By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
A former minor league hockey player is taking the reigns of one of the top high school programs in the state.
Bill Wright, who played professionally for four years, both overseas and in Waco, Texas, is the new hockey coach at Stevens Point Area Senior High. Wright replaces Jack Stoskopf, who resigned to spend time with his family.
Wright is a 27-year-old April graduate of Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, Canada and will teach science and physical education at SPASH. Although he has coached at hockey camps for 12 years, the SPASH job is his first as a head coach.
"I'm a teacher and I've played hockey all my life," Wright said from his home in Ontario. "It's just a natural step for me. I know how competitive American high school hockey is and I jumped at the opportunity."
Before going to Nipissing to concentrate on earning his teaching degree, Wright played for two seasons with the Waco Wizards of the Western Professional Hockey League. With Wright, the Wizards won the WPHL Central Division title in 1998-99.
He also played overseas for two seasons. In 1997, he played for a professional team in Alleghe, Italy. A few years before that, Wright played professionally in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Wright holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from the University of New Brunswick (1997) and completed the National Coaching Certification Program, Intermediate Level, in hockey in 1994.
Wright said SPASH's style of play will be depicted by the type of players on the team.
He said he learned of the opening at SPASH while interviewing at Marshfield. He found the Marshfield job advertised on the Internet, but the school didn't have a teaching position that worked. He said that the Marshfield district then told Wright to call George Klingbail, SPASH's athletic director.
Stoskopf built the Panthers into a program that challenged for a state title almost every season. He led SPASH to the state championship game three times in the last five years and took the Panthers to the state semifinal last year.
In his 14 seasons, Stoskopf took SPASH to the WIAA state tournament 11 times, including eight straight trips to close his coaching career.
"It's going to be a challenge to take over for someone that was so successful," Wright said.