1000
Jamie Plunkett Reaches Career Milestone
by Pete Chiodo
12-11-06 — It's a small five-paragraph article under the generic headline, "Bulldog Icers Win Opener."
Obviously, the people that put that day's paper together were unaware of the significance of that event. Obviously they didn't realize that they were describing the beginning of an era; that that tiny article was heralding the most accomplished scholistic coaching career that Meadville — or a heck of a lot of other places — would ever see.
This was the first Meadville Bulldogs hockey game coached by Jamie Plunkett.
And tonight, at 7:30 pm at the DeArment Ice Arena, will be the 1000th Meadville Bulldogs hockey game coached by Jamie Plunkett.
One. Thousand. Games.
In the beginning...
Plunkett isn't that old. He's 51. he can still skate; he can still handle a stick. And he is still alert enough to remember that first game...most of it, at least.
"It was Peters Township that we played," he said. "I remember it was a Sunday morning. And I don't remember the score, but we won pretty handily."
The Bulldogs beat Peters Township 19-0, as a matter of fact. And despite the brevity of the article in the following day's newspaper, it still contained Jamie Plunkett's very first post-game interview.
The future?
"At this point I still enjoy everything about it," he said, "all the people and the challenges that go with it. One of the things that I enjoy the most is getting to the rink early in the morning, like on a Sunday and hanging out with the coaches. And that time goes by so fast, that hour on the ice, that's something that I still enjoy a great deal."
"You can't do this for as long as I have without loving it."
In other words: For those last 999 games, he's happy with the way things went.
A Note from Coach Plunkett
12-12-2006 — The events of Monday December 11th are memories that I will carry with me the rest of my life. I can’t begin to thank everyone for all that they have done for my wife Sue, daughters Joan, Ann and myself.
While there are so many people to thank – I must extend a special thanks to Doug Nickerson for organizing the pre-game ceremony. To say I was surprised when Pat Leone stepped forward with the Number 1000 jersey is an understatement. Doug had asked me for a blank red jersey some time ago and I did not give it a thought as to why. Along with Chip McErlane, they had the number 1000 and my name embroidered on the jersey. At some point, I will put that in a shadow box in the rec room along with other hockey memorabilia. For now, Annie has laid claim to it and plans to wear it to future games.
Coaching this team for twenty one years has been a privilege, an honor and a heck of a lot of fun. When I am asked how I could do this for so long – the answer is very simple. The people that I have been associated with all these years have made this the best coaching job anyone could have. When I first started, the Board of parents said “What do you need to make this thing work?” That kind of support made our dressing room a reality in 1988 and it has grown from there. There are too many people to list here in this column today for me to thank. It was awesome to see so many of them the other night at the game and afterwards at Mickey’s. The only thing I wish I could have done was to get around to everyone and personally thank them for attending.
The players that I have had over the years are the ones that deserve the most credit for my 1000 games. Their dedication, loyalty and ability have made this such a great experience for me over the years.
I can’t let this opportunity pass without thanking the coaches that I have worked with over the years. These guys make my life very easy and without their support our program would not be where it is.
A special thanks has to go out to Dick Holabaugh who has been with me now in one capacity or another since the beginning. After Jeff graduated in 2003, I wasn’t too sure if he would continue on, but in his mind there was never any doubt that he would return. Besides, I think PJ prefers it this way.
Finally, without my family supporting me for all these years I would not have been able to do something that I truly love. I am lucky that Meadville’s three biggest fans are my wife and two daughters.
Thank you to everyone for making December 11th a very special night.
With warm regards,
Jamie Plunkett
Jamie Plunkett Coaches 1,000th Game
Article courtesty of Allegheny College Sports Information Center.
MEADVILLE, Pa. – Allegheny College Head Athletic Trainer Jamie Plunkett coached in his 1,000th career game with the Meadville Bulldog Hockey Team on Monday night, improving his record to a stellar 731-215-55, a career percentage of 75.9, over his 21 years in leading the program.
