A Decade of excellence West Seneca East Varsity Men s Ice Hockey 2017-2018
Season Objectives: o To demonstrate excellent character, leadership and sportsmanship. o To build life skills develop responsibility, teach self-respect, encourage honest effort, strive for perfection, develop character and commitment. o To promote "Positive Shared Experiences" amongst teammates and coaches. o To assist in the development of players for local and collegiate level teams. o To adhere to district, school, program and personal standards and regulations. o 2017-2018 will be a year to add to the legacy of Trojan Hockey. Last year we finally achieved our goal of winning a Section VI Championship, and cemented our success as traditionally one of the strongest programs in the state, and we aim to build on those successes yet again. o Our goal is to win the Section 6 Championship for a 2 nd straight season. Team: Section: League: Colors: Mascot: West Seneca.East Varsity Men s Ice Hockey Section VI WNY Varsity Hockey Federation Green and Gold Trojans Head Coach: Philip R. Prynn Phone: (716) 510-3666 Asst. Coach: Chad Loughran Phone: (716) 444-1664 Asst. Coach: Michael Loughran Phone: (716) 698-9674 Interim Principal: Jason Winnicki Athletic Dir. Vincent Dell Oso Phone: (716) 677-3144 Trainer: Kip Palmeter Phone: (716) 289-2804 Home Rink: West Seneca Ice Rink 1250 Union Road West Seneca New York, 14224 Game Locations: Ebersole Ice Rink, Buffalo State Ice Arena, Hockey OutletHARBORCenter, Northtown Center, Hyde Park Ice Pavilion, West Seneca Ice Rink.
West Seneca East Varsity Men s Ice Hockey Player Expectations: BE THERE! Attendance is crucial for player and team development. If a player knows they will be missing a practice or game, let the coach know ASAP. Failure to be at practice the day before a game, that player will not play in that game. At all times please keep your coaches informed. Letting other teammates know instead of the coach is unacceptable. We understand that sickness occurs. No player will be penalized if he is legitimately sick. Abusing this excuse will not be tolerated. Practice rink: West Seneca Ice rink 1250 Union Road West Seneca, New York, 14224. BE PURPOSEFUL! We expect that the goal of each player is to improve individual and team skills as much as possible. BE SUPPORTIVE! We believe that teamwork is critical to our success. Encouragement and support are vital in developing teamwork. Ice Hockey is a team sport, play like a team every time you step in the ice, practice or game!! BE COACHABLE! We have coaches that have a passion for ice hockey and for young athletes. Be willing and open to their suggestions on how to improve. BE RESPONSIBLE! From arriving on time, remembering uniforms and equipment, behaving appropriately at venues, to communicating with coaches and players about conflicts, do your best to do what is expected. BE COMPETITIVE! We believe competition challenges us to grow. Our goal is to try and meet the challenges we face in competition and through this process grow as individuals and teams. NO EXCUSES! Your school work always comes first. I will be in contact with your teachers, avoid any negative comments from them to me or any other coach.
Team Rules: If a player is not in school for 2 blocks he may not participate in practice and/or game that day. If an absence does occur on a Friday before a Saturday/Sunday game, the player cannot participate (unless a doctor s note is given). This is a state regulation, no exceptions. Also, any day you are unprepared or miss physical education you cannot participate in a game or practice. All players are expected to be at practice on time and ready to participate, unless you contact one of the coaches with a legitimate excuse prior to occurrence. If repeated tardiness or absence from practice occurs, possible consequences include sitting periods, games, or dismissal from team. Appendix C - Academic Eligibility Policy: See handout for full revised policy Play hard and fair every time you step on the ice, practice or game! Respect your coach s decisions. If you have questions, discuss in private. 24 Hour rule: Hockey is an emotional game. Discussions regarding coaching decisions will not occur before a 24 hour time period has elapsed, and will be handled between the player(s) and coach(es) involved only. Do not do anything to embarrass or draw negative attention to this team on or off the ice. Social media Policy o Social media is a powerful tool. When using social media of any type, do not use the full name of any player, coach, or league official. o Do not use social media for ANYTHING negative or controversial. This type of behavior will have a ZERO-TOLERANCE policy with dismissal from team as a possible consequence. o If you are going to reference anything hockey or school related, do so in a positive manner as if your coaches, parents, and teammates are listening/reading. This is a very important matter. Players must travel on the team bus to and from all games, no exceptions! Dress Code o Players must wear khakis or dress slacks, button down dress shirts, ties, sport coats, or winter coats to AND FROM all games. No polos, sneakers, jeans, cargo pockets, hats, or hoodies. o Players will leave the rink dressed exactly the same way they walked in. No hats are to be worn while walking into a rink from the bus. Approved Trojan Hockey hats may be worn while warming up, and may be worn out of the rink after a win. Our team will exude a clean-cut, respectful, and professional image at all times. This starts from the time we board our bus, or arrive at the rink for home games. Players in violation of the team dress code will be verbally warned. Repeated violations will result in not dressing for the game.
