The name of the head coach has changed, but Tom Copeland expects the game to stay more or less the same.Copeland was selected June 7 by the Estevan Minor Hockey Association to coach its midget AA team for the 2010-11 season."I don't have any particular problems with the way the program has been run in the past," said Copeland. "They'd mentioned it to me last year when they were looking but I just didn't have the time it's just a way I can give back to my community."I enjoy coaching and for some reason the kids seem to like playing for me."Copeland was the head coach last year for the Estevan Blazers midget AAA baseball team and is an assistant this year with the Southeast Royals AAA ball club. He has also coached the Bienfait Coalers of the Big Six Hockey League for the past two seasons, leading them to the league final in 2009-10.Kyle Garagan, Scott Nichol, and Devin Carrington will round out Copeland's coaching staff. Garagan and Nichol will join Copeland on the bench while Carrington will be charged with watching and evaluating games from the stands."We fully anticipate running a team that's run with a very professional type of atmosphere," said Copeland. "Kids will be held accountable for their actions similar to how I coach anywhere. We'll play a very aggressive system and practices will be very structured and to the point."Accountability is the operative word in Copeland's mind, and that goes for players and coach."I wasn't around the team last year but I read some things in the paper about the discipline level at the midget level and that's something I am also going to address," he said."Then obviously there have been some problems with referees and coaches in Estevan, and I've come to develop pretty good relationships with some of the higher-level refs. They've made it so we as AA coaches have to take the officiating clinic too so hopefully we can provide a role model for the rest of Estevan minor hockey as to how you should treat your referees."Copeland will be the team's third head coach in three seasons."I don't think we're walking away from it any time soon and I think through my assistant coaches, I think we're developing some guys who can provide coaches to minor hockey in years to come," he said.
