LEBANON — Coaching changes in high school sports can sometimes come with restructuring and discord between coach and players, but neither should hinder Dan McGee as he takes charge of the Lebanon-Stephens Kearsarge girls ice hockey team this winter.
The 50-year-old Lebanon native will replace former Raiders player and men's hockey assistant coach Mike Sheehan, who led the team to a 13-7 record last season.
Seventh-seeded LSK was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the NHIAA playoffs by eventual champion Hanover, but is 31-24 over the past three years.
Lebanon-Stephens-Kearsarge has won the most games in recent memory and has the deepest roster. McGee, the father of promising sophomore defenseman Julia McGee, takes over a team that graduated three impact players and should have three goalies to choose from. Still, he sees challenges ahead.
“We only have a few girls eligible in seventh and eighth grade, so unless players move here or the co-op changes, we have a problem,” McGee said. “The numbers are pretty dire, to be honest.”
Hanover and Hartford girls ice hockey teams have dealt with the same problems that have plagued LSK in the past. While it's not uncommon for players to take up the sport as freshmen, players for youth programs are harder to find. Freshman Biff Maher, Lebanon's best player last winter, announced his intention to play for high school after the season ended.
McGee is part of a Lebanon-based high school hockey advocacy group that formed last year but said there's no clear answer for how to increase local participation in the expensive sport.
“How do we increase participation?” he asked rhetorically. “We're trying to show that there is a hockey community in Lebanon and provide the best experience possible. We hope that kids and families will come and see it and get involved.”
McGehee graduated from Lebanon College in 1992, then went on to Bates College in Maine and began his career with a local technology services company. His son Will played hockey at Lebanon, and his younger sister Gwen played at Kimball Union Academy.
Dan McGee, who retired from full-time work last year, said he was able to consider working in Lebanon because it didn't require him to travel for work, and after coaching children's teams at various stages, he said the girls' pack was more appealing.
“They just approach instruction differently than the boys,” he said. “I figured there wouldn't be many applicants and I thought I could provide a good experience.”
Meeting player and parent expectations is a lot of pressure for high school coaches of all sports, and McGehee said he tries to quell any potential anxiety by using clear communication.
“The quickest way to have an issue with a parent is to have an issue with the team,” McGee said. “They're in high school, so they're old enough to have conversations with me as a coach as a young person and as an adult. I schedule one-on-one meetings, and if the player doesn't say anything, then that's fine.”
“Transparency is important, but you can never please every parent. It's not possible.”
But for now, it's slick ice ahead.
“Winter sports are a huge commitment, so you have to enjoy it,” McGehee said. “You have to feel like you're improving and that your team is improving.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com
