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Terriers fire coach amid horrendous skid (2 photos)

Nic Ricca will take coaching reins next season

The Subaru of Orillia Terriers, mired in a dispiriting losing skid and anchored at the basement of the Provincial Junior Hockey League, have fired coach and general manager Keith Penna.

“Obviously, it’s been a rough year,” said Terriers president and majority owner Jamie Clarke of the city’s Jr. C team, which sports a 3-13 record after suffering 18 straight losses. “(Penna) did a good job with what he had, but the problem with this team, really since its inception, is we’ve just never had a quality general manager that is out recruiting kids and building that solid base that we need.”

That was painfully evident at the start of the season when the Terriers started with a patchwork lineup and often were short several players for games. “Keith wasn’t planning on coming back next year and I knew there were some people who wanted to get involved but they only wanted to do that if there was a clean slate. So, that’s why I made the decision now rather than wait until the start of next season.”

Long-time AAA coach Nic Ricca, who is helming the North Central Predators’ minor midget team this year, has agreed to take the coaching reins next year. Ricca, who played for the Cornwall Royals in the OHL, has coached Predators teams since 2010 and previously coached the North York Rangers Jr. A team and was assistant coach with Pickering, Wexford and Oakville – all Jr. A teams. Dallyn Telford and Jason Hooper will serve as assistant coaches.

“(Ricca) has a lot of energy, he’s passionate and he’s from Orillia,” said Clarke, noting the well-respected Ricca is a professional hockey trainer. “He’s coached AAA kids for years and he knows them well. I’ve been really impressed with him.”

While Clarke couldn’t divulge details, he said he is also close to hiring a new general manager – someone who has “a well-known and respected” junior hockey pedigree.

The changes – and those on the horizon – have Clarke feeling optimistic about the team’s future. “I think a lot of people might have been wondering if we would even be back next year and I can tell you, for sure, we’re not going anywhere,” he said.

Clarke came to Orillia in the early 1980s to play hockey. He was a key piece added to an already deep and dominant Orillia Travelways team that went on to win the Centennial Cup in 1985. “I don’t want to see the team leave,” he said. “Orillia’s a very good hockey town. I was brought here to play hockey and I’ve stayed here and made a good living here.”

For the rest of this season – there are just eight games remaining – Clarke will serve as interim coach and “pick up the pieces”. He made his bench debut on the weekend when Orillia lost 8-4 on home ice to Midland and then fell 7-1 Sunday in Huntsville.

“We lost to Huntsville and they had just seven forwards and three defencemen,” said Clarke, who iced a full lineup. “They outskated us and outworked us and beat us . . . It was kind of embarrassing. I think we’re probably a little more talented, but they just out-worked us.”

Clarke knows it won’t be easy to turn the ship around. “I know it will take some time, but the bottom line is we haven’t done it right since Day 1,” he said, comparing the fortunes of the Terriers, an expansion team five years ago, to that of the Florida Panthers. “We want to be like the Vegas Golden Knights – not the Panthers. We need to build our team in April and May – not September and October. We want to become the Travelways of 1984 to 1989 … that’s our goal.”

The Terriers next home game is Jan. 17 when the Caledon Golden Hawks will clash with Orillia in an 8 p.m. contest at Rotary Place.


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Dave Dawson

About the Author: Dave Dawson

Dave Dawson is community editor of OrilliaMatters.com
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