fine. But once you explain it, they have to buy in. If they don’t buy in, then they must get out or everything will break down. That’s the real challenge in making a team, and it’s more of a challenge than in the past.

With the Internet, guys are obviously much more informed than before. A recruit used to come to campus for a visit and he knew nothing about us, only what I would tell him. But now he knows way more about us than I know about him. But I like it. If a guy expresses interest we tell him to get on the Web and do some research. If he likes what he sees, then we’ll talk. But if there is no interest, then we can cut out a lot of time and repetitive conversations.

The Summer
In the coming weeks, I’ll have a little more free time on my hands. I’ll try to spend as much of it with my three grandchildren, ages 12, 9, 5. They live right here in Lake Forest. If I don’t see them once a week, no if I don’t see them three times a week, then I miss them. I don’t mind helping my daughter and son-in-law one bit with those kids. In the summer, I’ll see them almost every day, pick them up from camp or take them to a practice or to the movies. It’s the No. 1 priority in my life and my greatest source of joy.

The only regret in my life is that I raised my family here while my parents were back in Saskatchewan, and they never really got to see my children grow up. I’m quite lucky because my daughter and her family and my son (who lives in Grayslake) are close by.

As many of you know, I’m an exercise fiend. Though I don’t run anymore, I mountain bike daily. I’m also just getting involved in a local charity called Equestrian Connections, which teaches handicapped children through horseback riding. I grew up with horses and love children, and this helps these kids build their bodies, improve balance and develop confidence.

At some point in the summer, Pat and I will make one of our regular trips out west. We love Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and the Canadian Rockies. When I’m in town, I’ll be at school almost every day, working on scheduling, buying equipment and from time to time updating the blog.

Welcome to The Fritz Files

2008-04-18T10:30:00.001-05:00

The Fritz Files

I want to welcome everyone to my blog. No, that is not a phrase I ever expected to be writing. But they tell me this will be a good way to interact with the “Friends of Lake Forest Hockey” and of getting reacquainted with some of you again. This will also give me an opportunity to talk about our efforts to raise money for the renovation of the Field House (The Rink). If this blog makes all of that possible, then I’m willing to try it. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

In the coming months, I look forward to sharing my thoughts about the past, present and future of the program, and hope I get to hear from you as well. Perhaps, this will even be a chance for former players to reconnect with one another.

Hockey players in general are a unique group because of the common experiences that bond them: the early mornings and late nights they have spent at the rink growing up, the long bus rides and the other sacrifices they all have made for the love of the game.

Each Forester player has arrived with this common thread, and their experiences here have only served to bring them closer together, like a family. Over my 30 years as the coach, I’ve watched as teammates have become each others’ best friends in life, they attend each other’s weddings and stay close for a long, long time.

The hockey program has always brought in players from more places and places farther away than any other sports program at the school; all over the U.S. and parts of Canada and we’ve even had Europeans on occasion. Many have settled in the Chicago area after their college days, and I see some of them often. Others are in different cities and can’t just come here for a weekend to watch a game. With families and demanding jobs, many have not been able to return to campus in years.

So, their memories of The Rink may not reflect the reality of what we’re now facing. The building is some 50 years old and has been used for hockey for 40 years. We have always had a good sheet of ice, but there are starting to be problems with the machinery that maintains the rink. The steel pipes under the rink and the compressors and chillers are starting to wear out. The machinery is nearing an end and it’s not a matter of if, but when it will wear out completely.

Those are just the structural problems that few people notice. Cosmetically, the building is showing its age. It has always been a big plus for recruiting to have an on-campus rink. But it can only enhance the program to have a revamped facility, with new locker rooms, seating and boards. When a prospective recruit walks in with his family and they see something that is new, clean and shiny, it’s a whole lot better than something that is old and worn out.

Many of the other schools we’re competing against for players have beautiful new rinks. We certainly don’t need to look far to see the positive effects of a new facility. Several Forester sports programs have benefited from the renovation of Farwell Field (completed in 2004), which added new turf and bleachers. That has changed the whole attitude of those programs. It’s something they can point to with pride.

The renovations will also be a benefit to the others who use The Rink like coach Carisa Zaban’s women’s hockey program and the students, who have access to it all day. We also rent out the facility to Lake Forest High School and local youth hockey programs. The income from that helps defray the day-to-day costs of running The Rink. Those electric bills are not cheap.

Season Re-cap

I’m proud of the effort my guys put in this past season, even though we only won three games. Of course, with just two seniors, we were less experienced than most of the teams we played against. Next year, we’ll return 6 of our top 7 scorers, including our top three point producers: Mike Kneeland (Jr), Peter Pfeffer (So) and Adam Love (So.). Junior goaltender Scott Campbell was a first-team all Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) selection and our Team MVP.

Next year, I think we have the potential to pull off one of the biggest turnarounds in a long time. I believe my guys are on board and are working hard in the offseason to get stronger. It will be important to get off to a good start because so much of success is about confidence.

We look forward to being more competitive in the NCHA in 2008-09, and are excited about our move to the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA) the following season. That league includes schools such as Adrian (Mich.), Lawrence (Appleton, Wis.), Marian (Fon du Lac, Wis.), Concordia (Milwaukee) and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. All the colleges in the conference are like-minded, private institutions and the proximity of the schools to Lake Forest will lessen travel costs and reduce the amount of time our players are away from campus.

From what I understand, it’s only a matter of time before the MCHA champion earns an automatic bid to the 10-team NCAA Tournament every year. We expect to compete for the conference title on a regular basis, and the renovations to The Rink will only help us toward that goal.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Let me know if there are any questions you’d like me to answer or memories you’d like me to share. Or, feel free to just say ‘hello’ and stay in touch.

Talk to you soon,

Coach