Cox kickstarts Vikings to two titles

By RYAN BRIGHT

Moments after watching his team eke out an ugly victory against Interboro in the next to last game of the regular season, West Chester East coach Drew Cox stormed violently into his team’s dank Ice Line locker room to make it perfectly clear to his players how he felt about their effort.
What he didn’t know was that his stern leadership at that point in the season would turn everything around for the Vikings and help earn him the title of Daily Local News Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.
“It was embarrassing the way they played that night,” said Cox, who is in his second year. “I went back into the locker room, told them they didn’t work hard enough to need showers, and if they weren’t out of there in seven minutes they wouldn’t play in the next game … they were all out in five. We conducted the next day’s practice without any pucks, only sprints. I challenged the senior leadership, telling them that they could be champions if they decided they wanted to be. They made the decision then and there -- during that practice -- that they wanted to be champions.”
It was at that point in the season that the Vikings began their tear, not only winning the Inter County Scholastic Hockey League tournament, but also the Flyers Cup and the Pennsylvania Cup, ranked as an unsuspecting ninth seed.
“I try to tell all my players not to think about winning or losing,” Cox said. “Just have the right ideas, work hard and winning will take care of itself.”
Cox’s philosophy flourished during the state championship, when his Vikings -- trailing most of the contest 2-1 – kept grinding away to eventually take down Quaker Valley, 3-2, to win East’s first state championship.
“All the pieces came together at the right time, said Cox, who coached East’s J.V. for four years before moving up to varsity. “All teams have issues with playing time and things like that, but our players settled in and accepted their roles and had the success to show for it.”
The three championships were especially sweet for Cox, who was a Viking from 1990-94, but never saw anything more than a league title.
“I have a lot of pride in coaching East,” Cox said. “I have won some league championships as a player, but right now this tops them all. Looking back to see how things unraveled with this team just leaves me speechless.”

To contact staff writer Ryan Bright, e-mail rbright@dailylocal.com.