Saints look to alumni to fill out coaching staff
By Bob Hall
The Selkirk College Saints began their BCIHL regular season on Friday at Eastern Washington University and former Saints defenceman Adam Makaroff was back on the bus, but this time not as a player.
Makaroff joined the Saints coaching staff in August and has had an immediate impact on the bench and in the dressing room.
“I’m excited to be back with the Saints as a coach and help the team to another successful season,” Makaroff says. “I hope that my previous experiences can help these young men along the way. It’s going to be a lot of fun,”
After spending four years in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) and winning a championship with the Nelson Leafs in 2009, Makaroff attended and played at Selkirk College for three seasons.
While serving as an assistant captain, he accumulated 20 points and 101 penalty minutes over three seasons in the BCIHL.
“Adam has valuable championship winning experience and is a perfect addition to our coaching staff,” says Saints head coach Alex Evin.
“You can’t have enough winners around a sports program and obviously one of our main goals is to compete for another championship.”
As a former blueline leader, Makaroff will work with the strong defensive core returning to the Saints.
The two time defending BCIHL champion Saints dropped the first regular season game of the 2014-15 campaign with a 4-3 shootout loss to the upstart Eastern Washington University Eagles in Cheney, Washington.
Stefan Virtanen, Stephan Gonzales and Jesse Knowler scored for the Saints while James Prigione made 23 saves on 26 shots.
In their last exhibition weekend in late-September, the Saints hosted Grant MacEwan University Griffins out of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) in a pair of games at the Castlegar Complex.
The Saints dropped the second game of the double header 2-0, but they were able to keep pace all weekend with the Griffins who are touted to be one of the strongest teams in the ACAC this year.
The first match up provided one of the most entertaining games in recent memory as the fast paced, end-to-end action continued through three periods of play.
Finding themselves down 4-2 midway through the third period, the Saints eventually found their way as they have done many times in the past. Gonzales started the rally at the 10:54 mark and Arie Postmus tied it up with just over four minutes left. T
he Saints took the momentum into overtime when Thomas Hardy scored his second of the night after charging in on partial breakaway to cap a 5-4 comeback win. Also scoring for the Saints was Alex Milligan.
SAINTS NOTES:The Saints will commemorate their second straight BCIHL Championship with a banner raising ceremony at their home opener on October 17. Eastern Washington will be in town for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
