UConn men's ice hockey coach featured at Valley hockey camp

Aug. 15, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - It's not often that young skaters in the Mat-Su Valley get the chance to take the ice with a Division I hockey coach. For the last eight years, Eric Troisi has been trying to give local players that chance.

In years past, Troisi has lured friend Paul Pearl, the head coach of a Holy Cross team that finished as one of the top eight teams in college hockey last season. This year Troisi, a former college hockey player at Alaska Anchorage, brought University of Connecticut head coach Bruce Marshall to Wasilla for a five-day camp.

As both a youth and high school coach in the Valley for the past 16 years, Troisi knows a Division I hockey coach is a unique attraction for this area.

&#8220If you brought in the coach of a final eight football or basketball team, people would be beating the door down,” Troisi said.

In 17 seasons at his alma matter, Marshall has led the UConn hockey program to more than 250 wins. He also coaches youth select teams for USA Hockey's Olympic Development Program.

Marshall said the beauty of camps like Troisi's Summer Elite Hockey Camp, is the potential for players to another perspective.

&#8220To get different coaching is great,” Marshall said just before he took the ice at the Brett Memorial Ice Arena with a group of players from the mite and squirt level. &#8220to get coaching from people who do it for a livelihood.”

Marshall said much of what he preaches would be similar to other coaches - fundamentals - but that's what's important.

&#8220Overall skills stuff - that's the big thing,” he said. &#8220Make sure you're working on the individual skills. You kind of reiterate, probably, what their other coaches are saying. But now someone else comes in says it.”

Troisi separates the Summer Elite Camp into three levels, with the mites and squirts in one group, the pee wees and bantam in the second group, and a third group consisting of the high school and junior players.

Troisi and Marshall each said they cater the instruction specific to each age group.

&#8220The younger kids its more fundamentals - small games, make sure they're touching the puck a lot passing the puck a lot,” Marshall said. &#8220The older kids you have to reiterate more of the technique. Then you have to push them to do it, get them out of their comfort zone.”

Each group met on five consecutive days, with both dry land training and time on the ice.

The camp coaching staff also included a trio of Colony products who are now skating at the college level.

Nathan Schwartzbauer is a senior defenseman at Division I Bemidji State University, Jake Luthi is a senior defenseman at Rensselaer Polytechnic and Seth Reda is a sophomore forward at Division III Wisconsin-Superior.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.