The Oakville Rangers Minor Midget AA team capped a strong season with a run to the 2012/13 Finals of the OMHA playoffs. Although the team had typically performed well during the regular season, the Rangers had suffered disappointing early exits from the playoffs in recent years. New Head Coach Brian Stamegna was charged with building a team that could compete come playoff time.
“We had talent but I knew we needed to play better as a team to be successful in the playoffs,” said Stamegna.”To do that we needed to create an environment of commitment and accountability.”
Player changes were made heading into the new season and a comprehensive new program was implemented. New on-ice systems emphasizing puck movement and team speed were introduced. An off-ice plan was implemented to help players develop better strength and speed and to help prevent injuries. As a part of the new program the Bronko Belt was introduced to the team as well
We wanted to play an up-tempo, attacking style of hockey,” explained Stamegna. “Working on our speed and conditioning in practices was going to be important. We felt the Bronko Belt could help with both.”
“We looked at a few options and decided to use the belt because it offered the most flexibility. It challenged our players without becoming a distraction. I liked that the belt fit with the message we were sending our players about working hard each practice and getting better every day.”
The new program took some getting used to. Players were learning new systems and getting used to both the off-ice training and the belts. The benefits of all the changes would take some time to materialize. Results on the scoreboard at the start of the season were mixed.
“We were doing some different things and it took some time to get everyone on board. Not everyone bought in right away. We started getting the results we wanted though and guys started to believe in the program. It didn’t happen overnight but we stuck with our plan and gave it time to work.”
By November,the Rangers had started to find the consistency that had eluded them early in the season.In the second half of the season, the team would go undefeated for several long stretches as players became comfortable with the new systems and the changes to their training started to pay off.
The Rangers would overcome their uneven start to finish second during the regular season and begin the playoffs playing their best hockey of the season. They advanced through the round robin portion of the playoffs with an important win against Burlington on the final day. They proceeded to defeat Milton and Windsor in successive series to earn a spot in the OMHA Finals against Ajax.
In the Finals, the visiting team won each of the first four games to knot the series at 2 wins each. The series shifted back to Ajax for the fifth and deciding game where the Rangers would eventually fall 3-1.
"We came up short in the final game but we put ourselves in a great position to be successful with our hard work and commitment to details. We got stronger and stronger as the season progressed both in terms of team play and our individual skating and skills.”
“We committed to our plan and it paid dividends. The Bronko Belt played an important role. It’s not a magic bullet—you aren’t going to see results if you put it on once a month. You have to commit to using it. But I asked our players at the end of the season and without exception, our players feel that the Bronko Belt has helped them improve. We would recommend this product to any team that wants to see improvement in their skating abilities.”