Bishop Noll’s hockey team is welcoming 15 new hockey managers to the Kube Sports Complex in Hammond this October as the team kicks off its season.

    The new management program will assist the hockey team in accomplishing their goals assistant Coach Kevin Smith has for them.

    “We had multiple people signing up and we are looking to set a rotation schedule for all that are interested in helping out,” Smith said.

    With having around 43 games this season, they are looking to not rush anything because they want to get this position right, according to Smith. 

    “The plan is to have the hockey team managers help us out with game days,” he said. “The variety of responsibilities will include setting up the bench before and after games.” “Also, the team managers will need to be near our bench during the game to be available to run to the concession stand to get ice if there is an injury, and refill water bottles if needed.”

    The hockey players are excited for the managers to join the team.

    “I think the managers can take a lot of stress off of our coaches and players before the games,” said sophomore Logan Stumpf.

    “I expect that they will help set everything up in the classroom for the coaches and do stuff that the players need done so that we don’t have to worry about getting something done right before the game.”

    They already have a lot on their plate when it comes to playing the game, but the team hopes that the managers can make it easier for them to focus on the win. 

    “In my opinion, this will help the team by relieving a lot of worries or commonly forgotten things, such as forgetting the puck bag, filling waters, and forgetting sticks by the locker room,” said sophomore Ethan Rapacz.

    Stumpf and Rapacz agree that when they heard that they were getting managers they thought it would be a great idea to get more people from the school involved with the hockey team. They also believe they can be very useful. 

    “The benefit of being a manager is being able to watch some fun and exciting hockey games. The reason we wanted to start this is due to the growing interest and success of the team,” says Smith, “We’d love to pack the stands every game, but we want to have more people involved as well.”