Pulling a 180 in three seasons
Improved Homestead hockey team heads to playoffs
The Homestead High School hockey team is headed to the playoffs with 18 victories under the direction of third-year coach Chris Donovan.
In Donovan's first season, the Highlanders won just four times, and they weren't exactly sure where they were headed.
"As I look back, I didn't think we'd be at this point," said Homestead's Peter Schmitz, who ranks fourth in the state with 39 goals. "It's surprising how much we improved over the years. After that four-win season, I was nervous to see what direction the team was headed."
Donovan wondered, too.
"For a first-year coach, you start questioning, am I right; am I doing stuff wrong?" he said. "You really start questioning stuff. That was my first glimpse of coaching."
Donovan's second glimpse produced a 7-16-1 record, giving him a two-year total of 11 victories.
"It questions you as a coach," Donovan said. "Were we running practices right? Were we spending too much time on systems as opposed to skills? Being too strong? Too soft?"
So Homestead increased its off-season workouts, and young players now had two years of experience behind them.
Schmitz is only a junior this season, and his 63 points rank seventh in the state. He has been held scoreless in just two of his 24 games after recording 11 goals and 19 points in 23 games last year.
"Peter is awesome," said Homestead senior goaltender Sam Morris. "It really gives you confidence as a goalie when you have a goal scorer like him. 'OK, I gave up one in the beginning of the game, I know I'm going to get at least one back.'
"It doesn't put as much pressure on you as a goalie."
It also helps to have Thomas Fazio, whose 25 goals are the most by a sophomore in school history. He also leads the team with 28 assists.
Adam Connolly has 47 points, and Jake Roeper stands with 33.
It also doesn't hurt to have a goalie in his fourth season. Morris has a 2.04 goals-against average and a 0.918 save percentage.
"He's gotten phenomenally better over the last four years," Donovan said. "When you don't have a goalie, it's hard for a team to go into games thinking you can win. Sam has given us that belief."
Homestead (18-4-2) begins the playoffs Tuesday having allowed just one goal in each of its last five games, and the Highlanders are 14-1-2 in their last 17 contests.
Homestead shared the North Shore Conference title with Cedarburg, its first since the Highlanders made their only trip to state in 2007.
"Winning makes it a lot easier to coach," Donovan said. "Kids listen more. They're willing to learn and get better. The best part for me is to be able to win and have everybody jell as a team. Everybody gets along well. That adds to the dynamic of winning.
"I can yell at a guy one second, and the next play I can put my arm around him and joke with him."
Not bad for a 28-year-old whose only previous coaching experience was an Ozaukee Youth Hockey Association's team of 8- and 9-year-olds.
Donovan, who spent three years at University School before graduating from Homestead in 2000, was the business manager at the Ozaukee Ice Center in Mequon when he applied to be the Highlanders' next coach.
"When the position opened, I took the mentality that it's a program I wanted to support as much as I could," Donovan said. "I put my name in the hat, and if I was the best candidate for the job, I wanted it. I wanted to see this program continue to grow. If the district saw me as the best person for that job, I was going to take it."
Donovan knew some players because Homestead plays its home games at the Ozaukee Ice Center.
But others associated with the program most likely wondered whom the new guy with no experience was.
"I'm sure they might have thought that," Donovan said. "You certainly had to establish yourself, and really, to come in the first year not winning games, you had to convince them - and yourself - what you're doing is right. We certainly had some tough times. There were a few hiccups there.
"I still question myself all the time, but I think that's part of how you get better."
