HEAD COACH - MATT ADAMS Coach Matt Adams re-joins the Spartans early on in the 2012-13 campaign to take the helm as the program's 4th Head Coach. Matt was an Assistant Coach with the Spartan Team that finished 9th in the Nation in 2010-11 and has an extensive coaching background and deep connection with Northern California Hockey. Coach Adams has worked at the Spartans' home rink, Sharks Ice at San Jose, for the past 12 years and is entering his third year as Sharks Ice Youth Hockey Manager. He oversees the Sharks Youth Hockey League (SYHL), the HP High School Hockey League and other camps and clinics. He has worked several years alongside Worchester Sharks coaches Roy Sommer and David Cunniff at the Sharks Summer Hockey Schools. He is a Double Goal certified coach with the Positive Coaching Alliance and represented NORCAL at the USA Hockey Youth Hockey Symposium in Chicago, IL in Fall 2010. Coach Adams has been coaching youth hockey in the Bay Area for over 10 years and has coached at every level from in-house mites to Tier-level Midgets. In addition to taking on the role as Head Coach of the SJSU Hockey Team, he also currently serves as the Head Coach of the San Jose Jr. Sharks Squirt '03 Team. His teams have won multiple NORCAL & CAHA State Championships and have captured multiple Silver Stick Regional Playoff banners. He also has a strong relationship with some of SJSU Hockey's most notable alums having coached alongside Ray Kellam and Ian Fazzi. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA, Coach Adams attended SJSU from 2001-2005 and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He is a big country music fan and is fluent in Spanish. He also enjoys cooking and playing golf (although he admits he's not very good at either). Coach Adams is a gregarious person and a has a passion for teaching individuals young and old how to succeed in hockey and in life. The Spartans are thrilled to have him back on board to help guide their quest for a National Title! ASSOSCIATE COACH - AARON MULLAGH A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Coach Aaron Mullagh has returned as an assistant coach for the 2012-13 season. Coach Mullagh served as the squad's Head Coach in 2011-12, which finished 8th in the West Region with a 19-15-1 record. Coach Mullagh resigned from the Head Coaching position in the off-season due to time constraints, but expressed a strong desire to remain with the organization in some capacity. The Spartans are pleased to have been able to retain his services in his current role. Coach Mullagh started his coaching career at the young age of 15 after being selected amongst hundreds of candidates to participate in the University of British Columbia's "Coach Training & Leadership program" before advancing on to play and coach Minor Hockey in Toronto, Ontario. In 1997, he had the opportunity to consult the Japanese National Team in preparation for the 2008 Nagano Olympic Games. In 1999, he arrived in California and immediately took a strong interest in the Northern California Hockey Community. In 2002, he began coaching in the California Cougars youth hockey program where he has won two U18 NorCal Championships, as well as a U18 CAHA State Title in 2008. Since 2009, he has held the role of "Hockey Director" at Ice Center Enterprises, where he enjoys working with players of all ages on a daily basis. Known for being a passionate teacher of the game, his attention to detail, and utilizing dynamic systems, Coach Mullagh will challenge the Spartans to reach their full potential on and off the ice this season. ASSISTANT COACH - STEVEN STICHLER Bio Coming Soon