07/06/10 - SPRINGFIELD, MO - Back for his second stint with the Missouri State Ice Bears, Tony Dunseith will take over the reigns of the Division 2 team starting with the 2010-2011 hockey season.

An assistant coach with the Ice Bears for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons under Benjamin Alexander (119-76-9 from 2001-2007) it's a change in circumstance that gives the Springfield resident the opportunity to return to coaching college hockey.

"Working with the team, administration, and players was very rewarding, unfortunately other commitments did not allow me to continue," said the USA Hockey Master Level coach.

"I have missed the opportunity to coach the team and help to develop the program," stated Dunseith. " Today the timing is great for me personally."

"First and foremost I believe in the MSU Ice Bear Program. (General Manager) Stan Melton, (Assistant General Manager) Curt Bussen and many others need to be recognized for running one of the best ACHA D2 and D3 programs in the country," Dunseith said about his new job. Just the fourth coach in Missouri State Hockey history, Dunseith follows Mike Schroeder's two seasons behind the bench during the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons. Schroeder lead the Ice Bears to a 41-33-2 record, one Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) Semi-Final Tournament appearance, one Championship appearance, and an American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Regional Tournament appearance.

Ice Bears Coach Tony Dunseith

"We appreciate Coach Schroeder's willingness to commute from St. Louis to help the Missouri State Hockey program over the past two seasons and what he has accomplished in such a short time with the team," said Melton.

Having a local coach will be a big plus for Missouri State who will have a tutor that hopes to continue the same winning philosophy and take the game to a higher level. That level Dunseith says starts in practice.

"Personally, I think most of the coaching is done during the week at practices and game time is where it is simply implemented and adjusted to fit the situation," explains Dunseith.  "Practice plans will be strong with specific intent and motivation and this will be the key to our success this year."

One problem teams have is playing a full 60 minutes of hockey. The Ice Bears are no strangers to this infliction, evidenced in a 4-3 overtime loss to the University of Arkansas last season, but Dunseith has a plan to cope with the possibility.

"We will design an off-ice 'dry land' program to help jump start the fitness level for the season," Dunseith states. "I would like to find a way to measure fitness levels at the first of the year and periodically check and show the players' results.  Measured results, good or bad, are a real motivator!"

He does however admit most of the practices can’t all be fun.

"Legs and desire are what get you through the third period.  I am a big fan of 'one on one' drills in practice that allow for a lot of creativity.  This type of drill, when implemented properly, provides personal player motivation and thus the competitiveness of the drills improve fitness in a manner that is more enjoyable," says Dunseith. 

	For the first time in six seasons the goaltending duties are up for grabs after the graduation of Mike Poepping (Career: 53-38-1, 7 SO, 90.1 SvPct, 3.25 GGA) who was also elected to the 2009-2010 ACHA European Select Team. Poepping along with Nic Zamora combined for an '08-'09 team record 203:32 shutout streak during a four game span from November 7-15, 2008.
Mike Poepping in his final game as an Ice Bear

The team has also seen netminders Mike Brown (2004-2005 to 2007-2008) and Kevin Rekowski (2003-2004 to 2006-2007) play during winning Ice Bear seasons.

Both combined to create a strange situation on September 30, 2006 during a 5-4 loss in a shoot-out to the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos. Rekowski played 60 minutes, and after a scoreless 5-minute overtime, the game went into a shoot out.

Alexander elected to put Brown in the net. Both teams traded scores and it came down to a sudden death shoot-out with the Bronchos' AJ Alfrey putting the puck over Brown's shoulder for the win. Brown became the goaltender of record, given the loss, and did not face an official shot in the game.

"I was coaching when we had three strong goalies that at anytime could play well and help control the game.  This year we are wide open.  We have some good recruits that we will be paying a lot of attention to during our mini camps.  I am optimistic that we will have a strong goalie group again this year," says Dunseith.

Veteran goaltender Zamora looks to take the lead in nets and is one player familiar with an aggressive playing style, something that Dunseith says will be part of his philosophy this season. "I like aggressive defensive players when they play within a predefined system and communicate well with our forwards," says Dunseith.
	Goaltender Nic Zamora went 3-1 during '09-'10

"My personal style is to incorporate the defense into a very strong offence. Certainly this can put more pressure on a goalie so we will have to work on the trade off’s between defense and goal scoring."

The new bench boss says he will be looking to improve upon the slow power play start last season (10% eventually ending up at 24.4%) by searching for the right combinations during practices, something Dunseith says will have to be earned.

"Our practice plans will be focused with intent, and that includes working on the power play and penalty kill.  Finding the right defensive and offensive pairings and groupings will be earned and defined," says Dunseith. 

He feels being a part of either the penalty kill or power play units equal more ice time. 

"The guys that step up and produce results week in and week out will be part of these 'special teams.'  They are a critical part of the game and I will look for the right guys who will be in these positions."

Ultimately Dunseith is looking to unite both the Division 2 and Division 3 teams toward a common goal of winning.

"One of my first goals is to work closely with Tim Tobin and the MSU Ice Bear Administration and unite the program, making our efforts benefit both the D2 and the D3 teams," Dunseith explains.

"Setting expectations of the program the teams and the individual players will help create this unity.  It is clear that we have had and will continue to have talented players want to play for the Ice Bears.  These players have been coached well and individually are very skilled," says Dunseith. He adds, "I want to  merge these individual skill sets and play as a team exploiting our strengths by putting the right skill sets together in the right place and time."

Now, as season 10 draws near, the time has come for a new ice age.

05/01/10 - SPRINGFIELD, MO - Several new teams and new rivalries are on the 2010-2011 schedule for the 10th Missouri State Ice Bears hockey season. Along with the regular Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) league foes including the University of Iowa, University of Missouri, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, Saint Louis University, and Illinois State, the Ice Bears will open at home for the first time since the 2004-2005 season. (Click here for the Ice Bears 2010-2011 Schedule)

They will host the Iowa Hawkeyes, ranked 8th in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Central Division in 2009-2010 on September 17th and 18th, the earliest start since a meeting with the University of Missouri on September 17th, 2004.

Also scheduled is a home and home series with the Lindenwood Lions, ranked 4th in the ACHA Central Division, who also won 2 games in round robin play at the 2010 National Finals in Simsbury, Connecticut from March 17th to the 19th, and finished ranked 7th in the ACHA final standings.

Missouri State will also play newcomer Loyola University - Chicago (from MACHA Silver) who is replacing Eastern Illinois University in the MACHA Gold Division.

The University of Illinois Illini will head to Mediacom Ice Park for a pair of games during homecoming week on October 22nd and 23rd and the following week the Ice Bears will host the University of Arkansas, with hopes of avenging a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ice Hogs last season.

Road games this season will include a trip to Ferris State, Northern Illinois, and the traditional games with the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos in Oklahoma City.

Other stops include the University of Kansas before the winter break in December, Illinois State, and a new twin-bill with the University of Kentucky and their well known "Midnight Madness" games on February 11th and 12, 2011.

JV TEAM MOVES TO DIVISION 3

It was announced at the team's annual banquet that the Ice Bears JV Team will move to ACHA Division 3 and officially be called "the D3 Team".

"This will be a great move for the D3 team as they will now be able to challenge for a National Championship," said Ice Bears General Manager Stan Melton.

With over 280 teams in Division 2, it has become difficult for teams in Division 2 to rank in the top 10 spots of the Central Division and guarantee a trip to the ACHA Regionals, a qualifying tournament, for a bid to the National Championship tournament.