The Pacific International Junior Hockey League trading deadline provided much more drama than usual for the Delta Ice Hawks.
The club announced Friday it has relieved head coach Roger Ross of his duties. The Ice Hawks have dropped seven of their last eight games including a 6-1 loss to the Richmond Sockeyes on Tuesday night.
Taking over the coaching reigns for the balance of the season and beyond is Derek Chichak who guided a number of outstanding teams in the Seafair Minor Hockey Association. His longtime assistant Bob Walker will be joining him while the hope is Mike Basford will remain part of the staff.
Chichak will make his debut Saturday night when the Ice Hawks visit the North Vancouver Wolf Pack.
“We just felt for the past six weeks the club hasn’t improved and it might be even a little longer than that,” said Ice Hawks general manager Peter Zerbinos. “I have watched us become stagnate while other teams have got a lot better. It’s something I have to take responsibility for as well.
“I have known Derek for a long time and we have had a huge flavour of Seafair Minor Hockey players on this team that have brought us a lot of success who were coached by him. This is a long term commitment we have made.”
Chichak’s Ice Hawk alumni includes Ryan Cuthbert, Cody Fidgett and Aaron Merrick who all had leading roles in the club winning the PIJHL championship two years ago. His son Sam Chichak captained the Richmond Sockeyes to the provincial and Western Canadian championships last season. His older son Andrew also played for Richmond.
“It’s a pretty neat connection. At one point I recall seeing 10 of my former players in the line-up (between the Ice Hawks and the Sockeyes),” said Chichak. “The biggest challenge is going to be getting a feel for these players. There’s definitely going to be a bit of a learning curve but it’s going to have to be a quick one.”
Chichak has been coaching the new juvenile team with the South Delta Minor Hockey Association. With only a couple of potential conflicts, he will see double duty for the balance of the minor hockey season.
