In order to get better collectively, you have to get better individually, and by that I mean you need to get to know your players on a one-on-one basis . . . learn what makes them tick . . . learn how to get the most out of every one of them. “Excitement . . . Humility . . . Good fortune,” were the feelings Tim McVaugh remembers kicking in last spring when a Deerfield Academy search committee informed him that he was the last man standing in its quest to find the school’s next boys varsity hockey coach. There must’ve been a sense of accomplishment as well. After all, for anyone who has ever joined the coaching club, the opportunity to become a head coach is a dream come true. For McVaugh, who spent the past seven years as an assistant coach, whose day job at Deerfield entails teaching US History and Global Environmental History, and whose nights are spent as a faculty resident in Johnson-Doubleday, a bit of anxiety still managed to mix with all the excitement. “I just hope when the Deerfield community thinks of me, it thinks of me as more than just being about hockey,” McVaugh says. Well, no worries there, Tim. Deerfield’s search committee held McVaugh’s numerous contributions to the school in high esteem during their consultations, and in the end, they played an important role in making him a finalist for the position. “Tim’s the consummate school person,” said Dean of Faculty John Taylor, who served on the search committee. “He’s always been willing to go the extra mile, whether it be in the classroom, the dorm or the hockey rink. He loves Deerfield Academy, he loves the kids, and he always wants what’s best for the school and its student-athletes. “The only thing that gave us pause was that Tim lacked experience as a head coach, but he was a very strong candidate nonetheless, and we felt he deserved a shot at the job,” added Taylor. “He’s a confident and competitive young man with a great deal of youthful vitality who wants to be successful. He wanted an opportunity to prove himself and had a detailed plan to improve the program and attract more talent. He made it an easy decision for us.” McVaugh’s philosophy on building a successful program is “in order to get better collectively, you have to get better individually, and by that I mean you need to get to know your players on a one-on-one basis . . . learn what makes them tick . . . learn how to get the most out of every one of them. “Brendan had a great way of assessing the kids individually . . . what their strong points were and what they need to work on” added McVaugh of former head coach Brendan Creagh, who stepped down last spring
S C O R E S / S TAT S / S T O R I E S
after joining the Big Green hockey staff in 1997. “And I’m planning on going about our practices the same way.” McVaugh did admit, though, that getting to know his players this year hasn’t been as time consuming as in previous seasons. “We have a great group of 12 seniors,” said McVaugh, “so heading in, we already had a good idea as to what their strengths and weaknesses were. “Plus,” he added, “with that many seniors on the team, we’ll have plenty of experience and leadership, and as a coaching staff, that should make our jobs a lot easier.” Prior to moving behind the Deerfield bench, McVaugh enjoyed an outstanding four-year career at Bowdoin College. As a senior captain he wrapped up his final campaign by leading the Polar Bears in scoring with 22 points on nine goals and 13 assists and was later voted the team’s Most Valuable Player. Overall, McVaugh, a 6’3”, 225-pounder, was a versatile enough skater to play both forward and defense. “We often played a system at Bowdoin that featured two forwards and three defensemen,” explained McVaugh, who played a year of professional hockey in Germany before coming to Deerfield, “and under such a system, I was allowed to become a very offensive-minded defenseman and often moved up to became a third forward much of the time.” It might sound a bit awkward, but the move not only paid dividends for McVaugh, it proved quite profitable for the Polar Bears, too. Individually, McVaugh closed out his career with 53 points in 65 games on 22 goals and 31 assists. As for the program, during McVaugh’s career at Bowdoin it chalked up a record of 66-28-9. More impressively, however, it earned postseason berths all four of his years there, the last three of which saw Bowdoin fall to Middlebury College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference Tournament finals. As head coach, McVaugh is not only working closely with his players, but with his assistant coaches—Jan Flaska and Drew Philie ’09—as well. “Brendan was always very supportive of me,” said McVaugh. “He included his assistant coaches in any discussions and decisions that concerned the team. I like that method . . . I think it’s important, game in and game out, that everyone be on the same page.” So far, McVaugh’s game plan seems to be working quite well, if a 6-3 record and a 2016 Flood-Marr Tournament Championship (as of press time) are any indication.
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