Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: The following program is brought to you in living color on dailyGazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken shot. Thank you, Scott Giese, and welcome to the Parting Shots podcast, available wherever you get the podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Well, the calendar may say July, but never bad time to talk ice hockey, and we're going to do that college hockey talking both men's and women's from union. Josh Halji, the head coach of the Garner Chargers men's team, will be here to talk about his contract extension. Also talk about the process of talking to clarks about the vacant opening that that the school had after Casey Jones departed to go to Cornell to become the associate head coach of the Big Red under Mike Schaefer, who is retiring at the end of the upcoming season. And Casey Jones will be taking over as head coach at Cornell in 2025 26 and of course, admitted Casey Jones resignation at Clarkson was announced. A lot of speculation about Josh Alge taking over there because of course Josh Washington spent seven years as an assistant and associate head coach at Clarkson under Casey Jones. But he'll explain his decision, why he was not really serious about taking in the Clarkson job and also look at head to the schedule and talk some other things on Kalachaki news. So then after that, another Josh will join us. Josh Skiva, the now former Union women's head hockey coach.
Skiba announced his resignation on Saturday to take over as an assistant coach for PWHL New York, where he'll be reunited with his former boss at Colgate, Greg Fargo, who recently stepped down as a Colgate women's hockey head coach. And he's the head coach of the PWHL team there in New York. So we'll talk to Josh about that and talk about his eight seasons as the Garner Chargers women's hockey team head coach. So coming up, Josh Algae will join us and we'll have a couple segments. Tim Talking Union men's hockey you're listening to the parting shots podcast.
[00:02:36] Speaker B: It's the most historic conference in college hockey. It's a battle night in and night out of BCAC hockey, an iconic conference, home to twelve of the most prestigious universities and programs in the world and showcasing the best student athletes in the sport, top notch facilities and arenas, incomparable traditions, passionate fans, alumni who go on to become elite professionals, leaders and champions. ECAC hockey there's no experience like it.
[00:03:08] Speaker A: Want to get all the latest news from the Daily Gazette on your phone or tablet? We have an app for that. The Daily Gazette app allows you to read all the newspaper stories and columns from our dedicated team of journalists. The app is free. You can download the app from the Apple or Google app stores.
[00:03:24] Speaker B: Hi, this is Daily Gazette reporter Chad Arnold. You're listening to the parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Kenshotte.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Welcome back to the podcast. And we're going to talk some union men's hockey. And Josh Howse, the head coach is here with me. And welcome back. Was there you do the same with during the season. Of course. You'll be able to do it again this coming season then. Looking forward to that. So how's the off season going?
[00:03:47] Speaker C: It's, it's starting to settle down now. You guys are off campus kind of the USHL camps and national camp. First week of national camp got done. So a little bit of downtime. It's kind of July is kind of a month to settle down for us.
[00:03:59] Speaker A: Well, we had a lot of talk about a lot of news coming out the last few weeks with the program. Let's start with last week's announcement that you signed a contract extension through the 2028 29 season. How happy are you with the deal?
[00:04:12] Speaker C: I'm thrilled with it. You know, for us as a family to know where we're going to be and, you know, for our recruits to know that I'm going to be here and be able to sell that in the recruiting, in the recruiting world, it is huge.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Does this deal give you the program some stability, especially recruiting aspect?
[00:04:29] Speaker C: Yeah, I think so. I mean, you know, for the most part, I don't think it's not like we were lacking that. But at the same point, it is nice to know that, you know, guys, when you, when you tell them, hey, I'm going to be here, they know that and it's in the paper. They can read it and they see that I'm going to be here, you know, for a set time.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, the deal came shortly after Clarkson hired Jean Francois, who as its new coach, replacing Casey Jones, who's headed to Cornell to become the associate head coach under Mike Schaefer, who announced that this will be his final season. Jones will take over as head coach in 20, 25, 26. We'll talk about that situation in a bit. But when Cornell and Clarkson both announced what was going on, speculation quickly focused on you because of your ties to Clarkson and Casey. You coached with Casey for seven years. You're great friends with him. Could you understand why your name was linked to the job?
[00:05:16] Speaker C: Yeah, I think so. I mean, I was there for seven years, and again, it was a great spot for. For myself and my family and, you know, a lot of connections there, so I can definitely see how it was linked.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: I mean, you did talk with Clark's officials. How serious did things get?
