Hockey is a beautifully intense game, and within it are fierce people who are rewarded for their hard work and dedication. Anthony Noreen’s intensity landed him at the helm of a new era in Miami University hockey history.
Last season under former head coach Chris Bergeron, the RedHawks hit historical lows, winning only one conference game and finishing with a 7-26-3 overall record. Miami opted for a new direction, selecting Noreen to lead the charge.
Noreen made his way from Kearney, Nebraska, where he coached the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for seven years. He understood how much small towns care about their hockey teams. He also understood the importance of intense leadership to build up a program, which his father instilled in him from a very young age.
Growing up on the north side of Chicago, Noreen dreamed of being involved in hockey. Committing to long car rides with his dad to attend travel tournaments was just one part of this. However, his constant feeling of being behind the pack built his character.
“My game was never good enough,” Noreen said. “How hard I worked was never good enough. I could have been practicing for 24 hours, and it was never enough. If you were in the house, you weren’t playing video games, you weren’t watching TV: You were doing something to work at your craft. There were a lot of days where I didn’t like [my parents] very much. And now I look, and I’m thankful.”
Noreen went from travel hockey to playing Division III at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, but a part of him always knew he wanted to be a coach. He depicted his desires in a drawing for a school project that showed him standing behind a bench with players in front wearing USA hockey jerseys.
After finishing his playing career, Noreen started coaching at his alma mater as an assistant coach. He remained there for three seasons before moving to the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms as an assistant.
Noreen was promoted to the role of head coach and general manager of the Phantoms from 2011-15, the last time the RedHawks hockey program had a winning season.
After a two-year stint in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears – one that ended poorly as Noreen was let go midseason – he was hired by Tri-City. There, he built the team into one of the premier clubs in the USHL and won multiple awards for his success, including two USHL Coach of the Year honors.
Noreen’s intensity in doing everything as best as he could gave him success at the USHL level and eventually brought him to the NCAA Division I scene. He says his passion lies in developing players into the best versions of themselves and building programs from the ground up.
Since being hired on April 1, Noreen has set out to do that with the RedHawks.
Whether he’s wandering the event level of the Goggin Ice Center, in his all-black training outfit—a black T-shirt, black sweatpants and black Vivobarefoot shoes—talking with players, getting a workout in, conducting a video session or listening to The Rolling Stones or Michael Jackson, the goal is taking everything day-by-day and building a foundation for success.
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Noreen’s long-time friend and current assistant coach, Troy Thibodeau, knows the Miami bench boss almost as well as anyone. Having worked with him in Tri-City for multiple seasons before arriving in Oxford, Thibodeau has seen his intensity first-hand in two different environments.
However, what impressed Thibodeau the most about Noreen was his consistency in messaging, energy and performance. When he says something, he means it and will abide by it no matter the context.
“He’s pretty consistent,” Thibodeau said. “Whether it’s win, lose, off day, game day – he’s pretty consistent with his attitude and energy. I think he’s a guy that lives day-to-day, and he’s just going to do whatever he needs to do that day to make the program the best that it can be.”
Zack Cisek, another assistant coach for the RedHawks, was kept in the mix by Noreen after being on the previous coaching staff. While he hasn’t been around Noreen for as long as Thibodeau has, Cisek knows there’s something different about his intensity and passion for rebuilding the Miami program.
“I think he’s got a voice that carries,” Cisek said. “He just seems to have one of those personalities that when he talks, people look at him and their ears perk up. I think the guys are going to see that he’s going to work hard, whether it’s the coaching aspect or building relationships. We tell our players that if you see someone working hard, it will make you want to work hard.”
Since the outset, Noreen has been focused on creating a strong culture at Miami. If the team is connected on and off the ice, it will win games.
The road back to college hockey success will be long, but Noreen has been a part of many long journeys. Now, with the full support of his family, he’s in the driver’s seat, looking to restore the RedHawks to their former glory and make NCAA Frozen Four bids.
At this point, though, waking up in the morning, doing 20 minutes of meditation and drinking his mushroom coffee before making his way to the rink is as satisfying as it gets for the young head coach.
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