Sports

Orangeville coach named Ontario Minor Hockey Association’s Coach of the Month

February 2, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

This season marks the sixth year of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association’s Coach of the Month, presented by The Coaches Site.

The organization asked for nominations for coaches who deserve the honour for their dedication to the sport and their teams.

This month, Orangeville Flyers U11 House League Team 5 coach, Matt Hall, was chosen to receive the honour.

Matt has been coaching with Orangeville Minor Hockey for three years. His drive and support for the house league group is outstanding. Whether there’s an early practice or a grading day where last-minute needs aren’t met, Matt has consistently risen to the occasion and made sure it happened.

His ability to encourage the youth of Orangeville to consistently be their best has been noted in many of his regular interactions both on and off the ice. Matt supports a clear and inclusive message to his teams each year and continues to not just find a way to better the overall performance of the kids during game play but continues this off-ice as well.

Matt grew up playing minor hockey in Orangeville and got into coaching when his son began playing the game. He has volunteered with the same group of coaches and uses the lessons learned from his own coaches when he was a player.

“I love watching the growth of the players over the season,” Matt explained of why he likes coaching. “In the beginning you feel like you’re trying to herd kittens. Then as the season progresses you start to see the skills you’re working on in practice come through in a game. The offsides start to go away and the players start making passes to teammates. When the kids start realizing they are using the skills they are learning, it grows the excitement they have to play and learn the game and that fuels us as coaches.”

Matt said he teaches the kids how to work as a team.

“Communication is huge,” he said. “We praise the importance of being a good teammate and playing to your ability. We provide attainable goals for each player based on their skill level and provide the support needed. We try to be organized so that we can make the most of the time we have together on the ice. We build up the more skilled players and show them how to be [a] leader to their teammates.”

He also credits the support he receives from player’s parents.

“I have multiple parents that are ready to assist at the drop of a hat. These parents are supportive of not only their child but every child on the team. It’s a great environment to be in and one we are all proud to contribute to.”

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