By Andy Vogt/Daily News staff
He's taking over a team that went winless in 25 games this past
season, and has 10 times as many losses as wins in the past four
seasons. So why is T.J. Brown so excited to be the newest men's ice
hockey coach at Framingham State?
Perhaps because it's the next step in a hockey career that's
already spanned over two decades for the Framingham native.
"Three years ago, I was coaching bantam hockey in Framingham,"
said the 28-year-old Brown. "Now I'm in charge of a college hockey
program. It's always something I've wanted to do."
Brown, who now lives in Ashland, was named the Rams' new head
coach last week after spending two seasons as an assistant coach.
He was hired only after Jeff Pellegrini, who was named the team's
new head coach in April, resigned earlier this month. Now the
responsibility of turning around a program that went 0-21-4 last
winter is in the hands of Brown.
"I'm just as much to blame as anyone, and now it's really going
to fall on me," Brown said. "Hopefully we can change things,
because it obviously hasn't been going very well."
Brown says he's "been running around Loring Arena for about 20
years now," is a product of the Framingham youth and high school
teams, and was one of the best players in UMass-Dartmouth history.
At the time of his graduation in 2002, Brown was the ECAC
Northeast's all-time leading scorer, and a two-time All-Conference
selection. Now, he'll be looking to find gameplans to defeat his
former team, and it starts with making sure his club has fresh legs
for 60 minutes.
"The way we've been going in the last couple years, we've been
doing alright starting games, but we've been falling apart late,"
he said. "The No. 1 priority is to make us the best conditioned
team in the conference, and we'll plan on things getting a little
more physical."
That style of play clashes with his own when he was with the
Corsairs, as Brown was a self-described finesse player who tried to
be more of a playmaker in the offensive end. But he doesn't
envision having trouble preaching a physical style, and being only
a few years older than most of his players he may occasionally mix
it up with his troops.
"If that's what I have to do to get through these guys' heads,
I'm willing to do whatever it takes," said Brown, who also doesn't
imagine his age being a detriment toward his team's success. "As
long as they know you're there for the right reasons. You just
don't let the friendliness and the buddy-buddy get involved (in
your relationship)."
Luckily, Brown can devote as much time as he needs toward
jumpstarting the Rams' program. He currently works for his uncle's
landscaping company, but Brown said his uncle is understanding
about the importance of his new gig. Brown has already had a few
meetings with his captains and FSC athletic director Tom Kelley,
and is in the process of hammering down a staff of assistant
coaches for the upcoming winter.
"I'm absolutely thrilled - it's one of the best opportunities
I've ever been given," Brown said. "Now it's up to me to capitalize
on it."
