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“A special note from the coach:”
Thank you for visiting the Brebeuf Jesuit Hockey website. It is with a measured blend of pride, privilege and honour that I welcome everyone to the 20th season of Brebeuf Jesuit Hockey. As most of my players - past and present - will tell you I am never lacking in the tried and true well-worn clichés for just about any pre or post game talk. So when I say I “where has the time gone”? or “it just seems like yesterday that I was being introduced to the parents and players of the first team back in 1989” it really hits home in a very profound way to think about all that this hockey program has accomplished in twenty years.
It has been a pleasure to have worked with so many dedicated parents. As I write this it is difficult to not wander down a variety of paths that all speak to the efforts of the countless moms and dads for whom without their support, commitment and faith in what this hockey program stands for there would not have been the years and years of continued success we have experienced.
I have been truly blessed to have worked over the years with excellent hockey coaches that provided guidance, insights and knowledge of the game to not only our players but to me as well. They along with myself have been fortunate to be a hockey coach and in doing so have had an opportunity to give something back to this great game.
Cliché time again … all players know this one “you play for the name on the front of your jersey, not the one on the back” … Without that name we would not be here today. The acceptance of this team by the Brebeuf Jesuit Athletic Department and school as a whole has made all the difference in the world to me right from the start. Not being an ISHSAA sanctioned sport has not deterred Brebeuf Jesuit from recognizing the dedication and commitment in which our players have represented the school. By awarding that effort year after year with Varsity letters and including our team in regular athletic department events Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School has helped to foster and maintain a great relationship between the hockey players, the parents, the coaches and the entire school that by my estimation is extremely rare within Indiana high school club sports.
I take one last moment here to focus on the players. To all of you who endured the 5:30am practices; who worked hard and long to improve their skills, who gave up Friday and Saturday nights from September to March, who endured at least one or two of my infamous “chats” after a less than spectacular performance (true I have mellowed somewhat since those early years – or at least that is what various alumni who visit during the season from time to time tell me!), who combined athleticism with academic excellence, who wore the Maroon and Gold with pride … I say THANK YOU! For it is you that helped keep the game fun for me. It is you who helped me stay young at heart. And it is you to whom I look forward to seeing at every alumni game and from whom I get my most treasured memories of our time together – the good, the not so good and most importantly the joy that only spending time together with individuals bonded by a common thread of commitment, effort and a love for the game of hockey can share as a team. – Thank you!
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2008-09 Season
The 2008-09 season offers many challenges as the Brebeuf Jesuit Braves hockey team roster has more new and younger faces on it than we are used to seeing in recent years. As all teams deal with the reality of graduating seniors and the associated loss of size, skill and experience so to do we have to adjust to a different group. The key for our team this year will be how willing each player is to giving his best effort every time he steps on the ice whether it is a practice or game. I have communicated my expectations with respect to the importance of a consistently improving effort to the whole team. The difficulty here is that all of our players are at different levels of awareness to the issue of giving their best effort. As the season progresses I am confident that our younger players will learn from their early experiences how to match their efforts to my expectations. A considerable effort will also have to come from our upperclassmen in regards to their commitment to setting the correct examples for the newer players.
Here is the 2008-09 roster:
Our senior class is well suited to take a strong leadership role as most of them have been with the varsity program for their entire high school hockey career. With that experience comes a responsibility to take every advantage they can to assist our younger players in their development. Our senior’s commitment to this task is a huge one and their success will be seen in our team’s continued improvement throughout the season. Our seniors are led by team captain Elliott Trosky (defense), and his two assistant captains; Andru Creighton (defense) and Ben Grande (forward). Forwards Mike Robbins, Marc Goldsticker and University High School senior Daniel Warshauer round out the remaining seniors.
Forwards Stuart Bosserman and Jason Ort fill out the junior class. Our sophomore class has a blend of returning players and players new to the varsity level. On defense are Corben Sherlock and Oliver Henderson – both played varsity as freshmen last season. The lone returning sophomore forward is Chip Challis. Our new sophomore on defense is Andrew Demaree. The new sophomore forwards are Sam Cohn, Hunter Dyar, Joey Hinkebein and Phillip French (Phillip will also see time on the blue line). In goal Harrison Wagner returns from a very successful freshman year. Our two freshmen are forward Andrew Marchesani and goalie Jackson Hammond.
Once again I am very fortunate to be joined by extremely dedicated and knowledgeable assistant coaches - Fritz Steck and our goalie coach Mike Schallert (Mike Hutchings has stepped away as a fulltime assistant to spend more time on his new business, but will be helping throughout the season as his schedule allows). As stated above the challenge for this year’s coaching staff will be to balance our needs to develop and improve fundamental skills in each of our players as well as ensuring that our expectations for consistent effort in all areas of the game are met. If there is a commitment from each and every player to consciously give his best in practice and games we will steadily improve and ultimately we will be successful.
As it has been part of the principles of Brebeuf Jesuit hockey since day one, this team will be no different in how they represent the school on and off the ice - with class and good sportsmanship.
I would like to congratulate the 2007-08 Brebeuf Jesuit Braves hockey team for winning their 5th Henry G Schallert Team Academic Award. Our emphasis on maintaining a balanced commitment to athletic and academic effort has not changed and I fully expect us to be in the running again this year. This award is presented to the ISHSHA team with the highest overall GPA and like all aspects of Brebeuf Jesuit Hockey it focuses on the importance of teamwork.
To say that this season will be challenging for players and coaches alike is an understatement. However, without the challenges there would be no opportunities to learn and grow. I am very confident that each and every one of us is up to the challenge before us and will meet it with strength within and pride throughout. GO BRAVES!!!
From: Head Varsity Coach Don Perkins
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