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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Skating on charitable ice
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
A trio of St. Cloud State University ice hockey student-athletes spent nearly as much time behind the bench as they did on the ice this past season, helping coach an adapted floor hockey team to a high school state championship.
Andrew Gordon, Grant Clafton and Marty Mjelleli served as assistant coaches for the St. Cloud Area Slapshots, who, after losing the first game of the year, streaked to 14 straight victories and the 2007 Minnesota State High School League championship in the cognitively impaired division.
It was the first title in six appearances in the state tournament by the squad of seventh through 12th graders.
The St. Cloud State players learned of the coaching opportunity in part through hockey program office manager Therese Todd. Her son, Patrick, is a member of the Slapshots. Gordon, now a junior, also had acquired his first taste of adapted floor hockey a year earlier when he attended a playoff game.
“The kids were working so hard, just playing hockey,” he said. “The vibe and energy was just something else. I thought with the spare time we have at school, if we could help a couple hours a week, no harm could come of it.”
Ultimately, it turned into far more than just a couple hours a week. The student-athletes reached out to Slapshots head coach Michael Bakken, who welcomed their assistance. Unless they were traveling with the Huskies, Gordon, Clafton and Mjelleli attended practice every Monday through Thursday and were on the bench for each home game. They also invited the Slapshots to Huskies games — and almost the entire St. Cloud State ice hockey squad turned out for the Slapshots’ first home game.
“Obviously, as Division I hockey players, they could have been doing other things, but it was neat that they donated their time to help us out,” said Bakken. He also said the St. Cloud State players not only helped with drills during practice, but also offered advice specific to their own positions.
The benefits of the interaction between the two teams certainly weren’t one-sided. “It’s come full circle,” said Mjelleli. “So far in our careers people have been teaching us, and it felt like by extending our hand, it helped that loop close.”
Gordon said working with the Slapshots and seeing some of the disabilities the players managed made him more thankful. “After working with the kids for so long, nothing else seemed to matter. I cared a little bit less, but in a positive way,” he said.
The Slapshots posted an 8-5 victory over Maple Grove (Minnesota) to claim the state title on the same day St. Cloud State was eliminated from the Western Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Gordon said he went from an extreme low to fist pumping and high-fiving his teammates when he heard the news of the Slapshots’ success.
“What was so awesome was that you look at teams trying to win the Stanley Cup, an NCAA title or an Olympic medal and the task means the world to that group of individuals,” he said. “To some people, the adapted floor hockey state championship is not a big deal, but that’s all we lived for two weeks. The emotion and desire to be a champion never leaves anyone in any situation in life.”
Certainly the trio must have earned their fair share of “standing O’s” after helping the Huskies skate to an impressive 22-11-7 overall record during the season and a berth in the NCAA Division I East regional, but none could have been sweeter than the one they received from players, parents, coaches and administrators at the Slapshots’ year-end banquet.
Although Gordon didn’t anticipate the deep, close-knit bond he and the other assistant coaches developed with the Slapshots, it’s something he cherishes now. “I’d hoped to build a connection. I wanted to be able to say if you need anything, let me know. It grew well past that,” he said. “It means a lot to me that I wasn’t just their coach. I was a friend.”
Looking ahead to next season, Clafton, who graduated and is now playing with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, and Gordon, who signed a contract with the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals, will be closely tracking the Slapshots’ progress from long distance.
However, Mjelleli, a junior marketing and communications major, is planning to be back on the bench and predicts another successful season.
“We have to defend our title,” he said. “We are going to be really good again.”
Andrew Gordon, Grant Clafton and Marty Mjelleli served as assistant coaches for the St. Cloud Area Slapshots, who, after losing the first game of the year, streaked to 14 straight victories and the 2007 Minnesota State High School League championship in the cognitively impaired division.
It was the first title in six appearances in the state tournament by the squad of seventh through 12th graders.
The St. Cloud State players learned of the coaching opportunity in part through hockey program office manager Therese Todd. Her son, Patrick, is a member of the Slapshots. Gordon, now a junior, also had acquired his first taste of adapted floor hockey a year earlier when he attended a playoff game.
“The kids were working so hard, just playing hockey,” he said. “The vibe and energy was just something else. I thought with the spare time we have at school, if we could help a couple hours a week, no harm could come of it.”
Ultimately, it turned into far more than just a couple hours a week. The student-athletes reached out to Slapshots head coach Michael Bakken, who welcomed their assistance. Unless they were traveling with the Huskies, Gordon, Clafton and Mjelleli attended practice every Monday through Thursday and were on the bench for each home game. They also invited the Slapshots to Huskies games — and almost the entire St. Cloud State ice hockey squad turned out for the Slapshots’ first home game.
“Obviously, as Division I hockey players, they could have been doing other things, but it was neat that they donated their time to help us out,” said Bakken. He also said the St. Cloud State players not only helped with drills during practice, but also offered advice specific to their own positions.
The benefits of the interaction between the two teams certainly weren’t one-sided. “It’s come full circle,” said Mjelleli. “So far in our careers people have been teaching us, and it felt like by extending our hand, it helped that loop close.”
Gordon said working with the Slapshots and seeing some of the disabilities the players managed made him more thankful. “After working with the kids for so long, nothing else seemed to matter. I cared a little bit less, but in a positive way,” he said.
The Slapshots posted an 8-5 victory over Maple Grove (Minnesota) to claim the state title on the same day St. Cloud State was eliminated from the Western Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Gordon said he went from an extreme low to fist pumping and high-fiving his teammates when he heard the news of the Slapshots’ success.
“What was so awesome was that you look at teams trying to win the Stanley Cup, an NCAA title or an Olympic medal and the task means the world to that group of individuals,” he said. “To some people, the adapted floor hockey state championship is not a big deal, but that’s all we lived for two weeks. The emotion and desire to be a champion never leaves anyone in any situation in life.”
Certainly the trio must have earned their fair share of “standing O’s” after helping the Huskies skate to an impressive 22-11-7 overall record during the season and a berth in the NCAA Division I East regional, but none could have been sweeter than the one they received from players, parents, coaches and administrators at the Slapshots’ year-end banquet.
Although Gordon didn’t anticipate the deep, close-knit bond he and the other assistant coaches developed with the Slapshots, it’s something he cherishes now. “I’d hoped to build a connection. I wanted to be able to say if you need anything, let me know. It grew well past that,” he said. “It means a lot to me that I wasn’t just their coach. I was a friend.”
Looking ahead to next season, Clafton, who graduated and is now playing with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, and Gordon, who signed a contract with the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals, will be closely tracking the Slapshots’ progress from long distance.
However, Mjelleli, a junior marketing and communications major, is planning to be back on the bench and predicts another successful season.
“We have to defend our title,” he said. “We are going to be really good again.”
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