Practices Tryouts are 11/6-5:00am WS Town Rink 11/7-6:00am East Sr. Gym 11/8-5:00am WS Town Rink 11/9-6:00am East Sr. Gym 11/10-5:00am WS Town Rink We will practice every day. All practices are considered mandatory. We will have on-ice practices 2-3 mornings per week. Attendance is crucial. o Morning practices are from 5:00am-7:00am o Players should arrive at the rink by 4:45am in order to give themselves enough time to be dressed and ready by 5:00am for early on-ice skills/systems work, or a brief pre-practice meeting to go over the practice plan. Any player not on the ice by 5:10am is considered late to practice. PP/PK will sometimes work from 5:10-5:20 before team practice starts. If you are one of these players, expect to work on-ice before full team practice begins. All players are expected to be on-ice NO LATER than 5:10am. Team practice will conclude at 6:30, and those wishing to work on specific skills may remain on the ice. On non-ice days, we will work-out, review video, or whiteboard/systems at the high school from 2:45-4:30, either in the gym, or weight room. Attendance is mandatory. o Expect to practice hard and smart every day.
Practice Players o The Federation team will have a practice squad. In the event of injuries, suspensions, or player improvement, or upon merit, players from the practice squad will be called up and dressed for federation games. If a player doesn t make the full-time varsity line-up, he may be considered for the practice squad. Players selected for practice squad will be expected to be at any and all federation team practices, as your presence helps you develop, and assists us with comprehensive practice plans. Practice Squad players must be in good standing with the T.H.A. Varsity and/or J.V. Club team, and act as leaders on the ice when playing at the club level. Since practice squad players are technically on the federation roster, they may be called up or asked to dress for a federation game at any time on short notice.so practice hard, improve, know what is expected of you, and BE READY! All federation rules and policies apply to players on the practice squad. Practice squad players should be at all practices and are encouraged to travel with the team and attend any federation games they can. Parent Expectations: Parents are expected to display good sportsmanship at all times. Coaches should coach. Parents should not yell instructions during the game or a practice. Parents should support the coach in every way possible. Many times during the course of a season, spectators will question officials, shout instructions to players or contradict the coach because they are unaware of the rules or have only a basic understanding of the sport of hockey. This can be a strain to the coach/parent relationship. We would like to interact with the student-athletes as much as possible, and would like to handle situations with them. This helps them mature, understand the coaching staff, and develop into responsible young men. Therefore, we ask that parents be passive when it comes to questions, and please place the onus on your sons to approach the coaches with any concerns or questions they might have.
Coaches Message The last 5 seasons we have enjoyed great success as a program. In 2014 we were ranked as high as #2 in New York State before falling early in the playoffs. In 2014-2015 we matched 2013-2014 s win total (12). Many of our graduates from these teams have gone on to play Junior hockey, or Collegiate hockey. During the summer of 2016, we also took control and totally re-vamped our club hockey program. With a new name (Trojan Hockey Association), new coaches, and playing in a new league, we began growing our program from the ground up. The foundation was set, the core was in place, and we all improved upon last year s successes. At the start of last season I said I believed that we were ready to contend for a title.and we were. The 2016-2017 Trojans became the 1 st team in School history to win the Section VI Federation Championship. And make no mistake about it, our goal is to win the Section 6 Championship again this season. This will be the toughest year yet, as every team in the league now knows what we re made of, and they re all circling us on their calendars. We need to be ready to defend the ship I am honored to be the head coach of the team that I played on all 4 of my high school years when I was a student at East. Tryouts are going to be tough, we aren t going to carry as many players as we did last season, and we, as a coaching staff, will have plenty of tough decisions. Don t take anything for granted. Don t assume anything based on last year, or any year. There are areas that even our best teams from years past needed to improve, and we intend on improving them every day. The players that make this team will be asked to work extremely hard in the classroom, on the ice, and in the weight room, and in the gymnasium to improve themselves every day. There will be no automatics, no gimmees, and no shortcuts. I believe in 3 cornerstones for success. Structure, Discipline, and Love. Structure. Our program will follow a structure that resembles a top-tier ice hockey program. Most Major-Junior A, NCAA, and professional hockey programs follow similar structures including player meetings, routines, pre-practice agendas, off-ice workouts, classroom/video learning sessions, and team events. Our program will be structured similarly. Discipline. The most successful hockey programs aren t always the most talented. They are the most disciplined. A team with moderate talent will appear as a supremely talented team if the players are disciplined. Not just during games, but in practice when nobody s keeping score. That s where championships are won. That s where players improve. The bridge between your hockey goals and hockey success, is discipline. Love. To play the game is good. To win, is better, but to love the game is best of all. To love the game means dedication to your constant improvement, and to making the players on the ice with you better. Love the game, and love your teammates. You all are doing battle together, and there is nothing more rewarding as a coach is to see a team come together for the greater good. The whole must be greater than the sum of its parts. The only way to achieve that is to love the game.last year we took our program to unprecedented territory. I hope you all are ready to raise the bar to even greater heights. I know I am. Coach Prynn