The Adirondack Thunder currently hold the second spot in the ECHL with a record of 32-11-4-2, and a lot of that credit goes to the coaching staff of head coach Pete MacArthur and Mike Bergin, but with MacArthur always in the spotlight. I recently sat down with the Thunder’s assistant coach Mike Bergin, who joined the coaching staff about a month after MacArthur was named the team’s fourth head coach in Franchise History, “I was thrilled when I got the phone call and he said he wanted me to be a part of it, I was ecstatic, there’s not a better guy I could be in it with, we’ve been a part of this organization since day one, he came in a little later. We used to carpool up together from Sararoga and talk about what it would be like coaching together, and when I got that call, it was a dream come true.
Bergin would spend four seasons as a player in the ECHL, as he spent his rookie year with the Elmira Jackals, before spending three seasons with the Adirondack Thunder, putting up eight goals and 32 assists for 40 points in 107 games. During his final year as a player during the 2017-18 season, the Ottawa native joined Skidmore College as a volunteer assistant coach before spending two seasons as an assistant coach and another two seasons as an associate head coach, and I asked Bergin how that experience prepared him for the experience he has now, “Ya, it made a huge impact in my coach career, it was the first real gig and first time getting my feet wet and learning from the head coach there coach Hutchison{Bob Hutchison}, who is one of the most detailed guys I know, it was awesome to learn from him, the college game the recruiting game, what happens behind the scenes, it was such a good experience why I’m here today.
Heading into the 2022-23 season, it was new territory not only for Pete MacArthur, who was also an assistant at Skidmore College, as both Bergin and MacArthur were entering their first year as coaches in the ECHL, “It was a pretty big adjustment from college hockey to here, It’s similar in age groups, obviously a lot bigger and higher skilled players, it’s fun coming that. It’s just a different adjustment getting used to the league and the players and kind of the standard. Maybe the first little bit was a little tough getting our grasp on things, but I think we figured it out as we went on there, and I think we put together a really good team for the second half of last year, and it’s kinda carried over to this year” said Bergin.
One of the big factors that has led to Adirondack’s success has been the three-headed goaltending monster of Vinnie Purpura, Jeremy Brodeur, and Tyler Brennan, as both Broduer and Purpura are in the top 10 amongst ECHL goaltenders in GAA and Purpura leads all goaltenders with three wins in the shootout this season, “Ya, I can’t say a negative word about any one of them, they’ve been incredible all year, and when we’re struggling whether it’s upfront or on the D side they are always there to bail us out, it seems like they’ve won us a countless number of games this year and even when we lose they are playing well, it’s so nice to have three goalies ready to go at all times, and they’ve been such a big part of our success. When asked about the decision to bring in three goaltenders, Bergin talked about the need to have three, knowing how the ECHL is with injuries and call-ups, “For sure, that goes back to getting into the league and understanding what’s needed to be successful, Pete was a player and turned coach right away and knew that the previous year they had a lot of issues keeping a goalie here and having an “A” goalie and made it a point to have three goalies at the start of training camp that are all capable and are all ready when we know we are going to lose a goalie and have two more” Bergins Said.
I asked Bergin what this year means to the fans, knowing he played here during his playing days and has always had relations with the area, “It’s awesome, it’s amazing, we won the North Division when I was here, and I just remember playoffs being absolutely insane, the whole crowd was there chanting your name, and it gives me goosebumps just to think about it” said Bergin, he also mentioned that he can’t wait to feel that feeling again if the Thunder made the Kelly Cup Playoffs but wanted to stay complacent and not jinx anything.
