Meet Brew City Blades' 2009/2010 Coaches | Metro Milwaukee Women's Hockey

September 25, 2009 Meet Brew City Blades' 2009/2010 Coaches

Meet your 2009/2010 Brew City Blades Coaches

A Team

Mike Dziuk

I have been playing hockey since I was about 8 years old. I am from Eau Claire and played all the way through High School. After High School I was going to play College Hockey, but the hockey program was disbanded right before my freshman year. I than tried out for and made a team called the Chippewa Valley Blades. We consisted mostly of recent high school graduates along with college graduates who played college hockey. We played mostly in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. I have coached hockey from the squirt to the High School level and have helped out at various hockey camps. This will be my second year coaching with the Brew City Blades. Without getting into a lot of detail, my coaching philosophy would be the following: constant movement with or without the puck when we have control of the puck, hard constant pressure on the puck when we are defending, continued improvement in players individual skills, continued improvement in team play, and above all else HAVE FUN!!!

C Team

Jake Groethe

I started playing organized hockey at the age of 6 and played every year until I graduated from high school. I currently play in an old men's league based in Hartland. I'm still a dedicated pond hockey player and I skate on local lakes and detention ponds every chance I get if the ice is good. This will be my second year coaching women's hockey. Philosophically, I believe that developing a good "hockey sense" is the most important part of the game. By hockey sense, I mean the ability to accurately predict how various situations will unfold on the ice. Of course, to best exploit opportunities gained by a good hockey sense, all players will need to have strong fundamental skills as well... Oh yeah, and in case folks haven't noticed yet, I'm a huge proponent of continuously developing/progressing individual skating skills!

Andy Highby

Where I grew up in rural Minnesota, there wasn't enough interest in our area to field a hockey team. Instead, I was raised in a thriving basketball community. I've been skating in organized hockey for over seven years, and I was able to carry over many of the concepts I learned from competitive basketball into my hockey game. Spacing; aggressive and cramping defense; ball movement; closing passing lanes; quick decisions and instincts; consistency. Practicing these fundamentals, working as a team, and executing in game-time situations leads to thorough enjoyment and satisfaction of the game. I'm excited to preach these principals and try to compliment coach Jake's style this season.