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Bolstad named new International Falls coach

By Loren Nelson, Editor, 06/22/10, 1:10PM CDT

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Former Bronco hopes to return one of state's most storied programs to prominence

Mike Bolstad is well aware of International Falls’ storied hockey tradition.

He was, after all, a part of it.

Minnesota coaching icon Larry Ross was behind the bench and the Broncos remained a statewide powerhouse when Bolstad was a senior suiting up for the 1978 squad that sent 10 players to Division I college programs.

“I’ve got a great passion for the overall Bronco tradition and the Bronco program,” said Bolstad, 49, who played at Providence College. “I want to see it get back to what it once was.”

International Falls has won seven state championships, tied with Roseau and Edina for the most of any school in the state. The Broncos’ last title came in 1995.

Bolstad’s hiring was approved by the International Falls school board on Monday, June 21, giving the school a rare hockey coaching combination. Bolstad’s older brother Gerry is the Broncos’ girls’ coach.

“We lost our dad this last February,” Mike Bolstad said. “I think he would be very proud of the both of us.”

Bolstad takes over for John Prettyman, who retired after posting a 97-85-5 record in seven seasons. The Broncos went 16-9-2 last season, losing to Hibbing 3-1 in the Section 7A semifinals.

Bolstad is the seventh coach in Broncos history, and he has close ties to all six previous coaches, starting with the program’s founder, Bob DePaul.

“He was my geography teacher in the seventh grade,” said Bolstad, who has spent 12 years coaching in the International Falls youth hockey system.

Gerry Bolstad said he and his brother share similar coaching styles.

“We’re somewhat old style in that we demand effort, but we also realize that the game is inherently fun if you play it the proper way,” he said. “Of course, we both love the game and grew up playing it.”

Mike Bolstad says he remembers Ross, who guided the Broncos to 14 state tournament appearances, being a regular at the youth hockey games and practices.

“He was always in the arena, whether it was as a coach or just watching the kids play,” Bolstad said. “You saw him in the stands and it motivated you even more. You wanted to be a Bronco.”

At Providence, Bolstad played for another legend in Lou Lamoriello. Bolstad said Lamoriello, the New Jersey Devils’ general manager who has been with the franchise since 1987, had a deep influence on his coaching philosophies.

“I take a lot of what I do from him,” Bolstad said. “He has such a great hockey mind.”

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Coaching changes entering 2010-11 season

