Iona Prep Hockey’s New Coach: Mike Bonelli

It would have been a long commute from North Salem to Mount Vernon, the location of Iona Prep's home rink. Sure, Mike Bonelli liked the hockey players he had met and would have enjoyed the opportunity to coach the varsity team. Unfortunately, he didn't get the job.

But then he did.

Bonelli replaces Tim Collins, who had the job for all of a few months this past summer. Shortly after accepting the position in April, Collins realized he could no longer make the commitment due to a job-related conflict. Iona introduced Bonelli on Oct. 7.

"It's a bad situation for everyone," Bonelli said in reference to his late start. "Usually you'd want to come in in April, build the program, get to know the guys in the offseason, learn who your leaders are. We're hitting the ground running."

Bonelli hasn't let the late start dull his excitement. "It's a very special program here. I'm going to treat it as the premier program in our area." He did admit that the players and coaching staff have some work to do to reach the level of teams like Mamaroneck, Suffern and Rye. He says it starts with dedication.

"The problem with hockey at the high school level in New York is that these kids don't have a commitment to their team," Bonelli said, explaining the difficulty many area coaches face: Hockey players feel they can get better competition with the club teams. "Why isn't Iona Prep as good as any club program? Why can't we get that talent? There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to play for your school team and get that competition to play at the next level."

Bonelli comes from a very successful program, Immaculate High School in Danbury, CT. He pulled off an impressive feat at Immaculate: More than 20 years after winning a state championship as a player, he coached the team to a state title in 2007. Before that, he was the head coach at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.

Bonelli certainly feels he has the talent at Iona to have success right away. He singled out several players, including junior goalie Conner Barry. "He got thrown into the fire last year. He's matured a lot. He's seeing the puck as good as anybody right now." Bonelli will count on senior Joe Patalano and junior Peter Lipsky to lead the defense.

Offensively, he mentioned three more upperclassmen—forwards Tommy O'Mera and Nick Pellow, seniors, and Jack McDermott, a junior—who he said lead the team emotionally, physically and statistically.

But like most coaches across all sports, it's not the goal scorers Bonelli will be focusing on. "I'm a defensive coach" he said. "I cringe at the 10-9 games. I'm hoping to implement more defensive strategy than most high school teams would."

Despite the nontraditional hiring, the statewide battle between high school and club teams, and anything else one might view as a distraction, Bonelli is extremely excited for the upcoming season, which starts on November 20 with a game against St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School at the Ice Hutch in Mount Vernon.

"The program is not in a state of turmoil," he said. "It's in a state of redirection. We need to get the guys refocused on the job at hand."