Sports

UW’s assistant coaches play big role in success

They are often unknown, usually not heard from and rarely given any credit.

They are the assistant coaches for the UW women’s hockey team.

Assistant coaches, however, are often the driving force behind a program’s success, and the Badgers are fortunate to have two of the most experienced assistants in the business.

Tracey Cornell and Daniel Koch have been with the women’s hockey program for nine and seven years respectively, and both have played an integral part in the program’s success.

“I started here at the very beginning of the program nine years ago,” Cornell said. “The program was started by my old college coach from Cornell University, and I was an assistant under her. Mark (Johnson) has been in the UW hockey program for a long time, both on the men and women’s side, so when he became the head coach I stayed to assist him.”

“I got involved in coaching as an assistant up at St. Mary’s,” Koch said. “Then the head coach of St. Mary’s recommended me for this job, and I grew up in this area, so I have been here ever since.”

Cornell and Koch are involved in nearly all aspects of the program. On the ice, they play an important role during both practice and the games.

“Dan is an extended version of [Johnson] for the defense,” captain Emily Morris said. “He runs the drills and manages the D-line during the game. He plays a big part.

“Tracy has pretty much the same responsibilities as Dan, except she helps with the forwards. She runs some drills, but more importantly she is in your ear with both encouragement, and she tells you what you can be doing better.”

Although Cornell and Koch have similar jobs, they approach their responsibilities in very different ways.

“I am kind of a Type-A personality, high-energy person,” Cornell said. “I like to be active, and I try to get our players to do the same.”

“Dan and Tracey complement each other very well,” Johnson said. “You don’t want a bunch of people on a team who think the same and act the same, you need different types of personalities that can accomplish different things.”

Off the ice, Koch and Cornell’s main job is recruiting.

“I would say 75 to 80 percent of what we do is recruiting,” Cornell said. “We go to tournaments for grades 10 through 12 and identify players we want, and then bring them to campus. The nice thing about UW is that our school and program basically sells itself. We have everything from winning to strong academics. We always say, ‘If you don’t get off the bus with the right players, not much else will matter.’”

Koch and Cornell’s success in recruiting can be seen throughout all the accolades that the UW program and players have received. It is a long list that includes two national championships, two WCHA titles, and one Patty Kazmaier Award for National Player of the Year (won by Sara Bauer in 2006), just to scratch the surface.

“I enjoy being on the road recruiting,” Koch said. “Me and Tracey have gotten to be pretty good at sizing up talent and making the most out of the tournaments we see. I get to watch a lot of hockey, which I love to do, so besides being away from my family I enjoy going on the road and recruiting.”

While the assistant coaching position is often a job that has a high turnover rate, neither Cornell nor Koch have any thoughts of leaving anytime soon.

“I love coaching and I really love coaching here,” Cornell said. “It is a ministry for me, and I just like where I am right now. Usually assistants come and go, but this is year nine for me, and I haven’t even considered leaving. I like where I live, I love the people that I work with, and I enjoy the challenges that this institution offers.”

“Right now I am in a great situation,” Koch said. “This place still challenges me, which is important, but even more importantly I don’t want to uproot my family and take my kids away from this area. If there was a head coaching offer I would consider it, but it would have to be one heck of an offer for me to move my family.”