More roar in store for Tigers Elite Prep girls A
By Matt Mackinder
n unassuming rec organization three years ago, the Colorado Tigers Elite Prep
girls program has not only evolved into one of the best, locally, but in the entire United States. And while its impressive second-place fin-
ish at this year’s 19U AA national tourna- ment is a definite feather in the Tigers’ cap, head coach Rich Furia, who took over the program in 2009, is all about taking slow and steady steps in an effort to reach new heights. “I knew the program was at a turning
point (when Furia took over), but for some reason there was a huge age gap,” said Furia, who’s also a talent scout for NCAA women’s programs. “There was a 19U team and a 16U team and both had some very good players, but there weren’t any younger teams or any goalies.” In 2009-10, the 16U and 19U Tigers played
best technical training and the best systems training that will get them ready for college hockey.”
Speaking of systems, Furia doesn’t teach
one set for the entire team. Instead, each forward line has its own to match individual strengths. “You don’t see many teams doing that,” said Furia. “It’s kind of unique.” And while the Tigers are classified as a
Tier II team, their schedule is predominantly against Tier I competition. “We’ve played a lot of the top teams in
From left, Sid Harris, Emily Shirtz, Jenna Kosley, Tori Walters and Lanie Mat- sumoto, members of this year’s Colorado Tigers Elite Prep girls 19U AA team, have benefited tremendously from the program’s commitment to develop- ment, on and off the ice. Photo/
YSPN.com
in the Mountain States Hockey League and fared well. In 2010-11, the 19U team won the state playoffs and the squad was “getting better very quickly and word got out,” said Furia. “We had girls who joined us that year who
came from boys hockey leagues, so they already were thinking faster and playing at a high level,” explained Furia. “We actually had to have tryouts prior to that next season. This year, we had girls on the team from all over Colorado and a few from surrounding states. It was just an exciting year.”
This past season, with just a 19U team, the Ti-
gers, members of the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association (CSAHA), made their incred- ible run to the national finals only to come up short against a competitive Texas Alliance team. “It’s always fun to win championships, but our
No. 1 goal has always been to prepare these girls to get to a higher level of hockey,” said Furia, whose daughter, Ashley, will be a senior this fall on the University of North Dakota (WCHA) women’s team. “I really believe that we give these girls the
the U.S. and Canada and played very, very well,” Furia said. “I’m talking about teams from Minnesota, New England and Eastern Canada - the very good teams.” It’s all adding up to a rewarding experi- ence for the players. “The thing we at CSAHA are most proud
of is that at the end of the last two seasons, ev- ery player was first, very happy, and second, felt like they learned more in one season than in their entire hockey career,” said Furia. Next year, Furia anticipates his 16U team com-
ing back into the fold and a healthy dose of return- ees to the 19U squad. He’ll coach the 19U team and, while he’s actively looking for a 16U coach, he may just lead both squads. “One great thing about us is that we don’t go
out and solicit players - they come to us,” said Furia. “All of our girls have high grade-point aver- ages and they’re all phenomenal, responsible kids. I think we have a bright future ahead of us.”
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