Sawruk assists surging Soo Eagles
Bruno Bragagnolo, the seasoned coach-general manager of the Soo Eagles of the North American Hockey League, is known as someone who gives credit when and where it is due.
And Bragagnolo has praise aplenty for his associate coach with the Eagles, Alex Sawruk.
The 34-year old Sawruk, a Michigan Soo native who played in the NAHL before going on to skate at the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association level as a dependable forward with the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, is in his second season with the Eagles.
Sawruk was a secondary assistant with the Eagles in 2013-2014 before being elevated to associate coach by Bragagnolo prior to the start of the 2014-2015 campaign.
And Bragagnolo is of the notion that Sawruk has played a major role in the early-season success of the Eagles, who take a record of 4-2-0 into a pair of home games against the Keystone Miners on Friday (7:30) and Saturday (7:00) nights at Pullar Stadium.
Appearing on the Soo Eagles Hockey Show, which airs on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. on radio station ESPN 1400, Bragagnolo touched on what Sawruk has brought to the team.
“He’s really like a co-coach,” Bragagnolo said of Sawruk. “He has been running the majority of the practices and he has also improved the conditioning level of our team from where we were last season.”
With Bragagnolo busy with GM duties and supervising non-hockey related projects such as the Eagles taking over ownership of the concession stand at the Pullar, Sawruk has shown more of what he is capable of as a coach.
“Alex has the potential to be a very good head coach,” said Bragagnolo, who is no slouch himself, having won numerous championships — including one in 2010-2011 when the Eagles were a part of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League — in his 30-plus years of coaching that began back in his hometown of Chicago.
Bragagnolo also made a point of saying the contributions of the Eagles other mainstay assistant coaches, Joe Behling and goalie instructor Bill Vanderleest, cannot be overlooked.
“Really, I think our coaching staff is as good as any in the NAHL,” Bragagnolo said evenly.
Good Article as allways RR! Bruno & Alex work very well together its so obbvious.
Well said Randy!