8/13/2019 Thomas Officially Inducted in as New Hockey Coach

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thenorthernlight.org http://www.thenorthernlight.org/2013/07/10/1898

New hockey coach Matt Thomas taking q uestions ab out his

new position at a press co nference Wedne sday. Photo b y

Tim Brown

Thomas McIntyre

Thomas officially inducted in as new hockey coach

Matt Tho mas was f ormally introduced as t he new hockey

coach at a press conf erence Tuesday af ternoon. During

the brief event, he f ielded questions and set t he tone f or 

what’s to come.

Interim athletic directo r, Tim McDif f ett , opened the press

conf erence with a prepared statement. He spoke like a

man who’s certain the program’s drama is in the past .

“It’s no secret that we’ve been through a lot in recent

weeks,” said McDif f ett . “And with Matt (T homas) here

today, we are of f icially turning the page to what we think

is going to be a bright f uture f or Seawolf hockey.”

McDiff ett also ran down some of the reasons Thomas

was chosen.

For one, T homas has a proven background. And as so lid

as his coaching pedigree is, McDif f ett praised him f or 

being a better human.

McDif f ett was a bit glib, not ing that st udent athletes would enjoy playing for T homas, while he hopes

opponents feel just the opposite.

Last ly – and perhaps mos t importantly – McDif f ett thinks Thomas can act as a positive branch to the alumni,boosters, and fans. Bringing harmony among all of those sectors hasn’t been done properly in recent years.

Thomas made one thing clear during his t ime at the microphone: he wants to win.

“The expectations f rom myself , the staf f , the players, and the program are going to be high,” said Thomas.

This was a chance f or T homas to bargain f or a grace period. He could have told us how much work needs to

be done to t urn the team around. He could have asked f or pat ience.

Instead, he emphasized that his immediate goal is to win.

Thomas doesn’t look at the situation as an extended rebuilding project. He’s aiming to kick his tenure of f witha plus .500 season. He said he’s never been a part o f a los ing campaign, and is determined to keep it that way

To do t his, one must have a plan. And according to T homas, he does.

He hasn’t been able to meet most of the current ros ter. He thinks it’s important that he takes care of 

everything on his end first before starting that phase. But when that time comes, he says he has a plan for 

how it will go down.

 Addressing what it takes to stabilize a program going through so much change, T homas said – that ’s r ight –

he has a plan.

8/13/2019 Thomas Officially Inducted in as New Hockey Coach

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Details about these plans were scarce, but Thomas did reveal how he’ll utilize a team full of players he f eels

are hard workers.

“What I can do is come in and maybe refo cus their energy into an area that’s go ing to help us have some

success right away,” said Thomas.

Surprisingly, Thomas’ opt imism grew af ter doing his homework and evaluating a portion of the club’s 2012-13

season.

“I don’t t hink there’s a huge step to t ake; I think there’s an important st ep to take,” said Thomas.

It may be a somewhat vague assertion, but it’s not a shy one. Thomas believes these players are one crucial

step away f rom being winners, and he’s conf ident he’s the man who can help them take it.

The entire press conference can be viewed on GoSeawolves.com.