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Coach, transplants fuel Quake
By Richard Reeder
This document was published online on Wednesday, January 07, 2009
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| Corey Denback (left) is one of a dozen players from Michigan coach Marty Quarters recruited to play for the Yellowstone Quake. (Photo by Sara Loven) |
This year, the Miami Dolphins provided the NFL with a great “worst-to-first story.”
In much the same way, the Yellowstone Quake are doing the same in the Nor Pac Junior Hockey League standings.
After back-to-back years of less than five wins, the Quake are 22-6 and in first place.
The change has been directly related to a change in coaches last summer. Marty Quarters was hired to replace Tim Tookey.
“It was a mutual decision with Tim that a change was needed,” Quake board member Bob Bole said. “The board was looking at the accomplishments, and we knew we had good kids.
“It was a tough decision considering we had a strong relationship with Tim,” he added. “But the results were not there, and we needed something. The coach is the key to any success.”
Quarters came to the Quake on the recommendation of Nor Pac commissioner Mike Butters.
“We were at a meeting in Bozeman, and I was talking to Bob Bole and Tom Fitzsimmons and told them Marty was a good candidate,” Butters, who owns the Helena Bighorns, said. “He’s a great recruiter with ties to the best hockey leagues in the Midwest.
“He works hard, and he does a good job of getting guys to come back here and play,” he added. “It’s tough for me to be too happy because right now they are becoming our biggest rival, but it’s great to see the progress.”
Quarters said he was ready for the challenge when he came to Cody.
“The first thing I knew I had to do was change the atmosphere around the team,” the Detroit native said. “I wanted to build and develop a winning tradition and pride.
“Cody is a proud town that’s close knit and works hard,” he added. “I wanted the team to have those same attributes and be a reflection of the community.”
Quarters knew recruiting was his top priority.
“I talked to Tom Fitzsimmons, and he asked me if I could recruit,” Quarters said. “The board had reached out to other successful teams and had been told that’s the key to building a great team.
“I worked in Cleveland when they were in last place, and we built the team up because the coach used to say ‘you can’t make chicken salad from chicken crap,’” he added. “You can be a great coach, but without good players, you’re nothing, so I told him to let me show him I could do it.”
Quarters ended up recruiting mainly in the Midwest because of the Quake’s troubling record.
“It wasn’t easy at first because I tried recruiting in the traditional areas close to here,” he said. “But I wasn’t getting any response because of the record. So I switched gears and went back to the Midwest where I had some success.”
Former player and current assistant coach Jordan McTaggart said the team’s makeup has changed.
“You can feel it in the rink and around the town,” he said. “The guys are a good group, and everyone is playing for each other.
“Marty has brought the team together and really built them together,” he added. “When they get along off the ice then it means they will be better on the ice.”
Cody Suder is in his second year with the team and said things have changed for the better.
“Everything is different because this team has real skill and determination,” he said. “Last year we had a few of us willing to work hard, but there were others, including the coach sometimes, who didn’t work so hard, and it showed.”
The Quake’s poor performance almost soured Suder on playing here again.
“I thought about just going to school, but I didn’t really want to do that,” he said. “Coach let me come and try out, and I said if I made it, I would come back and play.
“Last year, guys seemed to get along well, but it didn’t show,” he added. “This team comes together on the ice, and it’s fun to watch.”
Butters said the Quake’s success has been good for the league.
“We like to see all the teams do well because that makes everyone better,” he said. “They have really gotten stronger, and that will help the other teams improve to keep up.”
Bole said the Quake board is pleased with the results so far.
“We knew we needed three things from the coach,” he said. “He needed to recruit to build the team, they needed to be tough and have refined skills, and they needed to be in condition.
“We’re convinced we’re getting all three from Marty and this team is showing that,” he added. “The community deserves a good team, and we all love what we are doing.”
Quarters said the team is focused on its goals.
“We aren’t just trying to get to the playoffs because if that’s all we say we want, that’s all we’ll get,” he said. “Our goal is to make nationals, and the players are excited about that.
“They know it will open doors for them and help them with their future,” he added. “But they also want to bring a title back to town and let Cody celebrate that.”
Quarters is most proud of his team off the ice.
“I’m proud of being in first, but what I really like is when I go out in public and people compliment the players,” he said. “They are all well-behaved and good citizens, and they aren’t creating problems or here for the wrong reasons.
“They were all excited to return from the break and get back to Cody,” he added. “We’ve developed a real family atmosphere in the locker room, and it’s something we are all proud of.”
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Sister wrote on Jan 9, 2009 9:33 AM:
You're doing a GREAT job and we're all proud of you. And to think I taught you how to skate!
You're Welcome,
Big Sis "