“Truthfully I don’t feel all that comfortable with getting awards,” said Plunkett. “I’ll be glad when this night is over, but I’m sure down the road I will be very appreciative of it. This is the least enjoyable part about coaching – I’d rather stick to what I’m most comfortable with, which is the hockey part.”
And the hockey part has been Plunkett’s bread and butter, as he has led the Bulldogs to eight Pennsylvania state titles over his tenure. He was honored in a pre-game ceremony before Monday night’s game against Norwin, with the main dignitary being the commissioner of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL) Ed Sam. Joining Jaime to be honored was his wife, Sue, and daughters Joan and Anne.
Plunkett was given a plaque from the PIHL commissioner, along with a commemorative hockey stick, highlighting his biggest accomplishments over his 21 seasons. Bulldog senior captain Pat Leone also wore a special jersey, with the permission of the PIHL and the Norwin Hockey Club, with Plunkett’s name on the back, and the number 1,000 for the jersey number. Once the game was finished, Leone gave the jersey to Plunkett for his trophy room.
“Jamie means a lot to PIHL and Pennsylvania hockey because he is one of those people who knows the game so well, he knows how to coach the kids,” said Sam. “1,000 games is really a great accomplishment when you think about it, and he does it with class, which is the nice thing.”
“It doesn’t seem like that long to me,” said wife Sue Plunkett. “Hockey makes the winters go buy fast here. It is amazing because when we first came to Meadville, we didn’t think would stay very long, and I think hockey made it all the more attractive for us to stay. He enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, and our girls came to love the game. I appreciate everything that everyone did tonight – it was incredible.”
Plunkett, who moved to Meadville from Ithaca, New York in 1983 to become Allegheny’s head athletic trainer, became the club hockey coach at the College in his second winter. In 1986 took over the reigns of the program, winning his first game 19-0, and has left an indelible mark on Bulldog Hockey with the five consecutive state titles, and the eight overall state championships.
Over the years, Plunkett has accumulated his fair share of hardware, none bigger than his selection in 1995 as National High School Coach of the Year following his fourth consecutive PIHL State Title. Plunkett’s 731 victories are thought to be the most of any high school coach in the state of Pennsylvania, while also being the second highest victory total of any high school hockey coach in the United States.
“When I started I didn’t look past 100 or even 10 games,” said Plunkett, when asked if he ever thought he would coach 1,000 games. “I really had no idea what to expect when I got into coaching here, but it has been great for my family. We feel really fortunate to be a part of this community. I have a circle of friends at Allegheny and a circle of friends in the Meadville community, and hockey is largely responsible for that, and I am extremely grateful for that.”
Meadville won Monday night’s game in convincing fashion, beating the Knights of Norwin 10-0. The Bulldogs took their double-digit lead early in the third period before Plunkett called off the dogs, keeping the score mildly respectable. Next up for Plunkett and the Bulldogs is rival Bethel Park in the Meadville Area Recreation Center with face-off set for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 18.
MEADVILLE 10, NORWIN 0, COACH PLUNKETT'S 1000TH CAREER GAME AS HEAD COACH OF THE BULLDOGS....PRICELESS.
It was Jamie Plunkett night at the "House of Chills" and his Bulldogs came out in a determined fashion against Norwin.
Leaving nothing to chance, the Big Dogs jumped on Norwin just over a minute into the contest and never looked back.
Nothing less than a convincing win would do for these Dogs as all 4 lines contributed to Plunkett's 731 Career win in his 1000th game.
Leading the way for the Dogs was Morgan Nickerson with 4 goals and 1 assist. Mike Noonan earned the playmaker with 4 assists and a goal and Captain Pat Leone added 2 assists and a special goal for Plunkett while wearing the 1000th career game commemorative sweater. Also scoring for Meadville:
Nick Fedorka with 2 goals
Bill Espy 1 goal 1 assist
Doug Torok 1 goal 1 assist
Al Drelick 2 assists
Luke Killmeyer 2 assists
Galen Siebel 1 assist
Zack Allegretti 1 assist
Dan Allegretti 1 Assist.
