Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato boys hockey head coach Chris Olson was named the Class A Coach of the Year by the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association after leading his team to the state tournament for the second time in his coaching career.
Olson, who also led the team to the 2008 tournament, was also named Section 3A Coach of the Year, and assistant coach Craig McKechney was named 3A Assistant Coach of the Year.
“It is truly an honor,” said Olson. “At the same time, in a year like this we just rode along, the kids did all that. They worked their tails off, I just happened to be along for the ride.”
For the second year in a row, the LDC boys were also named Class A State Academic Champions. The team had a cumulative GPA of 3.71.
“For a long time, we’ve preached be good people first, good students second, and good hockey players third,” said Olson. “These kids know how to manage their time, work hard, and prioritize. We’ve had so many compliments from people [at the state tournament] about how great our kids are, how respectful they are. This is truly a testament to the character of these players.”