Coast to Coast profiles a Michigan High-School program that some, but not all, followers of Michigan High School hockey may know. This week: Pinckney. Hockey Weekly talked to head coach Mike Kroll about commitment, discipline, family and more.
 
Hockey Weekly: Talk about how you began your career as Pinckney’s coach.
Mike Kroll: I started as Varsity coach in 2006, and we had our first-ever winning season for the program. It was just above .500, but it was still a great accomplishment. We had a lot of seniors that season, so it was a bit of a rebuilding year after that. We’ve done some different things that hadn’t been done with the program before I arrived.
 
HW: What are some examples of the things you have done since you became head coach?
Kroll: We instituted road trips and some team activities; we wanted to create a true Varsity hockey experience for the players that was not here before I became coach. We weeded out some of the players who wanted to show up and just be on the ice. We got deeper because the kids who really wanted to play hockey were trying out for the team. We’ve had to make cuts for the last four years now.
 
HW: What is the kids’ understanding of what the program expects of them?
Kroll: Our players know that playing in our program is a year-round commitment. It’s not as intense as the four-month winter season, but they know that it’s a full-time commitment. If they want to play in the winter, they have to show me they are interested in being involved year-round for Pinckney. It’s taken the commitment with the players who really want to play that make this program successful because they strive for excellence.
 
HW: Your program has recently advanced somewhat deep into the playoffs…
Kroll: We made it to the regional finals in 2009. We lost that game, but it was a great experience. There are players on the team who played that season who want to get beyond that stage. We finished 16-8 the last two seasons in a row, so we’re on the right track. We had a great Senior Night this year with an overtime win against Divine Child at home. The program is moving steadily upward.
 
HW: You mentioned the Prep team, how has it helped make the program better?
Kroll: The Prep team started the year before I joined, and we had 17 players on the team during my first year as coach. It’s a feeder program to the Varsity. You can’t take everybody, and there are players who may not make the Varsity until their senior year. If they work hard and have a good attitude on and off the ice - if they are committed - I’ll bring them aboard the Varsity. I watch the Prep games and practices and it takes up a lot of my time because I want the programs to do well. Players who play in hockey associations and who go to \Pinckney High School who want to play for the Varsity, pretty much know they have to start with the Prep team.
 
HW: What else can you say about your program?
Kroll: We are a disciplined hockey team. That was a bit of a change for some of the players I started with in 2006. The players know if they are not disciplined, they are not going to play, because it makes the program look bad. I consider it privilege to be a part of the Varsity program, and I am very demanding. However, every player that has left this program has had fun. The seniors who have graduated have always told the players on the team that it’s the most fun they have ever had. They tell the underclassmen to push themselves every shift they are on the ice, because before you know it, it’s going to be over. With all the extra activities we do - travelling, team dinners, bowling, laser tag - we are a family. This has been a big part of our success and, win or lose, we make the experience fun so they can remember these days for the rest of their lives.
 
HW: Anything else you would like to add?
Kroll: This season and last season, we made the all-state all academic hockey team for the first time in more that 10 years, and that is a great accomplishment. We’re still looking to win a regional championship. I still toss and turn from losing in the regional championship two years ago. Our name has gotten out there, and people are noticing us. Pinckney is on the map now, and it’s been great.