My interview on the Mike Edwards show (Jock 98.7fm) talking about coaching the Springfield Spirit to the Mid-America High School Hockey League Championship.
We talk about the current state of hockey in Springfield, injuries and I compare the Spirit to High School teams in St. Louis… check it out.
I was looking for a unique way to get myself out there in an overcrowded job market and came up with this…
Rich DeMatteo, a Staffing an HR pro (@CornOnTheJob) wrote a very nice piece on the video here, check it out!
In the inaugural season of the MAHSHL (Mid-American High School Hockey League) the Springfield Spirit won the Championship.
| Quarters | Semi’s | Final | Champions |
| 2) Rockhurst | |||
| 6) KC Saints | |||
| 2) Rockhurst | |||
| 3) Witchita | 3) Witchita | ||
| 7) KC Stars | 2) Witchita | ||
| 4) Springfield Spirit | |||
| 4) SGF Spirit | 4) SGF Spirit | ||
| 5) St. Joe Griffons | 4) SGF Spirit | ||
| 1) Jeff City | |||
| 1) Jeff City | |||
| 9) Springdale |
Quarter Finals vs St. Joe – After getting up 3-1 in the 1st period, we really let down and allowed St. Joe to come back and tie it 3-3 at the end of regulation. No scoring in overtime lead to a shootout. Austin Purdy went 1st and scored, followed by Greg Altoonian who also scored. Spirit goaltender Nate Fairbank stopped the final St. Joe shot to advance Springfield to the Semi’s.
Semi Finals vs Jefferson City - #1 seeded Jeff City got off to a slow start as the Spirit came out strong in the first period. The Spirit never trailed in the game and with a game winning goal from Taylor Fairbank, won 5-4 sending Springfield to the Finals.
Championship Game vs Witchita - Trailing 3-1 in the 3rd period the Spirit never gave up. They scored 3 unanswered goals to take the lead 4-3 with 3 minutes left. Witchita rallied and scored with 2 minutes left to tie the game 4-4. The game went to overtime and 24 seconds in leading scorer Brian Otradovec netted a sudden death goal to seal the League Championship for the Spirit.
It was a historic season for the Spirit coming into the tournament seeded 4th out of 10 teams. To read the official write-up click here.
