It is not easy being new to anything, let alone coaching.
But regardless of the challenges at hand, first-year Ohio coach Jonathon Sheridan was up to the task.
Despite an early 3-1 loss by the hand of Iowa State in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament on Saturday, Sheridan’s Bobcats turned in an impressive season filled with many memorable performances. But the success did not come easy as the players were forced to adapt to a new coach and a new style of play.
“Any time you have a new coach come in, it’s a tough adjustment,” junior defenseman Scott Fasano said. “I think it took us a little while to put our trust in Sheri’s system, but once we did, we had a lot of success on the ice.”
Sheridan started his Ohio coaching career last season as an assistant under former coach Dan Morris. Sheridan received the head coaching job before the 2013-14 season after Morris vacated the position, bringing a fresh outlook to a young team.
Much of Ohio’s success can be accredited to both Sheridan’s passion and his on-ice system, which requires an elevated brand of intensity and competition. According to junior defenseman Mike Kretz, Sheridan’s coaching style is similar to past coaches, so it made the coaching transition a little easier.
“I think he did really well for being a first-year coach,” Kretz said. “His systems were pretty similar to what we did in the past, so I think his success comes from his ability to get everyone on board and play well as a team.”
In addition to emphasizing team chemistry, Sheridan stresses puck possession and sound play in the offensive zone. As a result, the Bobcats offense scored 188 goals this season and was notorious for dominating in the shot department.
Nevertheless, a potent defense that allowed only 90 goals on the season sprouted from an offensive-style approach.
“Strong defense starts with a good offense,” Sheridan said. “I like to play in the other end of the rink. But when we are in the d-zone I want it to be sound and clean. I have some other things that I want to implement next year. But those are going to be a bit more difficult.”
Like any good coach, Sheridan did not reveal what those implementations may be. Regardless, he looks back on this season with some regrets but does not measure success on his own personal account.
“Looking back, there are obviously things I would have done differently and things I would change,” he said. “But I’m not going to dwell on those. I made mistakes. I will be the first to admit it, but I’m going to learn from those and be better. I would hope the players think I did a good job. Their opinion is the one that matters to me.”
And coming from one of the most influential players on the team, in graduating senior forward Brett Agnew, Sheridan did not disappoint.
“It’s not easy replacing Dan Morris after all those years, but I think he did a great job,” Agnew said. “He brought his own unique style of coaching to our team and worked hard for us. It was a learning curve for everybody this year, but no one doubted his passion and competitive attitude toward the game.”
@kelsey_surmacz4
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