[00:05:31] Speaker C: You know, they reached out on the day that Casey stepped down and just wanted me to know that the position was available.
They were encouraging me to apply for it, and, you know, I thought maybe I'd be in the mix if I did apply for it. You know, after a couple days of talking with our family, we decided it wasn't, you know, wasn't gonna be the right fit and didn't want to apply. Was very, you know, grateful that they reached out and just let me know that the position was going to be available. But, you know, with the group we have coming back and just the level of comfort we have as a family, it was. It was a pretty easy decision to stay where we're at.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: I had some fans reach out to me about the situation, and my gut told me that you were not going anywhere. And my reasonings were, you have a new arena coming in. 20, 25, 26. Athletic scholarships are being phased in. You were in the middle of hiring a new assistant coach, and as you mentioned, you have your team on the rise in ECAC hockey. So how important were those factors to keep you here?
[00:06:23] Speaker C: Well, I think, you know, obviously, we talk about family a lot, you know, and in my personal family, but, you know, I. I feel really connected to the group we have, and just, you know, when I came in, a lot of those guys had an opportunity to leave, and they didn't. And a lot of the, you know, like that sophomore gonna be our junior class. They all chose to come in and play for me and our staff. So I think, like, I feel indebted to them. They've been in, you know, an outstanding group, and I just feel like if, you know, even looking at it, I felt a little bit guilty, like, this is. This is our family right now, and I want to keep building it.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, at this point, we kind of tough. You guys are comfortable where you're living right now, and to uproot, and especially this, that later date when the announcement was made, that's kind of a tough situation where, you know, just settle in. Your. Your two sons just finished up school, and, you know, you don't want to move back again to uproot everybody for sure.
[00:07:13] Speaker C: And I think even, like, looking at, you know, you know, Jim McLaughlin gave me an opportunity and he didn't have to give me that chance. And, and if you leave at this time of the year, you know, those players, everybody becomes open in the transfer portal. And I think that's when dangerous things can happen to a program. And, you know, I try to do things, you know, where my, my word means something and, you know, try to, you know, we want to build this and I haven't built it to the point where even, you know, you could even think about leaving. And I don't want to leave. I want to be here for the, you know, I'd like to be here until my kids graduate from college. So I think that's, that's kind of where we're at. I'm super excited to be here and knowing that we're moving, this is where we're going to be moving forward.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: Were your players concerned about the reports that Clarkson was interested in you again?
[00:07:56] Speaker C: I got a couple calls about it, a couple recruits. I was more worried about our recruits and maybe our guys in house. I think they knew that I was going to stick around, but early on, I just told one of our leaders, hey, if this gets brought up, just put it in the group chat. I'm going to be here. I'm not going anywhere.
I think that, like, you know, again, it was nice that a couple guys called, but I don't, I don't think they were really that worried.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: Well, let's discuss Mike and Casey first. Let's talk about Mike Schaefer. He's been head coach Eric Cornell since 19, 95, 96. He's had tremendous success there. What was it, what's, what's it like to coach against Mike?
[00:08:31] Speaker C: Well, I think you know what you're going to get every single time you play Cornell, you're going to get a team that competes extremely hard. They're going to be prepared and, you know, dialed in to. He's, you know, when you think of AC hockey, I think he's a name you think of and, you know, he's, he's an all time legend in the game, so it's, it's been an honor to coach against him.
[00:08:49] Speaker A: Did it surprise you that he decided to announce this, his retirement now? Because quite honestly, I thought he would have done it at the end of this past season, especially with all the emotion he showed after winning the AC hockey tournament title march. That Schaefer was crying after that game probably surprised a lot of people.
[00:09:05] Speaker C: Yeah. I think, you know, it is something that, you know, he probably has given a lot of thought to him. I know they're going to have a really good team, and I'm sure he wants, you know, one more kick at the can to, you know, try to win a national championship. And I think they, you know, they're going to be a, you know, a preseason team that's going to be picked by, by a lot to be a favorite.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: What is Mike Schaefer's legacy?
[00:09:24] Speaker C: I think when you look at, you know, consistency and just, you know, year in and year out, you know, someone that's put together a team that, you know, has, is competitive. He's a good person and, you know, he's, he does things the right way. He's, he's got integrity, so, you know, a lot to respect about Mike Schaefer.
[00:09:42] Speaker A: Casey played for Mike and was an assistant coach with him before landing the Clarkson job in 2011. You know him well. Did it surprise you that he is returning to Cornell?
