Athletic Director's Blog

Darrin Madeley  - I am a former NHL player and Division I, two time 1st Team All-American and 1992 College Player of the Year.  I started working at LFA in 2005 after coaching the USA National Team Development Program (NTDP) where I was part of four World Championships where Team USA won two Golds and one Silver. Prior to retiring, I played for the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and Detroit Vipers of the IHL.  I also played in Europe with TPS Turku (Finnish Elite League) and Rosenheim (German Elite League). I earned a bachelor’s degree in physical and health education from Lake Superior State University and a teaching certificate (K–12) from Saginaw Valley State University where I graduated Cum Laude. I coach the Prep Hockey and Softball Teams at the Academy. I live on campus with my wife Jennifer and we have two LFA graduates Jenna ’11 and Tyler ’14.

The Prep Hockey team at Lake Forest Academy provides its athletes with an opportunity to develop as individuals while preparing them for the next level of hockey after high school. The players are challenged to achieve academic success alongside improvement on the ice both as individuals and as a unit. The team practices five days a week or so beginning in the fall through playoffs in February. The amount of time that the team spends together forges strong bonds among the players. One of the team’s captains, Will Soloway , said his favorite part about being on Prep this year has “definitely been how close our team is.” He commented how the team is “all very committed” and how “this feels like one of the closest groups I’ve been a part of in my entire hockey career.”  Lake Forest Academy is a member of the Midwest Prep Hockey League, or “MPHL”, with LFA being the only team in Illinois. The other schools in the MPHL are located in Vermont, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada. League games ar

There are times as a coach that you know you were dealt a really good hand and these past two years Andrew Poska, Tyler Madeley and I have been given players that understand adversity, loyalty, and character. Last year they stayed loyal but forgot how to play the game of ice hockey the way it needs to be played. When you spend the year scrimmaging against your friends, you lose the intensity and grit that comes with the game. These first four months have been up and down due to understanding the game as well as teams cancelling or not being able to travel the first 6 weeks. This weekend saw it all come together while overcoming even more adversity. The team travelled to St. Catherine’s Ontario Canada for 3 games. Defending MPHL Champions Ridley for 2 and Ontario Hockey Academy for 1 game. The trip started with a 13.5 hr ordeal where the kids got to Buffalo at 130am and crossed the border the next morning. After checking in and then lunch and a quick nap, the kids faced off against Ridl

The Prep team kicked off the MPHL season in Vermont on October 29th and it was beyond what the expectations were going in. On Friday morning, the team squared off with St. Francis out of Buffalo and the adrenaline kicked in quickly. Masen Culley and Mathieu Fehr had 2 goals each and Will Soloway, Ben Snyderman and Owen Hardy had the others. Ian Vandenberg stopped all 21 shots for a 7-0 win. The next stop was Gilmour Academy. The boys played a very nervous 1st period and trailed 2-0. The second period saw a much different team and Scott Daniel scored to make it 2-1. The Caxy’s carried the play all period but could not score on 16 shots and then an unfortunate bounce made it 3-1 Gilmour after 2. Gilmour started the 3rd with a 5 on 3 and converted on a great pass to make it 4-1. That’s when the game turned and for the next 14 minutes the Caxy’s dominated play and came back to make it 4-3 but that’s as close as we got and lost 5-3. Charlie Campbell stopped 27 of 32 shots and Tommy Enrietto

  9 effective teaching methods for coaches U nderstanding your passion for the sport first . Setting the stage for teaching . The importance of  why Fundamentals first, then complex . Use the whole-part method . Effective motivation . The hoopla of success . Model what you preach . Encourage crossover athletes . Source Coach & A.D. (coachad.com) LINK TO ARTICLE