- Brian Corley,
ISU hockey coach
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Coach Brian Corley gives instructions durnig a recent team practice. (Lisa Bartasius/Staff Photographer). |
BLOOMINGTON - The Chicago Blackhawks got Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Chicago Bulls got Derrick Rose. The Chicago Bears got Jay Cutler. And in 2005, the Illinois State University hockey team got Brian Corley.
When the ISU hockey team offered Corley the head coaching position five years ago, the organization and team were in complete disarray. The year prior to his hiring, the team had a 1-23 record, they were short on talent, and their home ice arena was in Peoria. Not an attractive gig for a hockey coach, but Corley accepted the position, saying it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” to try and rebuild the ISU hockey program.
Just as Kane, Toews, Rose, and Cutler were brought into Chicago to change the nature of their respected sports team; Corley was hired to change the nature of the ISU hockey team.
“I entered my first year of coaching with a five-year plan designed to turn this organization and team around,” Corley said, “My goal at the end of the fifth season was for us to qualify for the regional playoffs and be a respected organization in our league.”
In order to make the regional playoffs, a team has to be ranked in the top ten of their respected American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 region at years end. For the ISU Redbirds, they were in the central region.
In 2005, Corley began his five-year rebuilding process by holding a two-day try-out for all hockey players interested in being on the team. Eight position players plus one goalie showed up to the first day of try-out. Not having enough players to roster a full team, Corley cancelled the second day of try-outs to talk to the players.
“I asked them what they wanted to do with the upcoming 2005 season. I gave them two options,” Corley said, “we could throw in the towel on this year’s season and use the off year to recruit players for next season. Or we could work together and recruit players around campus to roster a full team for this year.”
The players wanted a 2005 season and because of their efforts, they got it. Those nine players and Corley walked through the quad for days until they found enough players to fill the roster. The 2005 team went on to have a successful season, in which they finished with a winning record. This became a defining moment in the turnaround of Redbird hockey.
“That year was special,” said Justin Brown, a member of the 2005 team and current assistant captain of the 2010 team. “We brought a winning tradition back to the ISU hockey program.”
Corley’s quest for regionals was headed in the right direction. Then in 2006, the second season under Corley, the team finished first in the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA), Silver division.
“Winning [MACHA Silver] was huge for the organization. It resulted in moving us up to the MACHA Gold division the following year, the top division in the conference,” Brown said. “The competition was going to be stronger, but these were the teams we needed to beat if we wanted to make the regional playoffs.”
Then, prior to the 2007 season starting, Corley hired coach Jeff Brown to be the assistant head coach and the defensive coach.
The timing was right, Corley said, and it was something that needed to happen.
“To be successful at the MACHA Gold level, two coaches are needed to balance the team. I was the offensive and special teams coach, while he was the defensive coach and ran team practices,” Corley said. “It immediately brought stability to the team and he has become a major part of our teams success and turnaround over the past five years.
Their first season in MACHA Gold, under the coaching duo of Corley and Brown, the team had great success. It was a smooth transition for the players and coaches in the 2007-2008 season, Corley said.
“We were able to advance to the semi-finals of the MACHA Gold tournament, but lost to University of Iowa, 7-2,” Corley said, “we finished the season ranked number 15th [in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) central region poll] and just missing the regional playoffs.”
Building on their success from the previous year, the 2008-2009 team started hot. They had a 16-4 record, were in second place in MACHA Gold, and were in the top ten of the ACHA D2 rankings before Christmas break.
“I thought that this was going to be the year that we made it into regionals,” Brown said. “Our team was deep on talent, it was our second season with the new coaching system, and the way the season began, it seemed right.”
When the final ACHA central region rankings came out though, we were on the outside, looking in again, with a ranking of 12th Brown said.
Corley said, “The team deserved to be there, but are strong start made for a weak finish. The team struggled the last month of the season and after being in the top ten all year, we were not in the top ten in the final rankings.”
After only four years of re-building, Corley had changed the nature of the program into a well-respected, winning organization. It is now the ending of the 2009-2010 season, year five of Corley’s plan, and for the first time since the early 1990’s, the ISU hockey team has advanced to the ACHA, Division II Central Regional finals in Chicago carrying a record of 20-11-4 with them.
“Making it to regionals this year, after five years of re-building, is the culmination of all the hard work that my staff and I have put into this program from Day 1,” Corley said, “My five year plan was completed on time. My next goal; advance to nationals.”