Canada native named ALHS varsity girls’ hockey coach

Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 21, 2003

Jason Fornwald grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, and he’ll be the first to tell you hockey is not Canada’s national sport.

&uot;It’s a national obsession,&uot; he said.

It’s definitely a passion for Fornwald, who was recently named the new head coach for the Albert Lea High School girls’ hockey team.

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&uot;Some of my most vivid memories as a kid are sitting around the TV with my family watching hockey, or watching my brothers play,&uot; said Fornwald. &uot;I absolutely love the game.&uot;

Fornwald, 28, has served as Mike Miller’s assistant with the ALHS girls’ squad the last two years, as well as being the goalie and general manager for the Albert Lea Blades, an adult amateur hockey team he and Kris Ellsworth formed three years ago.

&uot;The first thing I want to address is the first thing on everyone’s mind,&uot; said Fornwald. &uot;What will happen to the Blades?&uot;

Fornwald assures Blades followers he’ll remain the team’s general manager, and he’s looking forward to season No. 3.

Season No. 1 as head coach of the Tigers should be even more exciting.

The Tigers graduated only two seniors from a squad that finished 21-8 and reached the Section 1A championship game, nearly advancing to state. With section realignment for the 2003-04 season, the Tigers are considered by many a favorite to play in next year’s state tournament.

Fornwald said there are no major changes planned with the program.

&uot;I’m looking at it as a great opportunity,&uot; he said. &uot;I’m really looking forward to it. We have a great group of returning players. Mike did a great job of setting the ship from port. I just need to point it in the right direction.&uot;

At an early age, Fornwald was pointed in an athletic direction by three older brothers and three big sisters. They grew up near Lampman, a farming community of about 600 in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan. It’s about two hours northwest of Minot, N.D.

&uot;The saying goes, when you’re from Canada, you’re born with hockey skates on,&uot; said Fornwald. &uot;That was pretty much the case.&uot;

He started playing organized hockey at age 7 and, after two years at the forward position, switched to goalie. Baseball was also big for Fornwald and his brothers, while his sisters competed in curling and softball. The entire family plays golf.

Fornwald attended Lampman High School through his sophomore year, then got what he calls an outstanding opportunity to attend one of Canada’s most renowned private prep schools, Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. Located in Wilcox, Sask., about 120 miles from Lampman, the school is known for strong academics and athletics and has produced many National Hockey League players.

&uot;My uncle went to school there in the late ’40s, early ’50s, and my grandmother really encouraged my parents to send me there,&uot; said Fornwald. &uot;I was the only one of her grandchildren to go there, and the only one in our family after her son.&uot;

After high school, Fornwald received an offer to try out for the West Minot Americans, then a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, but he decided instead to attend college at Minot State.

In the meantime, he got a call that would eventually lead him to Albert Lea. It was an offer to play baseball at Austin Community College, after which he transferred to Mankato State. He graduated in 1998 with a masters in speech language pathology.

Fornwald met his future wife, Dena, while working for Health Dimensions Rehabilitation and, after getting married in 2001, he began his tenure in the Albert Lea school system with a full-time position at Lakeview Elementary. In addition to being Miller’s assistant the last two years, Fornwald has been Albert Lea’s ninth-grade baseball coach.

Miller was in high school when he first thought about coaching.

&uot;I remember having a discussion with one of my sisters, when I realized I wouldn’t be playing hockey or baseball for a living,&uot; said Fornwald. &uot;I absolutely love sports, I love being around sports. I enjoyed playing baseball more, but I have more of a passion for the game of hockey itself.&uot;

Fornwald believes people skills are a necessity for any successful coach.

&uot;I really feel 90 percent of your job, as a coach, is how you handle interpersonal relationships and how you treat people,&uot; he said. &uot;If you want respect from people, you have to respect them.&uot;