New coach looking to turn corner with Norwin hockey

Brett Brozovich remembers playing against the Norwin hockey team when he was in high school.

As a player with the Penn Hills squad, Brozovich said the Knights were struggling at the time and didn't offer much competition.

Now as the head coach of the Norwin varsity team, Brozovich is determined to make sure no team has an easy night when it steps on the ice with the Knights.

“I want to build this program,” Brozovich said. “The team has struggled the last few seasons. But they had some decent seasons a few years ago, and we want to get back to that.”

Brozovich – who played two years at CCAC – isn't a stranger to the Norwin hockey program as he coached the junior varsity team in 2013-14, coaching some of the Knights players on this season's varsity roster.

He also spent time as an assistant on the varsity team and head coach of the freshman team at Fox Chapel, and coached two seasons with the Amateur Penguins. Most recently he spent a season as an assistant coach with the Arizona Redhawks junior hockey team.

Brozovich is not only coaching Norwin this season but is also an assistant coach with the University of Pittsburgh club team.

Norwin is coming off some lean seasons, winning two games in 2013-14 and just a single game last season. Finding wins early and often will be crucial for building momentum this year.

“The sooner we can get a win, the better,” Brozovich said. “It would be a huge momentum boost. These guys are hungry for wins. They have been working their butts off. A couple of wins would boost their egos and help them play at a higher level.”

David Hendler is a player looking to give the Norwin offense a spark this season. The senior scored two goals with three assists last season.

“When I coached him two years ago, I knew he would be a force at the varsity level,” Brozovich said. “He has the ability to put the puck in the net.”

Jakob Vinsick and Bryce Hegedus are both expected to be major contributors on offense for Norwin. Shawn Ward is coming off a season where he scored three goals with an assist.

In front of the net will be Anthony Barca. He has played in a total of 31 games over the last three seasons while making 798 saves.

“I give him credit for sticking with it the last two years,” Brozovich said. “He knows what he is doing and has the confidence of being able to hang in there. If we cut our opponent shots in half, (Barca) has a good chance of getting a shutout.”

Michael Dandrea and Brandon Butler will be looked at as the top defensive players for the Knights.

“They can be shutdown defensemen,” Brozovich said. “They have speed and skill. When you come down into the zone, you better have your head up or they will put you on your butt.”

Defensemen Brendan Poe and Noah Mazur are both expected to see extended time on the ice as well.

The Knights dropped their opening game of the season in a 7-2 loss to Hempfield. Vinsick and Mazur recorded goals for Norwin. But Brozovich is confident his squad will be able to rebound moving forward. With games against Penn-Trafford and Fox Chapel on the horizon, the elusive first win could be coming soon.

The rest of the Class AA Eastern Conference includes Armstrong, Hampton, Latrobe and Plum.

“Latrobe is mostly made up of the junior varsity team from two years,” Brozovich said. “We never lost to them that season. There is no reason our guys shouldn't have the confidence to compete with them. We did it two years ago. We can do it again.”

Brozovich has made his message clear with his players since the season started – a trip to the postseason is not an unreal possibility.

“I told them we can make the playoffs,” Brozovich said. “Our main goal is to at least get in. That would be huge for this program. They have won three games the last two season. We want to double that total this season. That should get us into the playoffs.

“And once you get in, anything can happen.”

Nathan Smith is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at nsmith@tribweb.com or via Twitter @NSmith_Trib.