[00:09:51] Speaker C: It didn't surprise me in the sense that I know he enjoyed his time there.
You know, he, he's obviously, him and his wife are both alum, so I think getting back to that area was, you know, enticing for them. And, you know, in this, this day and age, I think people like, maybe, you know, take, take him for granted at some point because, like, to do what he's doing at Clarkson has been, you know, pretty impressive. And, you know, I think for him to have a fresh start and to go somewhere else is, you know, is exciting for him as well.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: Now, Casey's leaving a school where he had athletic scholarships to one that doesn't. However, with Clarkson's reputation, it's probably not going to be that hard to recruit hockey players. How do you think he will do over once he takes over?
[00:10:31] Speaker C: I think he's going to do outstanding. I mean, he's, he's got a track record of recruiting great players there. In the past, you know, he's, he's had, you know, consistency at Clarkson and done a great job there. So I think he'll step right in and, you know, just, just take over for, you know, what Mike has done there. And there's a lot that is, you know, similar to the way that they coach. I mean, they do do some things different, but you can tell he's part of, you know, Shafe's tree. And, you know, I think I'm even, you know, when you take a look at it, even I would be, you know, in that category as well. Mike Shaver, like I mean, I think there's some similarities. Just, you know, they hopefully get guys to compete hard all the time and, you know, just. Just playing consistent, that's something that we strive to do. And I think Cornell and Clarkson have been two of the best at that.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Well, let's take a break. Let's speak more with Union man's head coach Josh Alge, and talk about the hiring of assistant coach. Look ahead to the 24 25 schedule. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
Hi, I'm Rick Marshall from the Daily Gazette's martial arts podcast. In each episode, I interview artists from around the region, from musicians and comedians to dancers, sculptors, even video game designers. After you finish the latest episode of the Parting Shots podcast, I hope you'll give martial arts a try.
Hi. This is Union men's hockey alum Charlie Moxam.
[00:11:58] Speaker C: You're listening to the parting shots podcast.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: With Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott. Welcome back to the podcast. We're talking with Union men's head hockey coach Josh Halji. One of your priorities this all season was to find the new assistant coach, Josh. Lenny Childs left to become the head coach of the United States Hockey league's Omaha Lancers. And last Tuesday, you hired Mike Zanella, who was serving as an assistant coach for the USHL's Lincoln Stars. What do you like about Mike?
[00:12:25] Speaker C: Well, I think he's just, you know, a really genuine person that, that works extremely hard.
You know, he. He made an interesting move when he left Elmira to go to the USHL because he wanted to get to the division one level. And, you know, he left, you know, his family. His family's from New York and, and his fiance to go out to Lincoln, Nebraska, and coach and just that sacrifice. He really wanted the position as well. Like, he was.
He was all over me after it and just, you know, wanted to be here and he wanted to help build on what we're doing. So, you know, for us, it was, you know, we wanted somebody that wanted to be here as well as somebody that knew the USHL player pool. So that, that's what we like to.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: When I talked to him last Tuesday, because you mentioned he's from Ithaca, and I mentioned that to him, I got some Cornell blood in me, and I was. I rooted for them, but I'm not a Cornell fan anymore, so. But, I mean, Mike's first coaching job was with Skidmore in 20 1617. Did you know that while you were interviewing him?
[00:13:20] Speaker C: Yeah, he. He mentioned that he liked the area, and, you know, that again, is important to us, somebody that, that knows the area and wants to be here. And I think, you know, when, when you're from New York State like he is and, you know, kind of have been around a little bit. We want to do better in, you know, in New York state recruiting. So that was appealing to Mike.
[00:13:39] Speaker A: Coach two union players at Lincoln, rising sophomore defenseman DJ Hart. Incoming goalie Lucas Massey. Did that play a role in your, in your decision to hire Mike?
[00:13:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I think, you know, it's nice when you have a little bit of a reference and background on someone and, you know, in the recruiting process. He was, you know, told us about DJ and about Lucas, so I think that that really helps. And you kind of know what he thinks of guys that you currently have.
[00:14:03] Speaker A: Did you talk to DJ at all? Did he give you a recommendation for Mike?
[00:14:06] Speaker C: Oh, he spoke very highly of him. We definitely asked, we asked DJ and Lucas about it, just, you know, how he was with players, how he interacted, what do you know, what they thought his strengths and weaknesses were?
[00:14:18] Speaker A: Well, talk about the job that Lenny did in his two years here and how excited are you for him to be a head coach in junior hockey?
