Driscoll moves on to the next level

Jake Elchert, Sports team|May 11, 2016

Sean Driscoll, senior, signed a tender to play for Coulee Region Chill next season in the NAHL.

Every young athlete’s dream is to have the opportunity to play a sport past high school and be able to play in college. Not many athletes get this opportunity, but for Sean Driscoll, senior, this dream has come true.

Driscoll has recently signed a tender with the Coulee Region Chill in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) up in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The NAHL is a juniors league throughout the country where the players play for at least two seasons to better their game and skill to be able to have the chance to play for a college team.

“Sean’s goals were to play hockey after high school and I am very happy that he was able to find a good program that he is comfortable with and in the area so he can keep his ties with his family. I hope that he continues to put forth the work ethic I have seen and he achieves all his other goals in time,” Head Coach Tony Navarre said.

“I’m very excited to play in the NAHL and with such a good team. The opportunity is awesome. Playing at Coulee will hopefully put me in a good position to move on to play college hockey,” Driscoll said.

Driscoll was a four-year varsity player at Homestead and improved his skills every year. With his leadership and positive attitude towards the game and his team, Driscoll was named the captain of the 2015-16 Homestead hockey team. He finished the year second on the team in points with 31, 11 goals and 20 assists, and was nominated for the the Davis Drewiske Award, the defensive player of the year.

“Sean is a big, quick defenseman who is able to move the puck well and is a very good skater,” Coach Navarre said.

“It was a great experience being able to play with Sean. He was an incredible leader on and off the ice and it was an honor to call him my teammate,” PJ Quale, sophomore teammate, said.

“It was an amazing experience to be able to play with him. He’s a great player and an even better teammate, guy, and friend,” Joey Hobbs, senior teammate, said.

With his team being in La Crosse, Driscoll is excited that he will be playing pretty close to home. “It’ll be nice to play so close to home and give my parents a chance to come and watch games. It’ll be nice for them to see how all their hard work has gotten me into this opportunity,” he said.

For his teammates who have been playing with Driscoll for quite some time, they believe Driscoll will do great on the next level and cannot wait to be able to watch some of his games.

“I think he will do great. He has a great work ethic and he knows what it takes. I think it’ll be all positive in Sean’s future. I will for sure try to stop by a few games,” Quale said.

“He will do great because he is such a big, strong, fast, and aggressive player which will help him in juniors. I’d love to see a game at some point,” Hobbs said.

Coach Navarre believes having a player like Driscoll who can play at the next level means a lot to the program. “It is always nice when a former player can succeed in a career after high school. It proves that there are quality opportunities for players. As a program, Homestead is sure that we develop players and support their goals in whatever avenue they want to proceed in, whether it is academic, athletic, or both,” Coach Navarre said.

Being able to play four years of varsity hockey at Homestead has taught Driscoll a lot that he believes he can use at the next level. “I think the most important thing that Homestead hockey has taught me was to be the best teammate that I could be and always care for one another. Hockey’s a special sport and the family that is Homestead hockey is a perfect reason why hockey is so special,” he ended.