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JOE DOYLE AIR FORCE ASSOCIATE COACH

Joe Doyle is Air Force hockey’s associate head coach.

Doyle is in his third stint with the program as an associate coach, and he also played for the Falcons from 1985-1989. Doyle is in his 18th season as an Air Force coach.

I spoke with Doyle about his career, what the Academy means to him and more; here’s what he said:

You’ve been in this program for decades between your playing career and your coaching career. How special is it to coach where you played?

I think if you look around the country at schools, there’s a lot of alums back at their schools. It was a massively important time in my life to be able to go to school at the Air Force Academy, play hockey here. It was an unbelievable experience for me. The further you get away from it, the more appreciation you have for the experiences, the memories, the people you meet that I had here, and now, lucky enough, as a coach. We have an amazing package here to offer between the hockey, the education and the opportunities after graduation; it’s second to none. To be able to talk about that with young players and their families, there’s nothing like it.

Recruiting is one of your key responsibilities as a coach. As someone who was recruited to play for this program, how do you think that helps on the trail?

Well certainly, things change a little bit over time. The Academy is all about a great education, and on top of that, delivering some leadership skills where if you’re in the military or a Fortune 500 company, serve young men and women well. The ability to sit in living rooms and talk to parents and players and have gone to school here, I know the nooks and crannies and benefits of what an education at the Air Force Academy can do for young men and women.

What has made you stick around at this program for so long?

All the things we just discussed are part of it. We deal with the absolute best of the best of young men. We don’t have any first- or second-round draft picks in our program, but I sit in homes, telling people we have first- and second-round draft picks — I think No. 1 overall — as far as people go. Their character, their work ethic, all those types of things. You can do special things in a locker room, so that’s a massive draw. To go to work with our staff and the guys we have in our room, there’s really nothing like it.

You guys had that lengthy losing streak from November to January, but most recently, you have won two of your last four games. How good is that to see some of the payoff and how can y’all keep it going?

That was a tough stretch, something we’re usually not used to around here. We have guys in the room who, during that stretch, didn’t stop competing. We knew this would turn. I wouldn’t say we’re on a roll right now, but beating a team like Niagara and then beating a service academy rival like Army can do nothing but propel us. We’re fighting for our lives for a playoff spot, but that’s still in our reach. I have no doubt that’s what our guys will do until the last whistle.

COLLEGE HOCKEY

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2023-02-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://daily.gazette.com/article/282256669643869

The Gazette, Colorado Springs