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Antonovich named Raider head boys hockey coach
By Jason Groth
Grand Rapids Herald-Review
Published: Saturday, August 16, 2008 3:07 PM CDT
The Greenway Raider boys hockey team will have a new look behind the bench for the 2008-09 hockey season.

Greenway alum Jeff Antonovich was hired to be the new coach after the Raiders and Gary Gustason parted ways following the 2007-08 season.

“I’m very excited. I played hockey for Greenway and went to school at Greenway,” Antonovich said. “I’m very excited to be the head coach. I’ve been away for a long time and to come back and be a part of Greenway high school and the good tradition of high school hockey here, it will be really exciting.” Antonovich played for the Raiders from 1989-92 and continued his hockey career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before playing Major Juniors in college and playing professionally at the minor league level.

“We are excited to have Jeff on board. He has a great deal of hockey background. He played at Greenway and went on to play at a lot of different places and was a leader at a lot of different places,” Greenway Activities Director Tim Guyer said. “We are going to expect that leadership to continue and know that it will. We think he is going to do a nice job for us.”

The Greenway coaching job is Antonovich’s first head coaching job and says he is excited for 2008-09.

“I’m excited. It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be hard work,” Antonovich said. “I’m really looking forward to it and to come back from your high school that you graduated from and was so proud to play hockey for and to have an opportunity to be that coach is a big honor. I’m very excited and can’t wait to start.”

Antonovich will be taking over a tradition rich program that has made nine state tournament appearances with two state championships and a first place in the Tier II tournament as well. Their most recent trip to state came in 2001 where they finished third overall.

“It’s an honor. The guys from the past, the Bob Gernander, Pat Guyer, Bucky Orhn to all the guys that grew up playing together and played for each other and with Nels coaching the past few years, is an honor to be able to come back and be a part of that,” Antonovich said. “I’m really excited to get going. There are a lot of things going on right now but it’s very exciting.”

Assisting Antonovich will be Mike Dagel. Dagel played hockey for the Raiders and went on to play junior hockey as well. Also, on board is Bob Johnson who lives in Coleraine. Johnson was a goalie and will be helping. Antonovich says they will be adding another assistant down the road.

Antonovich’s playing experience should help him as he begins his first head coaching job he says.

“I have played for the last 15 years after juniors and I think it will help. I have had a lot of good coaches and a lot of bad coaches and I think you take from your experiences,” Antonovich said. “I think I have had some good experiences with coaches and I have had some bad ones. You take the good and try to put that together with your own new philosophies and your own ideas and try to come up with something that is going to work for the kids.”

Antonovich says fans can expect to see some different systems on the ice.

“There maybe some different systems then the kids are used to and it will take them awhile to get used to,” Antonovich said. “Incorporate some new stuff with a lot of the older stuff also-obviously, things have changed throughout the years and I’m going to try and incorporate some of that and give these kids the best chance to compete and win hockey games.”

Antonovich is familiar with this year’s crop of players at Greenway as he helped coach under Gustason two years ago at Greenway.

“I have coached a lot of these kids that are going to be seniors and juniors this year. There are a lot of good players and a lot of good athletes in that group,” Antonovich said. “I’m going to give them every opportunity to win and to compete. That’s the biggest thing, so they can compete and be successful.”

Antonovich says that familiarity with the players will help as he enters his first season as head coach with the Raiders.

“It’s really nice. It’s a big step to be a high school hockey coach. It’s a lot of responsibility and it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of communication with the kids and the families and I’m very excited to do that,” Antonovich said. “I’m learning a lot from ex coaches from Greenway right now and getting things together and getting things ready for this year. It’s going to be exciting and it’s going to be a new step for me.”

greenway1969 wrote:Let's hope that all the "wannabe" coaches give him a chance to develop the program. The 'wannabes' include those administrators who need to quit micromanaging.

greenway1969 wrote:I'm referring to the principal and AD.

greenway1969 wrote:Talked to some hockey parents and they are happy to see Jeff as the coach. He did a great job with the jv and instilled some discipline and pride according to the parents. Let's hope he can do the same with the high school players (which are some of the same kids).

greenraidway01 wrote:

greenway1969 wrote:Talked to some hockey parents and they are happy to see Jeff as the coach. He did a great job with the jv and instilled some discipline and pride according to the parents. Let's hope he can do the same with the high school players (which are some of the same kids).

He did'nt coach last year because he does'nt coach the way all the coaches after Guyer coach, all they did the last 4 or 5 years was swear and scream at the kids, they(kids) could'nt wait for the seasons to be over, heard the cheerleaders were even scared to go in the restroom between periods as it is right next to the locker room, hopefully things will change for the better. As far as the AD getting the job, he gets most of the job openings now, he better just stick to being the supts. boy toy, was'nt he the one that got rid of gusty, along with about 3 others, that might not have looked to good.