[00:14:23] Speaker C: I'm really proud and happy for him. I mean, you know, for him to get this opportunity, you know, he's his first head coaching job and to be in the USHL is awesome. We're going to miss him. He's, he's done a great job just, you know, building, building a culture with us and being a part of it every step of the way. So really fired up for him and, you know, excited to hopefully maybe get some players from him in the future.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: Of course, he did a great job with the penalty kill, number two in the nation. It was a high all year. I mean, how much is going to miss that?
[00:14:51] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it's, you know, he took a ton of pride in it and just establishing a culture of toughness and, you know, we're going to, you know, you know, miss him, but at the same, you know, he's gonna, he's gonna be right there with us if we have any questions. And, you know, he's still big part of our family and, you know, he's a phone call away if we have any questions. But, you know, a lot of what we did is, you know, pretty familiar for us since we've been, you know, it's been a part of my coaching, you know, for a little bit. So I think it'll obviously miss him, but at the same point, we'll keep moving forward.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: Well, let's look at the 2024 25 schedule, the 50th and final season of hockey at Messer Rink. It begins with an exhibition game against Providence on Saturday, October 5 and mess up. And it marks the return of current Friars head coach Nate Lehman to Mesa. It'll be his first appearance at Mesa since the end of the 20, 1011 season. He coached union from 2020 2003 to 2011. He got it union to its first EC hockey tournament championship game appearance in 2010 and its first EC hockey regular season title and first NCAA hockey tournament appearance at the division one level in 2011. Lehman moved on to Providence, where he won a national title in 2015. I mean, how important was it to get Lehman and Providence to mess up? I mean, the teams have only played twice since he left union, and they're both games at neutral sites, including the 2014 east regional final. That union got one to get to the frozen four.
[00:16:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I think this is fitting to have him come back and, you know, to open up the season with, you know, him being on the bench. You know, he's. He's done so much for the program and, um, you know, when you. When you look at, you know, those. Those teams that were, you know, contending for national championships, his fingerprints are all over him. So I think it's a, you know, a cool way to start the season. And, you know, I. They're going to be really good, so it'll be a good test for us early.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Have you have. Is he excited? Have you talked to him about it?
[00:16:41] Speaker C: You know, just mostly. Just kind of. Just about the dates, I think, you know, but, you know, he was, you know, he was excited to come back and to play.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Also coming back with Providence is assistant coach Joel Beale, who played for union from 22,001 to 2005, and he was assistant coach for the team from 2011 to 13. How much you know about Joel? Have you talked to him on the recruiting trail?
[00:17:02] Speaker C: Yeah, for, you know, you see him out a lot, and he's a. You know, he's a good person. He's, you know, you see him. He's always got a smile on his face and, you know, he. You know, when I have questions about union, a lot of times I'll reach out to him. So he's. He's been a great resource for us and appreciative. Everything he still does for the program.
[00:17:18] Speaker A: After that exhibition game on that Saturday, the next day you play, you open a regular season with Army west point at Mesa, and other highlights of the schedule include the three games against RPI, the league games October 25, at RPI, and October 26 at union, and the mayor's cup game January 25 at MVP arena. You have a game at frozen four finalist Boston University on October 12, and teams that union hasn't faced in a while. Mercy hears Alaska, Fairbanks, and Niagara are on the schedule. And, of course, the final regular season weekend at Mesa will be February 28 against Cornell. And then that's, course, Mike Schaefer's final appearance at Mesa, and then the final regular season game March 1 against Colgate. What do you like about the schedule?
[00:17:59] Speaker C: Well, I think it's a variety of, you know, different opponents and, you know, teams that play a lot, you know, a lot of different ways. I think, you know, to be able to go and, you know, start off with Providence and then, you know, you know, in a couple weeks, go to bu, and then, you know, get Vermont as well. Like, you're gonna get some hockey east opponents. You're gonna get some, you know, non conference or, you know, teams without a conference in Alaska and Stone Hill for a game, and then, you know, some atlantic hockey opposition. So I think it's a little bit of everything.
And again, I think some teams in there that are going to be pretty good this year.
[00:18:30] Speaker A: Yeah. There is some progress at the construction of the Mohawk harbor arena. Have you seen what is going on there? It looks like there's an elevator tower there.
