The Bantam 1 team will be led by Allen Sprunk. This will be Coach Sprunk’s 44th year as a USA Hockey head coach. After coaching in Redford Township, Novi and Farmington Hills, MI, for 10 years, he moved to Carmel in 1980. Joining IYHA in 1981, he coached the IYHA Squirt All-Stars to the Indiana Squirt A State Championship. The following year the All-Star team became the Indy Racer Squirt AA travel team. A USA Hockey Level 4 coach, Sprunky has led Racer Teams to state championships at Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee and Bantam at A and AA levels. His 34 tournament championships include three International Silver Stick Tournaments and five Indy Racer St. Patrick Tournaments, to go along with nine Indiana State championships. He began playing hockey at Memorial Park outdoor rink in Wyandotte, Michigan, at age 10. In 1979, he was a member of the Michigan Senior Men’s State Champions and played on two teams that won the Crown Life International Tournament in Toronto. Over the years, he has seen his players go on to play Junior A, Division 1 College and professional hockey, all the way to the NHL.
Bantam 2 team's head coach is John Hauber. John has been coaching for 15 years, serving as an IYHA All-Star/Indianapolis Racers head coach at Mite, Squirt and PeeWee. Most recently, he led the 2014 Peewee 1 team to a Buckeye Travel Hockey League regular-season title, as well as a first place finish at the Chicago Mid-Winter Classic. He has also served as an assistant coach for the Lawrence Bearcats high school hockey club. John played youth hockey in Chicago and then recreational club hockey club in high school. Since then, he has played recreational hockey in men’s leagues. John, a USA Hockey Level 4 coach, has continually studied the game and bolstered his skills by attending coaching clinics, participating in USA Hockey training, and learning from the many coaches that he has worked with over the past 15 years.
Leif Selstad will coach PeeWee 1. The 2015-16 season will be Leif’s 6th at IYHA. He has coached at the Mite, Squirt and Peewee levels within IYHA, including coaching the PeeWee Racers 2 team during the 2014-15 season. Prior to IYHA, he coached a travel Bantam team in Minnesota. A certified USA Hockey Level 3 coach, Leif has played the game since he was four years old and has developed a lifelong passion for the game. He played Division 1 college hockey at the University of Vermont and professional hockey in Europe. He enjoys coaching while emphasizing good sportsmanship, the fundamentals of the game, competitive play (working hard) and having fun.
Leading Peewee 2 is Harlan Kauffman. The 2015-16 season will be Harlan's 6th season coaching at IYHA. He has coached Mite, Squirt, Squirt Racers, Girls and is an assistant coach for the U14 Girls Fusion team. He is certified by USA Hockey as a Level 3 coach. His passion for hockey began as a child playing pond hockey in northern Indiana and going to Ft Wayne Komets games with his family. He currently enjoys playing in local adult leagues trying his best to imitate his childhood hockey hero, Bobby Orr.
The Squirt team will be coached by Gary Timpe. The 2015-16 season will be Gary's fourth as an IYHA coach. He has coached both the Mite and Squirt levels, and was an assistant coach for the Racers during the 2014-15 season. A USA Hockey Level 3 coach, his love (and study) of hockey began as a child when his father took him to the (WHA) Indianapolis Racers games. Gary has played the game since he was a child and is still actively playing in local adult leagues.
Racers tryouts slated for August
The IYHA Indianapolis Racers tryout schedule is as follows:
- Squirt: Saturday, Aug. 15, 11:45am; Sunday, Aug. 16, 9:15am
- Peewee: Thursday, Aug. 13, 5:30pm; Saturday, Aug. 15, 1pm; Sunday, Aug. 16, 10:30am
- Bantam: Thursday, Aug. 13, 6:30pm; Saturday, Aug. 15, 2:15pm; Sunday, Aug. 16, 11:45am
The Indianapolis Racers is an IYHA all-star or “house-select” program that gives house players who qualify an opportunity to participate in competitive games and tournaments in addition to their house team activities.
Please email us at iyhamail@iyha.com if you have any questions about our Racers or house programming.