Marty Will of Homewood was named Coach of the Year by the Northwest Hockey League in February. Will coaches the Squirts team within the seven-team HF Vikings hockey club.
Marty Will of Homewood was named Coach of the Year by the Northwest Hockey League in February.
of the Year by the Northwest
Hockey League.
(Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
Will coaches the Squirts team within the seven-team HF Vikings hockey club. His son, Jackson, plays on the 9- and 10-year-old team.
A native of Texas, Will learned to skate as an adult. He said staff at the H-F Ice Arena encouraged him to try coaching five years ago.
“I believe in team play. We have a collection of really good skaters, but we don’t rely on one or two players. I try to get the kids to buy into a team concept,” Will said.
“A lot of times when kids are younger, some kids will take over the game. As they get older the game changes, but I try to instill that in a younger age so that the kids learn how to play together.
“Everybody on the team has a role that’s important and if we all do our part we usually come out on top,” he said and applauded his assistant coaches Ed Nesko, Brendan Farmer and Kyle Farmer, and the parents.
“Everyone puts in a lot of time and effort and work to help all the kids, not just the one you drive to the rink,” he noted.