[00:18:38] Speaker C: Yeah, it's really. So when everything's going down, it's not as exciting as when things are going up. So to see that the elevator shaft and that kind of moving forward, I think, is. Is pretty cool. And, you know, it's really good for, you know, we get some recruits here on campus in the next couple weeks, and they can actually see, you know, stuff going up.
[00:18:55] Speaker A: Yeah, the weather's been kind of good, so hopefully, you know, we'll start seeing some steel put up, too.
[00:18:59] Speaker C: Yeah, it'd be nice to get, you know, just keep pushing and keep going with it.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: Yeah. The celebration of the 2014 national championship team will take place July 19 and 20th. The team will be honored at Saratoga race course on the 19th. And on the 20th, there is the golf outing in the morning and in celebration of in the afternoon. How much, Laura, are you looking forward to that?
[00:19:20] Speaker C: Well, I think it'll be great just for me to, you know, meet some of, you know, that team face to face and, you know, to see them and celebrate with them. Obviously, it's a great accomplishment, what they did and, you know, what they've done for the school. So to get them back and honor them is going to be. Is going to be a lot of fun.
[00:19:36] Speaker A: Do we know who's coming back?
[00:19:37] Speaker C: At this point, I think the majority of the team is confirmed except for two players, so it's pretty much everybody, so. But there are still spots open for the golf tournament. If people are looking to get in.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: Where can they sign up?
[00:19:50] Speaker C: That's just on our website. And then again, you can also talk to Kelly Hayes in our office.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: Any chance you talk to Mike Beck? You know, bring the Calder cup to the building?
[00:20:00] Speaker C: I know he's got some bobbleheads and sticks for us. I know for the audience.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: He's got his own brand now. He's making some money off of that.
[00:20:07] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm glad he's using. Using the union degree as well, so he's.
But excited to get him back.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Can you. Let's talk about some recruiting. Is there anything you can share with us on that?
[00:20:17] Speaker C: Just, you know, we got the guys all signed. It's a good class coming in, excited about, you know, those. Those guys coming in. I think, you know, it kind of starts, you know, with like, you know, I guess I. You know, Riley Brewick is going to be a, you know, a big power forward for us who will be a nice player. I think you look at, you know, you know, Ben Muthersba, who can really score. That was playing in Cedar Rapids, you know, Drew Sutton, Lucas Buzzio down the middle. Like there's. There's some guys that can make plays and, you know, help us up front because obviously we lost some. Some forwards.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Yeah, the transfer portal, you really didn't get hurt by that. That much. Just two players going on, including Kaden v eight who really hadn't. Yeah. No, this choice in there because there's no graduate programs at union.
[00:21:01] Speaker C: Yeah. Billy Eamonn, you can't lose Kaden.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: No, my bad, my bad.
[00:21:06] Speaker C: Yeah, no. Yeah, there's no option for Villi as far as with him graduating, so wish him the best at Bowling Green. And, you know, he's. He'll be missed as well.
[00:21:15] Speaker A: One less Josh to be around the campus. There is the announcement on Saturday that Josh Kiva is leaving as Union women's head coach to take an assistant coaching position with PWHL New York. I mean, how happy are you for him and how much will you miss him around the rank?
[00:21:30] Speaker C: You know, really happy for him. And I just think the growth of the women's game is, you know, it's. You know, it's an exciting time and for him to kind of get in at the ground level and really, you know, build a program there, you know, with New York is, is great and, you know, definitely going to miss them. It's, it's tough, you know, because you don't, you have a good partner and, you know, we had a really good relationship and, you know, won't have, have those talks anymore, bounce ideas off each other, but, you know, again, chance for someone else to come in and step up and look and see who they go with in that position.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Of course, we always encourage our listeners to forward questions. And Michael York, who's a union alum and a fine citizen of Philadelphia, he writes, is there an end year plan for becoming more competitive in d one hockey and perhaps getting another ECAC hockey championship and then moving on to the big dance?
[00:22:18] Speaker C: You know, I think that, like, when you look at it, I don't know if there's a year plan, but you take a look at, you know, where maybe where we were two years ago when we were kind of gutted from the transfer portal and, you know, we, we got, we got a little lucky in the players that we were able to get right away just because there was, there wasn't a big class and we had to grab a bunch of guys and that, those are going to be our juniors this year. So we've kind of grown with them. You take a look at the juniors and going to be seniors, those guys are going to be key for us now. And we've been a young hockey team the last couple years and now we're getting a little bit older and you're going to see those guys mature. So I, you know, I'm not going to sit here and say we're winning the ACAC championship for next season, but that's going to be our goal. And I think it's, it's more realistic than it was the last two years is to keep taking steps. So, you know, we're going to try to get to that top four and, you know, be fighting for an NCAA bid. But, you know, really, I think we're maybe ahead of where we thought we were going to be in the sense of just because that sophomore class going to be juniors, like the rising juniors, they're, they're just ahead of where we thought they would be. So we're excited about right now and, and we want to be at a spot where we're consistently competing to be in that top four of ECAC.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: Any prospect camps in the NHL starting up soon and. Anybody going to those camps?