School 2009-10 Coach 2010-2011 Coach Comment
Andover Bill Thoreson/Mark Manney Mark Manney After serving as a co-head coach with Thoreson last season, Manney takes over as the lone head coach. Thoreson stepped down to spend more time with his family.
Buffalo Mike MacMillan Mike MacMillan/Cory Laylin Laylin, a former St. Cloud Apollo star who went on to play for the University of Minnesota, joins MacMillan as a co-head coach for the Bison. Laylin played professional hockey for 16 seasons in six European countries.
Chaska/Chanhassen Steve Olinger No program Chaska and Chanhassen will split into separate programs beginning in 2010-11.
Chaska No program Mike Johnson Johnson is a Minnetonka High graduate who played at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He's been the Minnetonka Bantam A coach the past three seasons. Chaska was part of co-operative program with Chanhassen in 2009-10 and coached by Steve Olinger, who will not return to coach either program. Olinger resigned so he could continue to coach in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League.
Chanhassen No program Chris Wilson Wilson was an assistant coach under Steve Olinger for the Chaska/Chanhassen co-operative program in 2009-10. Wilson, a 1982 graduate of Minnetonka High, has coached in the Minnetonka and Chaska youth hockey programs for 23 years. He also has served as an assistant baseball coach at Minnetonka. This is his first head coaching position at the high school level.
Coon Rapids Joe Law Brandon Mileski Mileski, a Totino-Grace graduate, is a former assistant at Robbinsdale Cooper. He also co-hosts the Beyond the Pond program and prodcues the Common Man show at KFAN. Law, who went 7-46-0 in two seasons, stepped down citing personal reasons.
Dodge County Matt Erredge Eric Hofmann Hofmann was the strength and conditioning coach for the Rochester Ice Hawks of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League last season and also runs Performance Training, an e-training business that also conducts speed and agility camps. Erredge resigned after guiding the Wildcats to an 8-16-3 record last season.
Holy Family Catholic Dave Nelson Noel Rahn Rahn, who owns Velocity Hockey Center in Eden Prairie, won a state championship with Edina in 1988. He went on to play for Wisconsin and St. Cloud State. Nelson coached at Holy Family Catholic for four seasons, inlcuding two as a co-operative program with Waconia. He plans to work as an assistant coach in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League on a team coached by Reed Larson and Steve Olinger.
Hopkins Chad Nyberg Justin DeGriselles DeGriselles, who played at Lakeville and St. Olaf, was a Royals assistant coach the past five seasons. Nyberg resigned in order to move with his family to Willmar after the school year.
International Falls John Prettyman Mike Bolstad Bolstad, an International Falls native who played at Providence College, has been heavily involved in the town's youth program. His older brother, Gerry, is the head coach of the Broncos' girls' team. Prettyman, who had previously retired as an elementary school teacher, stepped down after 35 years of coaching in the Broncos' program.
Irondale Jeff Martin Tadd Tuomie Tuomie played at Notre Dame and professionally in multiple minor leagues. He has coached in the Irondale Youth Hockey Association and the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. Tuomie is the creator of the Pugi, an oversized puck used as a training aid. Martin resigned after the season and plans to spend more time with his sons (ages 4 and 6) as they start playing at the Mite level.
La Crescent Denny Hartman JP Piche' Piche', the Lancers' head coach from 1992-2004, returns for his second stint behind the bench. Piche' has been heavily involved in the La Crescent youth program. He also is the Lancers' boys' soccer coach. Hartman resigned his position and has moved to St. Cloud, where he previously has been involved in the town's youth program. The Lancers went 7-18-0 in Hartman's lone season as head coach.
Le Sueur-Henderson/St. Peter Jeff Christ Shawn Carlson Carlson, an elementary school teacher in Belle Plaine, played at Two Harbors and UM-Crookston and was an assistant coach at Alexandria before taking an assistant position with the Bulldogs last season. Christ resigned after adding a track and field coaching position to his duties that already included head cross country coach.
Minneapolis No program Shawn Reid A Lakeville native, Reid played at Gustavus Adolphus and was an assistant coach in both the men's and women's programs there. He coached the boys team at St. Marks's (Mass.) the past two seasons. The merger of Minneapolis East and West programs for the 2010-11 season creates one team for all seven of the city's public schools.
Minneapolis East Bill Ross No program Ross guided the Samurais to a 9-17-0 record and has said he will apply for the head coaching position for the merged East and West programs.
Minneapolis West Tom Younghans No program Younghans guided the Mustangs to a 9-18-0 record and has said he will apply for the head coaching position for the merged East and West programs.
