Hogan’s strategy shifts
By Kyle Bauer
Contributing Reporter
“It was a tough pill to swallow,” said Oakland University hockey coach Sean Hogan when
the
buzzer sounded, ending the 2008 American Collegiate Hockey Association
National Tournament run for the Golden Grizzlies, at the hands of the
Oklahoma Sooners.
But you can’t win them all, right? For Hogan, up until last year that cliché didn’t apply.
Since
Hogan took over as head coach in 2005, OU hadn’t lost a playoff game.
The team won back-to-back ACHA championships to open Hogan’s tenure.
Losing in the post season wasn’t a comfortable feeling for the coach.
Last
season’s performance lowered the standard for the program and was a big
disappointment for Hogan. As such, he has taken up new coaching
philosophies to raise the bar once again for the OU hockey program.
OU hockey has a championship tradition and Hogan wants to find a new way to get back on top.
The players can point to specific changes that Hogan is making to achieve that goal.
Sophomore
defensemen Collin Ronayne has noticed an attitude change in Hogan.
“There’s a big difference, a lot more dedication from him but also
everyone. He’s upped the pressure.”
Returning leading scorer Kevin Kranker emphasized that there have been major changes in Hogan’s demeanor.
“Hogan has been really gung-ho. He’s been really intense. He won’t let us beat ourselves,” Kranker said.
Prior
to this season, OU was able to rely on the top line to carry the load
offensively. That is one aspect that players and coaches alike see
changing, as Hogan plans on relying on his second and third lines now
more than any previous season.
Hogan believes that will be the biggest difference on the ice.
“In
the past, we relied on a handful of players to contribute. We are
trying to be more balanced up front, doing a lot of cycling in the
offensive zone, trying to get all five players on the ice involved,”
Hogan said.
Another returning top scorer, Jesse Worell, figures
that he’ll play a big part in scoring, but also that not one OU player
will necessarily dominate the highlight reel.
“There’s not going to be one big scorer this year. It’s going to be a team effort,” Worell said.
The
philosophical change offensively does have some reasoning behind it.
The Grizzlies have gotten the rap from many rival programs in the ACHA
that they had merely one or two star players and never a complete team.
Some believe that was why they were eliminated in the first round last
season and why they won’t return to prominence for quite some time.
This
theory is one Hogan is very aware of and he has used it to motivate
himself and his team to step up and prove the rest of the league wrong.
“We are highly motivated, the coaches and the veteran players. The
perception has always been we were a couple top-end players to carry us
and that’s it. We want to change that this season and do it by
returning to the finals.”
Hogan wants to return to the ACHA
finals simply because he’s used to winning championships. The same goes
for senior defensemen Jarrett Samp and Nick Ranck, forward John Parrish
and goalie Collin Chase, who were all there for the championship teams.
The OU hockey club has established a winning tradition and the players
want to get back to that level just as badly as Hogan.
“Three
championships in four years, it was the first thing that got my
attention when coming here,” said highly touted freshmen defensemen
Brian Jacobs.
It encapsulates what Hogan has already
accomplished in his time as head coach. With the increased dedication,
improved off-ice training, focus on a more balanced scoring attack and
the return of key veteran players, Hogan is working towards a greater
coaching accomplishment.
He has the ability to return this
young, hungry team to the ACHA finals. Maybe a year from now OU will be
able to raise a banner for a fourth championship in six years, and
Hogan will be able to sleep again at night.