[00:23:37] Speaker C: Yeah, just, just John Pro cop is going to be at Las Vegas.
[00:23:42] Speaker A: It came out on Tuesday. The ECAC, all academic teams, 21 members of union made that list. Ethan Benz, Brandon Burr, Kyle Chauvette, Colin Ferguson, Billy Eminent, Jacob Jeannette, Nathan Kelly, Carter Korpi Cal Mel. Joseph Messina, Josh Nixon, Josh Phillips, Eli Pilsoff, Jon Prokop, Alex Axel Reed, Thomas Richter, Chaz Smedru, Ben Tupker, Kaden Villegas, Tyler Watkins and Nick Young. How proud are you, those 21 men?
[00:24:14] Speaker C: Yeah, thrilled for those guys to do that. And, you know, it's an exciting time when you look at it and, you know, we had two guys that left after the, you know, the season to go in the transfer portal. So really we had 26 guys that were eligible for that. And to have 21 of the 26, I think he says, says volumes.
[00:24:29] Speaker A: And Chaz, a five time member of the COVID years, so how proud of you, Chaz.
[00:24:35] Speaker C: Yeah, just what he did for us. And then, you know what actually what he did in pro hockey after is huge. But just to continue his, you know, his achievements in the classroom again, just a tremendous person and will be missed.
[00:24:47] Speaker A: Well, Josh, enjoy the rest of the summer. I know we'll have. You'll be back on during the season and looking forward to doing that.
Actually. Can't wait for the puck to drop. I know it's NHL season. I'm thinking about it. Speaking of the NHL season, what are your thoughts about the Stanley cup final?
[00:25:01] Speaker C: Yeah, I was. I mean, so I was able to go to game five of Florida and Tampa Bay in the first round when we were down at the coach's convention and so started kind of cheering for Florida just because of that. So I was happy that they won and for that series to go the finals, to go seven games was, was a lot of fun and good for the sport.
[00:25:19] Speaker A: And now we're in drafts and our free agency frenzy, so it's crazy time. But again, Josh, appreciate it. A few minutes. We'll do this again once the season gets rolling. The puck drops in October. Actually can't wait to get going here. I'm ready for hockey.
[00:25:31] Speaker C: Yeah, it can't come soon enough, so. But enjoy your summer as well, I think.
[00:25:34] Speaker A: Appreciate it. That's Josh Algae. Coming up, we'll have Josh Sciba will talk about his departure from Union women's hockey to become an assistant coach with PWHL New York. You're listening to the parting shots podcast.
[00:26:01] Speaker D: Speed, skill. Physicality. Home to college hockeys, elite teams, coaches and student athletes. ECAC hockey. Twelve programs competing at the highest level. A league where champions are born and world class professionals are trained where history is abundant and a commitment to the cutting edge is unrivaled. The best facilities, the fiercest competition, ECAC hockey. There's no experience like it.
[00:26:32] Speaker A: Hi, this is John McGraw, the voice.
[00:26:34] Speaker C: Of Colgate hockey on ESPN. Plus, you're listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shaw.
[00:26:43] Speaker A: Welcome back to the podcast on Saturday, June 29 and kind of unusual time to announce somebody leaving a job in college sports. But it happened and union announced that Josh Sceba, their women's hot coach for eight years, was leaving the program. He's going to the pro ranks.
Josh is joining his former boss at Colgate, Greg Fargo, and he'll be the assistant coach for the professional women Hockey leagues team in New York. It's a great opportunity for Josh and of course we said Josh spent eight seasons guiding the Garner charge. Of course, before that, the dutch women union finally got to the playoffs last year. ECS Yaqui tournament. All twelve teams made the tournament this past season.
So I had a chance to talk to Josh about the move and his time at union. Here's my conversation with Josh. Kiba.
Sure. First of all, congratulations on this. How does come up?
