The Head Coach of the Eastman Selects U18 AAA Female hockey team couldn't be prouder of his group for what they accomplished this season and coming off the Western Regionals, he's had some time to soak in just how special this year and this group was.
"I think for me, honestly, as I'm thinking back to the very beginning, I'm filled with extreme gratitude," Laird Laluk says proudly. "We talked to the kids this whole year about the opportunity they have, the uniqueness of being involved with the sport, creating something special and for the past 10 months we've been together, that's how long it's been since we formed this team, they've worked really hard together. It's been really, really fun to see them grow as people and as hockey players. It's a special season to be league champions, it doesn't happen often for us in our region. A special group of kids, special for us as coaches, we learned how to be better coaches through them as well. My time with them was amazing and I'll have fond memories forever."
This Selects group was extremely close, and Laluk says this group being more than teammates but being best friends, is a great takeaway from the entire group. "I think the opportunity to grow and battle together forms that sisterhood, it makes the group close and tight. You have to form that bond to be able to win, you have to love your teammates and go to the wall for each other. You compete and hold each other accountable, it's a long and grueling season, you need to push one another, you need to communicate, you need to work through problems, it's all life skills we want them to have. I know from my life in hockey, we still have a group chats from 25 years ago when we won a title with. The opportunity to stay connected throughout this world, wherever they go, to have that bond and be able to reflect on what they accomplished, it's pretty special, for sure."
Western Regionals didn't end the way they had hoped but that only puts a slight damper on what Laluk says was a pretty terrific experience. "It was a tough weekend, I'm not going to lie. Coming off the high of winning the championship, we tried to make sure the players had some downtime before we hit the road. It's going to be great memories of the highest level of hockey we've ever played. We talked about it, the reward for winning difficult hockey games is another difficult hockey game the next day. That's exactly what happened. I thought we went in there in game one and kind of shocked the Stars, winning 2-1. Game two, I thought we played well, we outshot them but didn't come out on top. They have an elite level offense and if you make a mistake, they're going to jump on it and capitalize, we saw that in game three with a tough loss. We asked the girls to finish hard and play hard, and like they always do, they finished with class and integrity. They played hard until the end and they wrapped up the season and were able to reflect. Extremely proud of these girls, it's something that doesn't come around often for our region and they're a special group of kids."
It went without saying or mention that this was most likely the last time the group would be all together as teammates on the ice, Laluk, a veteran coach who had a feel for the room, didn't feel the need to bring that point up, he knew everyone knew already. "I didn't highlight on it, the thought crossed my mind but there was enough tears. The dressing room was emotionally packed, I think coming off that loss and realizing how special our group was, I didn't feel the need to say it was the last time we'd be all together as one group. I think those memories will last forever. As the girls grow and go off to play college hockey or high-level ball, wherever they go, these experiences are going to impact them. Next year's group that will come back, it's time to get back to work. They'll embrace new teammates and take bigger roles. I hope this experience has set them up to be better year after year. Our goal as coaches was to provide that positive experience, have fun and work on skills. If you can create a culture, and these girls did, if you can create a culture of competitiveness and accountability, you can go out and win a championship. That was our goal and we accomplished it. I think they'll all have bright and amazing futures. They made such a positive impact on me as a coach and I'm very grateful for all of that."
As for his future, Laluk says things will be a little different for next year. "I haven't had a chance to say this to the girls yet, and I want them to know first, but there will be changes. There's something else in the cards for the U18 team and for myself. I think people have known there are some changes coming. I spoke at the start of the year about the Eastman region and how it's building positive steps for female hockey, whether it's high school, AAA or AA, there's great hockey around. I want to keep contributing to the region and I know there are other coaches around the region that want to get in and they'll do great things. Our programs are strong and it speaks to the grassroots level and the hard work people are putting in all of our communities. It is time to come back toward my own family and it makes what we did this season even more special. I've been so positively impacted by these kids, I owe them a lot. Ending on a championship is the best way to go."