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2023/24 Season

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2023/24   Cougars Coaching Staff
Updated December 3, 2023

2023/24 California Cougars Coaching Staff
Gregg Rodriguez - 8B Head Coach
Coach Gregg is from Sunnyvale, CA. He grew up playing for the California Cougars Program, back when he was a Pee Wee, all the way up to his Midget years.

Coach Gregg was able to be a part of the California Cougars Midget AAA team that won the SWYHL.

Upon completing his time with the Cougars, Coach Gregg went on to play Junior Hockey for the Capital District Selects. After completing two years with the Selects, he was awarded a scholarship to Sacred Heart University in Division I hockey.

Last year, during the 2012 - 2013 Season, Coach Gregg was at the helm with GSE's Bantam AA2 team, and was able to field a competitive Bantam minor team.

This coming season, 2013 - 2014, Coach Gregg will be coaching alongside his mentor, Mario Morrissette, and will be focusing on adding defensive coaching experience to an already powerful offensive mind.
Chris Hathaway - 10A Head Coach
Chris was born and raised in Syracuse, NY where he played and coached for Midstate Youth Hockey and the Syracuse Stars.  His playing career finished with one year of college hockey at SUNY Cortland.  Chris began his coaching career 21 years ago in Syracuse and then continued onto New York City.

Upon his arrival in the Bay Area, Chris created and formed the Cougars.  Although he greatly enjoys overseeing the club, his greatest experiences come from coaching kids within the program from Mites to Midget 18AA.
Darren Attebery - 10A Head Coach and 14A Head Coach
Coach Darren started skating at the age of 3 in San Mateo. After lots of skating lessons, Darren started to learn how to play hockey at Logitech Ice.

After a few seasons of In House, Darren made the jump to San Jose Jr. Sharks travel hockey as a Squirt. That same year Darren and his team-mates won the NORCAL championship. Darren moved to the California Cougars organization and never looked back, as he played from his first year of Pee Wee to his last year of Bantam.

Darren became a USA Hockey referee at the age of 11, and helped with various camps. After a turbulent last year of Bantam, Darren decided to stop playing hockey so he could focus on his education. Darren continued to come to the rink to help during the summer breaks.

In his last year of high school, Darren was offered a job at the Vallco Rink and the Hockey X gym. That same year Darren started coaching the Mite team and would occasionally run dry-land for both the Cougars and the Golden State Elite.

The 2016-2017 season will be the first season of coaching, after his long tenure as a student coach. Darren is looking forward to teaching and learning from all the situations he will encounter in his first year of coaching.
Kevin Nathan - 10BB Head Coach and Strength and Conditioning Head Coach
Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for NESTA (National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association) and ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association) Certified

Kevin, born and raised in San Jose, started skating at Vallco when he was 2 years old, and quickly joined the in-house hockey program.

Kevin was on the first Bantam Cougars team in their inaugural season, in which they swept NORCAL playoffs and placed 3rd in States. He played all the way through Midgets, then went on to play for San Jose State on their top team in the ACHA.

Kevin has been coaching with the Cougars since 2010, and with GSE since 2013, as well as coaching the summer camps with Mario since 2012.

He brings over 10 years (over 15,000 hours) of Strength & Conditioning and Personal Training experience, and can be found at his gym in Sunnyvale when he is not at the rink.

Along with on ice coaching and working on the hockey development through out the organization, he works with each team to run their entire off ice training program.

Kevin hopes to bring his knowledge and passion of hockey and training to the kids in hopes to make them more well rounded and keep them injury free.
Joseph Dibble - 10B Head Coach
Bio will be posted shortly
Brian Farrell - 12A Head Coach
Brian Farrell has been involved with Northern California hockey since he was 9 years old.  As a player, he won two Norcal championships, and one California (CAHA) championship. For the past 8 years, Brian has coached at various levels for the Cougars organization, including Pee Wee A and B, Bantam A and B, Midget 16A, and Midget 18A.  Every team that Brian has coached has reached the NorCal playoffs, with several teams going on to the state playoffs.  In total, his teams have won 3 Norcal championships, and 2 California state championships.  His most recent State Championship team was the 2007-08 Pee Wee B team.  Brian has an intense passion for the game, and a demonstrated ability to coach at all ages.
Ben Kottmeier - 12BB Head Coach
Ben Kottmeier played with the Cougars from in-house up until Bantam AA.

He then moved to GSE for 16AA and 18AA, and was named Captain and led the team to a state championship.

Continuing his hockey career, he chased the dream, playing 2 years of Juniors in Montana.

He Was then recruited to play one year of ACHA D2 hockey for the University Of Mary in North Dakota, and quickly moved up to ACHA D1 college hockey at Eastern Michigan University, where he finished his career.

Coach Ben then decided to come back to the organization that made him who he is, to try and give back to the next generation.

Coaching experience: 2 years of PAL learn to skate, 2 years of in-house, 1 year assistant coach with 16A, about 5 years of private lessons.
Troy Riewe - 14B Head Coach
Bio will be posted shortly
 
 
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