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Well, I mean, I obviously had an opportunity come knocking with Greg Fargo taken over at PWL New York and we got to discussing the opportunity and obviously it was time for me to talk with my family and my wife and just understand what the whole position looked like. And there's a lot of different elements, as you can imagine, to it. So I think ultimately we decided to take advantage of it and to be able to work with someone that I consider a mentor and someone that I've worked with in the past and to coach professional hockey was something that I couldn't pass up. And it just was honestly really exciting.
[00:28:32] Speaker A: Did that make the move easier? Cause you had worked with Greg at Colgate.
[00:28:37] Speaker B: Well, I think the first thing I think about is our players here at union. And I think it's extremely difficult to be able to tell them that you're leaving and to depart a program, especially at this time. You know, when we're getting, we have scholarships, we're getting a new facility, you're doing a lot of things to celebrate a lot of those things. So it's really difficult to look your players in the face and say, hey, I'm going to leave all of this and go to another job. So I think to me that's really difficult. But to see what's on the other end of that, to coach pro hockey, to have an opportunity to fulfill some career aspirations, to work with someone that you know and you trust and you believe in is certainly intriguing and, you know, really, really exciting for me. So, you know, kind of bittersweet in some ways, but, but also really exciting. And I think really looking forward to what's next.
[00:29:29] Speaker A: Yeah, talk about this. I mean, the PWH just completed its first season, had a dramatic finish in their final.
Minnesota ends up winning. I mean, they almost won in game four overtime goal, which got taken away, and then they had to go to Boston to win game five. What is this talk about how exciting this league is? I mean, with, with having a women's hockey league like this? Yeah. Well, I think it's.
[00:29:53] Speaker B: It's something now that, I think it's completely changed our landscape as college coaches and college players. Right. It's. It's now a viable option where you talk with recruits, you talk with your players, and playing professional hockey is something that they want to do. And it's so refreshing to hear them say that. And it's. It's honestly awesome to see that there's a platform, too, for them to be able to do it. So to see what the, the league did in year one and to see the sold out buildings, to see the matchups, to see, you know, people on television winning a Walter cup championship and understanding what that feels like. Everybody's following, everybody's following on social media. They're at games. I know our players went to games here at union.
It's just exciting. And I think to see that it's something that has sustainability and a league that's going to continue to grow and obviously, hopefully one day expanded is exciting. And that's, to me, that's the draw. Like you, you want to push yourself and you want to challenge yourself to be able to coach the best players in the world. And that's something that I wanted to do and has been fortunate to get this opportunity.
[00:31:00] Speaker A: How would you characterize your eight seasons at union?
[00:31:05] Speaker B: I think for me, it's been all about the players. I think it's all been, you know, slow and steady growth. I think, you know, certainly I would love to continue to find ways to win more games, but I'm proud of the time that we've spent here. I think we've found a way to grow and develop. Myself, our staff has gone on to different places to become head coaches or to great opportunities that have been here.
Our players have gotten better and I think, you know, it's just continuing to find a way to make our program better. So I think for me, while we might not see the wins and, you know, that success ultimately right now, I think what we've done is created a really good foundation for the next person to take over, and I think the best years are yet to come for union women's hockey.
[00:31:52] Speaker A: Is there anybody on the staff you'd like to see take over?
[00:31:57] Speaker B: I think. I think that's. I think they're both great people. I hope that Chris and Liv can stay there, whether it be as a head coach or in their current roles as an assistant job. I think both of them are great people, and to me, it's tough to leave them. I work every day with them.
They are people that I really respect. I really love just collaborating with, and I think that the players love being around them. So to me, it's exciting that hopefully they have an opportunity to stay there, but I think they hopefully would cherish and relish that opportunity to continue to be part of union.
[00:32:36] Speaker A: Is there one particular memory that stands out for you?
[00:32:40] Speaker B: Oh, man, there's so many. I think you think about just having games where you come back from, you know, four goals down, you win a game or three goals down. There's the win that we had in my first year when we beat Penn State and, you know, we snapped that, I think 55 game losing streak, which for the program, just knowing what that meant was something special.
You know, certainly, obviously, all the, all the times that we beat ranked opponents and finding ways to get first, I mean, there's so many different, those milestones. But, you know, for me, I just enjoyed the players, like being. Being around the players and having an opportunity to coach them every day and seeing their growth through four years, which I know can be cliche at times, but when you see someone come in as a freshman and you see what they're like when they graduate and understanding how much they've grown as a person and just being able to be a small part of that as a coach is something special. And to me, having my family here and having my family be a part of that, it's really all my family knows. You know, it's union college. And to me, that's the best part of every day. You know, there's going to be different challenges, there's going to be different experiences.
