UNews - Ryan Epp

Peters maintains connection with Horns

trevor.kenney — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:48:40 +0000

When Bill Peters left the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns after the 2004-05 season to return to the Western Hockey League, he saw it as a graduation. Given his continued connection with the men's hockey program, he could easily be considered a U of L alum.

It wasn't surprising then, that when the National Hockey League locked out its players and shut down professional rinks across North America, Peters made his way back to Lethbridge to assist the program that gave him his first opportunity as a head coach.

"It was a good learning experience for me," says Peters of his run as head coach with the Pronghorns from 2002-03 through 2004-05. "It was my first time as a head coach, coming from Spokane as an assistant, and I was here for three years and I really enjoyed my time. It was a good situation for me and that phase of my development as a coach, but I worked with and for good people and that's always important."

The Pronghorns men's hockey team may be taking its lumps this season, but former Horns coach Bill Peters sees the beginnings of a solid future.

The connection to people and the relationships cultivated are what ties Peters to the program today. Now an assistant coach with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings (working with another former Horns coach in Mike Babcock), Peters regularly speaks with current head coach Greg Gatto. It was Gatto who headed to Detroit late last season to spend a weekend with the Red Wings, watching practice and film sessions and gaining the kind of knowledge you can only glean from true professionals.

"We kept talking this fall and he asked what I was doing to keep busy and if I'd like to come up to Lethbridge," says Peters. "This was an opportunity with their bye week to come up and spend some time with the team, and I think it's been as good for me as it was for them."

Peters ran practices, led film sessions, instituted Red Wings philosophies on power play and breakout situations and more than anything, worked the club at a high tempo. While the dividends of his visit have yet to show in the results column, the experience is another valuable building block in establishing the Pronghorns program and a level of expectation.

"I like the group that Greg has here, they worked very hard for me," says Peters of a squad that has just one win on the season but is one of the least experienced rosters in Canada West.

"These guys don't know each other as well as they are going to in years three and four, obviously, and chemistry plays a huge part of it, consistency in the culture of your program and what's expected."

Peters is consistent with that message and it has taken him all the way to the NHL. He understands struggle, winning only four and three games respectively his final two seasons with the Horns. But he believed in his ideals and parlayed that into success both at the WHL and American Hockey League levels.

"When you have tough times, it forces you to dig deep and reflect and to try and get better," he says. "You're always asking your players to get better, so as a coach, you have to continue to evolve and get better as well.

"I was fortunate, we didn't have as much success on the ice as we'd have liked but I had some great kids to work with. Ryan Epp, Chad Kletzel, Billy Katelnikoff, Andy Houthuys, they're good people. It would have been nice to get some more wins but they're quality men."

That was in evidence over the course of Peters' week in town, as he also skated with the Catholic Central Hockey Academy and was assisted by Houthuys. Epp, Kletzel and Katelnikoff have all coached in the minor hockey ranks as well since their playing days with the Horns.

What's next for Peters, when and if the NHL returns to the ice, is a desire to become a head coach again, this time on the biggest stage.

"For sure, most people want to be a head coach and most people want to coach at the highest level and for me that's the natural step," says Peters. "I enjoy being a head coach and for me to become a head coach in the national league, I need some NHL experience and I'm getting it in a good organization right now."

Having had it all start at the U of L is something Peters will never forget. So, while he may not have the parchment, it's apparent he'll gladly play the role of an alumnus and ambassador wherever he goes.

This story first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Alma Matters

trevor.kenney — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:54:27 +0000

What's new with our alumni? Let your classmates know what you are up to by sharing a note about your life. Share your news with us through e-mail (alumni@uleth.ca), or by phone (toll free 1-866-552-2582).

Check out the latest news from our alumni below.

1970

Kinahan holds community focus
Brian Kinahan (BMgt '79) believes his time spent at the U of L was foundational for his career. "At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ I gained the ability to think through problems and come up with solutions, to expand my mind and think beyond more than just one focus," he says.

Now the president and CEO of 1st Choice Savings, Kinahan has played an integral part in the growth of the credit union, which currently boasts a balance sheet in excess of $400 million. While helping to build a successful financial institution is something he is proud of, he is also grateful for the opportunities he has to serve his community.

"My goal is to continue building on the success of 1st Choice Savings, guiding it to be a viable and important part of the financial world that focuses on being a community-minded institution that cares about individuals."

1980

Nancy Walker BMgt '82
Walker was awarded a Fellow of Chartered Accountants (FCA) from the Alberta Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Bill Neudorf BEd '88
"In memory: some of you may remember the little three-year-old girl who would come to class with her dad and spend the time colouring or playing with dolls. Her name was Bobbi Renee Neudorf. Bobbi later suffered from Crohn's disease through her time at university but finished a BSc in Occupational Therapy at the U of A and worked for three years in the QEII hospital in Grande Prairie. Bobbi succumbed to complications from the disease and passed away from a massive blood clot on Sept. 21, 2009. She was 25 years and two months old."

