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Thomas officially inducted in as new hockey coach

Tho mas McIntyre

Matt T homas was f ormally introduced as the new hockey coach at a press conf erence Tuesday af ternoon. During the brief event, he f ielded questions and set the tone f or whats to come. Interim athletic director, Tim McDif f ett, opened the press conf erence with a prepared statement. He spoke like a man whos certain the programs drama is in the past. Its no secret that weve been through a lot in recent weeks, said McDif f ett. And with Matt (T homas) here today, we are of f icially turning the page to what we think is going to be a bright f uture f or Seawolf hockey. McDif f ett also ran down some of the reasons T homas was chosen. For one, T homas has a proven background. And as solid as his coaching pedigree is, McDif f ett praised him f or being a better human.

Ne w ho c ke y c o ac h Matt Tho mas taking q ue s tio ns ab o ut his ne w p o s itio n at a p re s s c o nfe re nc e We d ne s d ay. Pho to b y Tim Bro wn

McDif f ett was a bit glib, noting that student athletes would enjoy playing f or T homas, while he hopes opponents f eel just the opposite. Lastly and perhaps most importantly McDif f ett thinks T homas can act as a positive branch to the alumni, boosters, and f ans. Bringing harmony among all of those sectors hasnt been done properly in recent years. T homas made one thing clear during his time at the microphone: he wants to win. T he expectations f rom myself , the staf f , the players, and the program are going to be high, said T homas. T his was a chance f or T homas to bargain f or a grace period. He could have told us how much work needs to be done to turn the team around. He could have asked f or patience. Instead, he emphasized that his immediate goal is to win. T homas doesnt look at the situation as an extended rebuilding project. Hes aiming to kick his tenure of f with a plus .500 season. He said hes never been a part of a losing campaign, and is determined to keep it that way. To do this, one must have a plan. And according to T homas, he does. He hasnt been able to meet most of the current roster. He thinks its important that he takes care of everything on his end f irst bef ore starting that phase. But when that time comes, he says he has a plan f or how it will go down. Addressing what it takes to stabilize a program going through so much change, T homas said thats right he has a plan.

Details about these plans were scarce, but T homas did reveal how hell utilize a team f ull of players he f eels are hard workers. What I can do is come in and maybe ref ocus their energy into an area thats going to help us have some success right away, said T homas. Surprisingly, T homas optimism grew af ter doing his homework and evaluating a portion of the clubs 2012-13 season. I dont think theres a huge step to take; I think theres an important step to take, said T homas. It may be a somewhat vague assertion, but its not a shy one. T homas believes these players are one crucial step away f rom being winners, and hes conf ident hes the man who can help them take it. The entire press conference can be viewed on GoSeawolves.com.