Dickinson is class of Brockport coaches

By Brandon Wood
@Brandonwood27

Brian Dickinson, Head Coach of the College at Brockport's ice hockey team, just witnessed his team dominate SUNY Fredonia 4-1 and knew the rest of the scoreboards were in his team's favor of making the playoffs when he left the ice Friday night. Someone told him No. 12 SUNY Oswego was leading 4-2 in Potsdam right after the game, before post-game handshakes.

He shook the hands of his Assistant Coaches, Nick Unger and Greg Schwind, like he does after every game.

Instead of staying with his team in the locker room to witness the outcome of the Oswego vs. Potsdam game, Dickinson worked his way up to the press box to fulfill his nightly request for an interview with the campus radio. When he got there, he saw that Oswego was only up 4-3 against Potsdam. There was less than a minute remaining in the game and Potsdam had its goalie pulled.

"That's not what I want to see," Dickinson said with a laugh as he donned the headset for the interview.

Eventually, Oswego came off the bench and mobbed its goalie to celebrate the win. Dickinson was congratulated by the radio announcer, and several people from Brockport Athletics patted him on the back as they left the press box. Brockport was officially in the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, but Dickinson kept his same calm, cool composure that he always has.

Why wouldn't he?

Every time I talk with Dickinson he always seems to have the same outlook: If we didn't do it today, we can come out and do it tomorrow. And he seems to live by the "golden rule": One should treat others the way that one wants to be treated. It's instilled in his team's mind, and they talk the same way.

The locker room seemed happy after the game, but not satisfied with the playoffs being their only goal. They looked focused and hungry for more ice hockey this season. Beyond just the first round of the playoffs. They get that from their leadership.

Dickinson's a leader by example, and other Brockport coaches should be taking a page out of his book. He makes his team want to play hard for him.

In the past four years that I've known him, he hasn't changed his demeanor once when there could have been plenty of reason to. His team has struggled in the past three seasons, failing to make the playoffs on the season's last day each of the past two. Yet he remained positive, knowing he was trying to build for the future.

The future has finally arrived for Dickinson, and he's not just happy for himself, he's happy for his whole team. But that demeanor of his wouldn't have changed if something different happened Friday night. Even if his team somehow missed the playoffs this weekend, he'd still have the same attitude he's always had.

There'd be no backlash about criticism from his team, at least not openly. They might use it as motivation to work harder and they'd just strive to do it better the next time.

That's why Dickinson is the prototypical coach. If he could be cloned, Brockport should want as many of him around as possible. He makes the program and college look good.

Other coaches that rant and tirade about media need to take a gut-check. Perhaps the media is right about their teams, and they need to build for the future like Dickinson has by bringing in an excellent recruiter (Unger) and a roster of players that can win together.

It's like in the movie Miracle. You don't need the best players, you need the right ones. So many programs at Brockport don't have them or the right coaches, so they're set up to fail before the season even begins.

There are exceptions, sure. I can't write that every single Brockport team is bad and should be coached by someone else. But there are certain teams in shambles and have been for years. Where's the accountability? If not pointed out by the media, does that really mean everything is fine? No. It just means the media isn't doing its job properly.

Coach Dickinson may have been unlucky that I have covered his team these past two seasons, because I'm just a mean guy that writes and says mean things all the time. But it's been my pleasure, because he knows how to treat people correctly and so does his team.

Some other coaches haven't been able to stand me, openly berating me at times, all off the record of course.

But nothing ever from Dickinson. Or his coaching staff. Or his team.

Maybe it's rare at a Division III college for athletes or coaches to understand media relations, but it's horrendous here. Nobody seems to understand that student journalists are media too, and not everything can be roses and daisies. We aren't fans of your teams just because we go to school here. We're here to learn and we're supposed to write the truth. And sometimes the truth hurts.

You don't see Division I college coaches yelling at the media, it'd be turned into a spectacle too quickly. But since we're not on a level of national recognition, that's perfectly OK at the D-III level, right?

Dickinson's been patient through all the criticisms of his team through the years and didn't say anything. Now he has the last laugh. His team's in the playoffs.

Dickinson has earned his chance in the playoffs, and his team is clicking at the right time. Every hockey fan knows that it isn't the best team that always wins in hockey, it's the hottest ones.

You've earned your opportunity, Coach Dickinson. You had your team fighting its tail off these past three games. The road to the SUNYAC title isn't easy, but you wouldn't want it to be that way, would you?

Great moments are born from great opportunity. That's what your patience has brought you through these past few years. Now go out there and take it.