Minnehaha Academy Darin Thompson John Gould Gould played for Bloomington Jefferson and Holy Angels in high school and has been coaching multiple age levels in the Tucson, Ariz., area where he most recently was based as a junior scout. Thompson compiled a 15-36-2 record in two seasons.
Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake Ben Monahan Sheldon Weston Weston, 47, is a Roseau native who played at St. Cloud State and was involved with the Sauk Rapids hockey program for 25 years -- the last 20 as the high school team's head coach -- before being dismissed this spring. Monahan resigned after one season as head coach to take over the girls' hockey program in Andover.
Moose Lake Sherm Liimatainen Josh Gamst Gamst played for the Rebels in the late 1990s and comes from a hockey playing family that includes cousin Brett Hedican, the retired former NHL defenseman from North St. Paul. Liimatainen, 70, guided the Rebels to an 18-8-1 record and the inaugural Two Rivers Conference championship in 2009-10. He officially stepped down in mid-September.
Pine City/Rush City Tim Schlichting Brett Westbrook Westbrook, who played at Irondale High and Bethel University, served as the assistant coach at Pine City/Rush City the past five seasons. He served as an assistant coach at Mahtomedi from 1998-2001 and won a Texas state championship as a head coach of Mansfield in 2003. Schlichting resigned after an 8-18-0 season, his fifth leading the program, citing family reasons. The Dragons went 63-67-2 in Schlichting's five seasons as head coach.
Princeton Todd Frederick Jeff Hanson Hanson played at Princeton, graduating in 1999, and has been a Tigers assistant coach the last four seasons. Frederick, who guided the Tigers to two state tournament appearances and had a 156-144-14 record in 12 seasons, resigned to spend more time with his family.
Red Wing George Nemanich Mike Belisle Belisle served as the Red Wing Bantam A coach last season. He's also been an assistant at the high school level. Just the second coach in the history of Red Wing's program, Nemanich steps down after leading the Wingers to a surprising appearance in the Section 1A title game. He guided Red Wing to the state Class A championship in 1997 to cap an undefeated (28-0-0) season.
Redwood Valley Steve Pacheco Nate Sunderman Sunderman, an assistant coach last season, takes over the program after the resignation of Pacheco, who guided the Cardinals to a 17-6-1 record last season. Sunderman, 26, played for Sauk Centre (now called Prairie Centre) and attended St. Cloud State University.
Sauk Rapids Sheldon Weston Brian McCormack McCormack is an Alberta native who was a scoring phenom playing for British Columbia junior teams in Victoria and Penticton. He played two seasons during an injury marred career at St. Cloud State and was an assistant coach at River Lakes last season. Weston was dismissed after 20 seasons as the Storm's head coach. In 2000 he led the Sauk Rapids to its only state tournament apperance. The Storm went 14-12-1 last season.
Sleepy Eye Matt Dockter Rob Tauer Tauer is a Sleepy Eye native who played in the town's Junior Gold program until he senior season, when he played for New Ulm. Tauer, 29, played junior hockey in Oregon before joining the club team at Iowa State. Dockter resigned in May after a 3-22-0 season guiding the Indians.
St. Francis Tony Hoops Tyler Schaff Schaff was an assistant coach in the Saints' girls hockey hockey program the last two seasons. He was a multi-sport athlete at Cambridge High School and St. John's University. Hoops will coach the East Ridge girls' hockey program in 2010-11.
St. Paul Academy Craig Norwich/Joe Dziedzic Joe Dziedzic After taking over in midseason on an interim basis in 2009-10, Dziedzic takes the position in a full-season capacity for 2010-11. The former Mr. Hockey at Minneapolis Edison (1990) played for the University of Minnesota and in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
St. Paul Como Park Neil Paitich David Bakken Bakken, who played at Williams College, served as an assistant head coach at St. Olaf College. He played on the Wright Homes almost 40 teams that won U.S. Pond Hockey Championships Open Division titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Paitich retired after guiding the Cougars to an 11-15-1 record last season, including a 6-0 loss to Hill-Murray in the Section 4AA quarterfinals.
St. Paul Highland Park No program Tom Doyle Highland Park has fielded an independent junior varsity team the last two seasons and was part of a co-operative varsity program with St. Paul Como Park in 2009-10. The Scots will be fielding an independent varsity team in 2010-11 for the first time since 1987. Doyle was an assistant coach for Minneapolis East last season.
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Ben Brovold No program Walker, Hackensack and Akeley will join Park Rapids in a co-operative program. Brovold, who guided the Wolves during all three of their seasons as a varsity program, will work as a scout for the Rochester Ice Hawks of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League.
Worthington Gary Brandt Pat Christopherson Christopherson's hiring was approved at Worthington's July 20 school board meeting. The Jackson city administrator has 14 years of experience coaching youth hockey in Edina and Silver Bay. Brandt resigned in April after leading the Trojans to a 3-18-0 season.