And I loved every day just being able to have that quest to understand, hey, how can I do this? How can I make better decisions? How can I be a better coach for my players?
[00:34:00] Speaker A: As you mentioned, with the new arena coming next season and then the scholarships being phasing me how excited you for that. But, but how much are you going to miss being a part of that?
[00:34:14] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, definitely going to miss being, being part of that. I think, you know, this has happened twice now. Where I left, I left Colgate, they get a new rank and now I leave union to get a new facility as well. Right. So, yeah, definitely going to miss that. I think having those opportunities, knowing that the caliber of players that are going to continue to join union college, knowing the new facility is going to be there and just, just understanding how exciting that is for the, for the school and the program and what kind of, you know, what kind of joyous going to bring to everybody. It's something I'll definitely, you know, miss for sure, but, you know, I think I'll be following from afar and I think I'll always be watching all of our players, always going to be an outlet for them if they need anything.
And I'm sure they'll be, you know, they'll be following me and, you know, Peter, Rachel, New York as well. So definitely going to miss it again, bittersweet, but I'm happy that I think they'll be in great hands with whoever takes over and the staff that's already here in place.
[00:35:09] Speaker A: Is there, I mean, in talking to the players, did you get any sense that obviously the technique, technically the transfer portal is closed, but if a coach leaves, that sort of allows the players to enter the portal? I mean, is there, has there been any talk about maybe players leaving, entering the portal?
[00:35:26] Speaker B: No. No. I mean, we just, you know, informed our team here this afternoon right before everything went public. And, you know, I think when we talk to the recruits, when we talk to our team, I mean, they chose to come to union for a variety of reasons. Right. And we want to make sure that those continue to hold true. And obviously the coach that comes in is going to have to assess options for future classes and what they want to do. But, yeah, from our perspective, I mean, union is what they chose and what they, they're here for, you know, specific reasons. And I would have to imagine that there's going to be, you know, a large portion of them that are going to stay and want to be part of this. I think our teams, to me, the best culture that we've had going through the spring term and going into next year that we've ever had, I think we have the best leadership group. I think we're going to have one of the better teams on paper that we've had with ten new faces and I think, you know, looking at recruiting out, you know, for the next couple years, I think our team's going to get better and better. So to me, I think they'll be excited for that. I think they'll be don't brace the change. And you know, if there are people that end up.
[00:36:41] Speaker A: I'll be back to wrap up the podcast and have the latest winner in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest. You're listening to the Farting Shots podcast.
[00:37:17] Speaker E: If you really want to know what's going on in your community, you have to read the Daily Gazette. We don't take a side. We're right down the middle and we're going to get to the truth. Our reporters and photographers are out in the field bringing you updates every minute with trust, accuracy and integrity from the first page to the last page. Independent, probing journalism. We're finding out what's going on in the community where nobody else is covering. It's who we are. It's what we do.
[00:37:48] Speaker C: Hi, this is Tri City Valley cat president Rick Murphy.
[00:37:50] Speaker B: You're listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken shot.
[00:37:56] Speaker A: Back to wrap up the podcast. The week 19 winner in the Daily Gazette's auto racing contest was Melody Krahula of Schenectady with 30 points. Melody wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations, Melody. The vip winner was Dwayne Leach of all season's equipment with five points. I'll announce the auto racing contest's winner's name and that winner's name will appear in Saturday's Daily Gazette. To play, go to dailyGazette.com and click on the auto racing contest banner. Just because Covid-19 mandates are easing, that does not mean you should relax. Be vigilant. If you have not gotten vaccinated or received a booster shot, please do so. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, and do it for your friends.
That wraps up another edition of the Party Shots podcast. I want to thank Josh Halji and Josh Sceba for coming.
Next week, the Saratoga horse racing season gets underway. Gazette horse racing writer Mike McGaddam will join me for his weekly at the track with Mac segment. If you have questions for Mike, email them to me at shot. That's schottellegazette.com. that's also where you can have email your questions or comments about the podcast. You can follow me on x and threads at slapshots.
The views expressed on the parting shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Daily Gazette Company. I'm Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schatz. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you next time from the pawning shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day. Good hockey. Good July 4.
