For the first time in over 17 seasons, the South Windsor High School boys hockey team enters a new season without coach Neil Rodman at the helm. With many successful seasons and a career .554 winning percentage under his resume, Rodman hands over the keys to coach Nick Gionfriddo.
Gionfriddo is a Bobcat hockey alum, having played on the team from 2013-2017. In the 2016-17 season, Gionfriddo helped the ‘Cats shock the number one seeded East Haven Yellow Jackets in the division 2 quarterfinals to send the team to Yale to play in the state semifinals where they went on to suffer a tough 3-2 loss to the eventual champion, Guilford.
The game means a lot to Gionfriddo.
“The best memory of my career was upsetting the number one seed East Haven who had a freshman already committed to the University of Maine, along with the next round where we got to play in a sold out Yale University rink. The family of SWHS is truly something special. Showing up to cheer on your favorite team means a ton to an athlete,” Gionfriddo said.
With the first game of the season slated for the 18th, Gionfriddo is most looking forward to working with his players as not just athletes, but as people.
“I’m most excited about getting to work with this group of hard working student athletes and to push them to be better every day both on and off the ice,” Gionfriddo explained.
Over the past couple of years, Gionfriddo has coached hockey at the youth level, but the difference between coaching youth hockey compared to high schoolers comes down to maturity.
“The biggest difference is the age level. Being used to working with young children, now having to adjust to working with young adults, introducing a system to the game and working on developing these athletes to be prepared for life after high school,” Gionfriddo told The Prowl.
When the opportunity to coach the Bobcats was presented, Gionfriddo jumped on it.
“It’s always been a dream to be able to come back to where I came from and be able to guide this program in the future, and now I have this opportunity. Being the first alumni to coach the program shows how special this program was to me and how it turned me into the man I am today. Now it’s my turn to give this team what they deserve as they progress through their high school life,” Gionfriddo said.
Coach Gionfriddo has his expectations for the team already set. “My expectations for the season are to have the players progress in fundamentals on the ice, compete, and day in, day out perform to the best of their abilities.”
Team captain and returning starter Mason Trombley feels good about the hire of Gionfriddo.
“He has a lot of passion for the sport and wants to carry on the team’s reputation. He’s a tough coach who works us to make us better and compete and be stronger when facing tough opponents,” Trombley told The Prowl.
Despite the loss of nine seniors from the previous season and outside expectations sitting low, Gionfriddo knows what will make him think well of this season.
“To call this season a success, I like to constantly evaluate. Evaluate where we are as a team, in the beginning, middle, and end of the season. If we’ve taken a huge step from the start to the end of the season, I see that as a success,” Gionfriddo said. “If we do that, it shows that from day one, we’ve stepped up and put in the work to get better every day and not settle for where we are currently at. Success comes from always wanting to get better.”
The role of coach means more to Gionfriddo than just training athletes. Being a coach is about being a role model and lead. My goal as a coach is to prepare players for the future both in and out of the sport. “Showing teamwork and sportsmanship are two key things that come from playing a sport and having players realize the importance [of that] in the future of their life,” Gionfriddo shared.
Something many have wondered about the coaching change are the aspects of the game Gionfriddo plans to focus on. While coach Rodman had crafted much of his game around the forwards, the offensive system, neutral zone coverage and power play special teams, Gionfriddo is going in a different direction.
“I want to focus on systems in the sport of hockey. Having a specific way we attack pucks, specifically entering offensive zones, it’s very crucial we have an idea as a team of what our teammates are going to do on the ice,” Gionfriddo said. “I also want to focus on what it takes to be a team player. Blocking shots for your teammates, sacrificing a body check to make the right play to benefit the team. That’s what being on a team is about and I’m looking forward to working with this group on all of this.”
With the Bobcats season opening on December 18 on the road in Wethersfield, Gionfriddo looks to start his first season on the right note and continue the success found by the ‘Cats over recent years, all the while silencing the doubt cast from those around him.