Pamela Zollner BEd '86
After graduating from the U of L, Zollner taught for a couple of years in Alberta before developing a taste for international travel by backpacking around Australia and New Zealand. Zollner incorporated this love for travel into her work by teaching in Singapore and India. Zollner completed her Master of Education in June 2008 and is currently teaching Grade 2 in Calgary.

1990

Winner of the $10,000 Alberta Readers' Choice Award
Michael Davie (BMgt '94) won the inaugural $10,000 Alberta Readers' Choice Award for his first novel

Author Michael Davie

, Fishing for Bacon. The Alberta Readers' Choice Award is modelled on the very popular Canada Reads prize. Five books, each one championed by a celebrity, vie to win a popular vote. With $10,000 going to the winner, the competition is on the same financial level as the Governor General's Awards.

Aaron Berg BSc '95, MSc '97
Dr. Aaron Berg was recognized as GeogNews' (News Digest of the Canadian Association of Geographers) Geographer of the Week. Berg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph. He completed a BSc and an MSc degree in Geography at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, an MS in Geological Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Texas at Austin and his PhD in Earth System Science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of California, Irvine. His research focuses on hydrology and hydro-climate simulation. Areas of current research interest include: macro-scale modeling of hydrological states and fluxes; climate change and water resources; the spatial scaling of hydrological properties; and evaluating the impact of land use change on regional hydrologic cycles.

Thomas Latta BMgt '97
"I am currently working as the manager, Operations Accounting and Business Solutions for Enerplus Resources Fund and have been with Enerplus for a year and a half. Prior to that, I was with ConocoPhillips Canada and its predecessor companies for 15 years."

2000

Amos Altman BA '04
Altman's play FORTITUDE is part of Fuse 2010 (The Enbridge New Play Development Program) at Theatre Calgary. This heartwarming and hilarious play emerged from the 2008/09 FUEL Playwrights' Circle at Theatre Calgary.

Ryan Epp BA/BMgt '05
Epp, former captain of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's hockey team, is now a constable with the Lethbridge Police Department.

Barry Gergel BSc '05, MSc '07
"I'm currently working toward my PhD in the Department of Computing Science at the U of A."

William Katelnikoff BMgt '05
"I received my chartered accountant designation in January, and I am currently assistant coach with the Pronghorns men's hockey team."

Matthew Berrigan BEd/BA '06
Lethbridge College announced their 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients and recognized U of L alumnus Matthew Berrigan with the Rising Star Award. Since completing his education degree, Berrigan's rise as a teacher has been meteoric. Named best new teacher by the Foothills School Division for his work in Cayley, Berrigan is now a lead teacher in Turner Valley. The success of his teaching is reflected in his students' achievement results.

Angela Kastelic BN '06
"I am currently pursuing a Master of Nursing (Family/All Ages) with intent to become a family nurse practitioner."

Keely (Kavanagh) Semenuik BEd/BA '09
Following graduation in April 2009, Semenuik was married and travelled to France. She is now excited to begin her teaching career with École St. Mary School in Lethbridge, teaching French immersion kindergarten.

Kinley passes on the inspiration
After attending a presentation by guest speaker John Carr from Pixar, Brad Kinley (BFA '04) remembers telling a friend that the talk was life-changing.

"Seeing what he does and his approach to the whole process of character animation crystallized what I wanted to do," says Kinley.

Now, after being a key player in the design of Mass Effect 2, one of the most popular and highly rated games ever made for the Xbox platform, Kinley returned to the U of L this spring and gave a presentation to the next generation of new media students.

"I know how influential my exposure was to somebody actually working in the business," he says. "If I can lend a little knowledge or inspiration to someone else, hopefully it will help them the way it helped me."

Congratulations
Daniel Wong (BFA '03), Mary-Anne McTrowe (BFA '98) and Robyn Moody (BFA '00) have made the long list (Prairies and North region) for the 2010 Sobey Art Award.

Munton & Co. chartered accountants recently announced that Curtis Michaelis (BMgt '03) and Michael Quinton (BMgt '04) have been admitted to partnership.

Susie Martin (BEd '81), Judy Lynn Miller (BA '91, BEd '93), Matthew Berrigan (BA/BEd '06) and Tracy Inaba (BEd '92) were among 23 outstanding Alberta teachers selected to receive the prestigious 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Sports Hall of Fame

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Chinooks women's basketball team (1970/1971) was inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame at this year's celebration. The team won the provincial and national championships and represented Lethbridge with pride.

Members of the team included: (Back row, L-R) Wilma Winter (coach), Dixie Dow, Linda Dogterom, Leona Voth, Minnie Van Dieren and Sharon Giduk (BA '73, BEd '75). (Front row, L-R) Marge Moore, Linda Voth, Rosemary Brodrick, Joan Cannady and Linda Dow (BEd '71).

Andrea Hlady (BEd'93) and Sharon Chmielewski (BEd'75) were also inducted at this year's celebration. Hlady was recognized in the athletes category. She was a two-time All-Canadian basketball player with the U of L Pronghorns. Chmielewski, recognized in the builder category, was honoured for building high school and high-level curling in Lethbridge with her work as an official, instructor and coach.

To view the entire issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Ryan Epp

Peters maintains connection with Horns

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