Dan Regala - Strength and Conditioning / Nutrition Coach
Dallas Scots Hockey Association
880 North Dorothy Drive, Ste. 810
Richardson, TX 75081
Regarding: Zack Hefley
Dan,
I wanted to write you and let you know how you and the Dallas Scots have had a great influence on my son during the Winter 09 – 10 season.
Prior to the Winter 09 – 10 season, Zack played for the McKinney Ice Hockey Club during the Winter 08 – 09 season. He was the goalie for the MIHC Peewee B team. This was the first season Zack played goalie, and his second full season in ice hockey. He played in the DPSC House League as a Squirt. When Zack signed with MIHC, we had no expectations other than letting him have the chance to experience hockey at a lever higher than the House League and learn to play goalie. Although Zack made new friends and learned what was needed to be a goalie, he did not have a great season. The team record was 0 – 22 and his stat’s were very reflective of a new goalie. He finished the season in last place in goalie standings with a 0.712 SV% and a GAA of 12.13. During many of his games in net, he would face 40 plus shots on goal.
But even with those results, we still intended to play at MIHC the next season. That was until we went to one of the Scots’ open skates. After meeting the coaches, parents, and players we decided the best place for Zack to play would be at the Dallas Scots.
After tryouts and finding out Zack made Coach Sammon’s Peewee A team, we met with you for the first time to go over the off season work-out program you had set you for the Dallas Scots players. Your influence on the importance of eating correctly and working out on a regular basis was something that Zack took very seriously. He wanted to be the best he could be so he would not let his new team down. As soon as Zack started the goalie work-out you develop from the Minnesota Gopher’s program, he began to get stronger and quicker in net. This is when I began to see a change in Zack.
As the regular season and the dry land training began, Zack also began to transform into a different goalie. As the work-outs and training began to make him stronger, his confidence level began to increase and carry over into other areas. He began looking forward to playing tougher teams and relishing games against opponents that were expected to beat his team. The type of games he dreaded during the previous season with MIHC.
His confidence level also carried over into other areas. His grades at school began to rise. He went from and an average C / B student to a strong A student. His teachers began to notice how he worked harder and how he applied himself more than before. And his PE instructor at school began to notice the change in Zack’s fitness. While following the Scots’ Dry Land Training Program, Zack lowered his 1 mile run time by 3 minutes and increased his push-ups and sit-ups total by more than 70%.
But as quickly as the Winter 09 - 10 season began, it ended. The team (Sammon’s Peewee A team) ended the season with a 19 – 2 – 1 record, finishing in 2nd place overall and earning a 1st round bye in the divisional playoffs. The team went on to finish in 3rd place in the playoffs. Zack finished the season in 3rd place in goalie standings with a 0.910 SV% and a GAA of 1.59, quite a contrast to his previous season. (Zack will also quickly tell you that he had the four best defensemen in the league!)
For all of his improvement as a goalie tender and a student, I contribute to the confidence that Zack gained through the Scots’ Dry Land Training Program you developed and the expectations of the Scots’ Coaches for their players to be hard workers. Zack is just one example of the many players that were in the Scots organization last season and that benefited from this commitment.
Best Regards,
Bill Hefley
