> Published Tuesday, December 16, 1997
>
> Mankato State's Brose perfect for the job
>
> John Millea / Star Tribune
>
> MANKATO, Minn. -- While he enjoys his team's success and looks forward to more
> good things, coach Don Brose can't help but think about all the others who have helped
> build the Mankato State hockey program.
>
> "People have asked me, 'Is this the greatest season you've ever had?' I stumble a little bit
> and I say no, I'd really be doing a discredit to my former players who played outdoors and
> who won a national championship."
>
> That kind of devotion is one of many reasons for Brose's success in
> his 29 years directing the team. He began the program, guided its
> growth toward Division I and now has brought it to the verge of
> membership in the WCHA.
>
> "It would have been foolish for us to even consider a different
> coach," Mavericks athletic director Don Amiot said. "And whether
> you're a Division III coach or Division II or Division I, the Xs and
> Os are basically the same."
>
> Brose, 57, a native of St. Louis Park, lettered in hockey, baseball
> and football at Concordia-Moorhead. He coached freshman
> baseball as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, and
> coached baseball and football for one year at Heron Lake (Minn.)
> High School before going to Mankato State in 1965. But hockey has always been
> special.
>
> "I've coached three sports," he said, "and when you blow the whistle at the end of practice
> in two of them, the kids are gone. In hockey, you can't get them off the ice. That hasn't
> changed."
>
> His players, past and present, say Brose also has remained the same. He knew long ago
> where he wanted the Mavericks hockey program to go, and he never wavered in his quest
> to take it to Division I.
>
> "He's the driving force," said assistant coach Troy Jutting, a Richfield native who, like his
> brothers Todd and Trent, played for Brose in the 1980s. "He's had a vision since the day I
> got here, and he's unwavering."
>
> Current players applaud Brose for his combination of coaching and friendship.
>
> "He can be tough. If you step out of line, he'll put you back in line. But otherwise he's
> pretty easygoing," said Jasen Rintala, a senior captain from Calumet, Mich.
>
> Gophers coach Doug Woog, whose team plays the Mavericks for the first time Jan. 2-3 at
> Mariucci Arena, wishes Brose the best. "I think with Donnie, he's worked all those years
> and now he's finally getting some fruits and having some fun," he said. "I'm happy for him."
 
--
            \\\/////
            / ^   _ \
           ( (o) (o) )
 *====oOOO=====(_)=====OOOo====*
 |        Kevin L. Ames        |
 *=============================*
 |     [log in to unmask]     |
 |      [log in to unmask]      |
 *================Oooo.========*
           .oooO  (   |
           (   )   ) /
            \ (   (_/
             \_)
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.