Wasilla hires former Warrior hockey player to be head coach

Aug. 27, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - Bill Sturdevant is returning to his hockey roots.

Sturdevant, a 1994 graduate of Wasilla High School, was named the head coach of the Warrior hockey program this week.

Sturdevant is leaving his position as an assistant in the Colony hockey program to return to his alma matter.

&#8220I'm excited. This is a great opportunity,” Sturdevant said Friday. &#8220But it was certainly hard to make that decision. The kids are great, I like the school and I really enjoyed working with (Colony head coach) Dale Mattson.

Sturdevant replaces Eric Troisi, who resigned following the 2005-06 after four years with the program. The new head coach inherits a program resurrected by Troisi and his staff. Wasilla had struggled in the past, but in the last few years, the Warriors have established themselves as a North Star Conference power.

&#8220I have lofty shoes to fill. There are a lot of expectations for this team,” Sturdevant said. &#8220There is plenty of talent on that team, and we can do well. It's just a matter of putting all the right pieces in place.”

Wasilla assistant principal Dan Michael said Sturdevant clearly separated himself from the other candidates.

&#8220His knowledge of the game is tremendous,” Michael said.

Michael and his fellow administrators at WHS had watched the former Wasilla hockey standout establish himself as a coach in this area, and were impressed with the attributes he showed at both the youth and prep level. Michael said Sturdevant is highly regarded in the Mat-Su hockey community.

Schools normally favor luring teachers into the coaching positions, but despite the fact that Sturdevant is not a teacher, Michael said the new Wasilla coach showed tremendous attention to the academic side of student-athletics. Among the first questions Sturdevant asked related to academics and eligibility.

&#8220We have a lot of good kids. A lot of our kids are 4.0 kids,” Michael said. &#8220We want to keep that going.”

Sturdevant's value of academics parallels his demand for work ethic. He said his personal philosophies are centered around work ethic.

&#8220Hard work,” Sturdevant said. &#8220No amount of talent is going to get you by alone. Hard work will certainly be key for us. When I was a player, that's what I based myself on. Hard work, at both ends of the ice. Whether you're on the first line or the fourth line, kids are going to hear me repeat that over and over again.”

Sturdevant was a defenseman during his four-year career at WHS, and was converted to forward when he jumped to the junior level. Sturdevant gained experience at the next level in the British Columbia Hockey League, the North American Hockey League and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

In 1999, Sturdevant competed with the Anchorage Aces during their preseason training camp. He said the professional hockey team kept him around for a little while, but he was released in November of 1999. He said he thought about participating in the Aces' training camp the following year, but ultimately decided to pursue other opportunities. Those opportunities included coaching.

Sturdevant got his first taste of coaching as an assistant at Wasilla, before moving to Colony.

Sturdevant said he hopes the experience he earned at the junior level will help Wasilla players who have aspirations of taking the next step in hockey.

&#8220I certainly know what hockey is like after high school, and I know some of these kids have aspirations to pursue hockey after high school,” Sturdevant said. &#8220Any kid who aspires to do that, should try. I think the worst thing for anyone who can do it is not try, and look back and wonder, what if.”

The Sturdevant era is starting just weeks after Wasilla learned the school earned the right to host the Alaska School Activities Association state hockey tournament in

February.

&#8220It's very exciting,” Sturdevant said. &#8220As the host school, it's certainly the goal to be in the tournament.”

Wasilla drops the puck on the 2006-07 as a part of the Valley Hockey Challenge tournament at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena on Nov. 8.

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