Tallmadgeexpress.com - Aurora resident enjoying season as Steelhounds trainer

Since the middle of October last year, Ward 2 Councilman Denny Kovach has been traveling back and forth to Youngstown -- and all over the Southwest United States -- a lot.

The man who previously was noted for cruising around Aurora school district athletic venues in a golf cart, has spent the fall and winter as trainer for the Youngstown Steelhounds, a minor league ice hockey club.

His domain when the Hounds are at home is the training room and ice rink at the Chevrolet Centre in downtown Youngstown, a 5,700-seat facility built just three years ago.

He also travels with the team when it plays other Central Hockey League clubs in Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

All season long, Kovach has encouraged me and many of his friends from Aurora to attend a game. A busy schedule and the weather prevented me from doing so -- until March 14.

It was the last weekend of the regular season -- the finaltwo games were scheduled for March 21-22 -- and it was raining at a pretty good clip March 14.

Because of the above-freezing temperatures and melting snow, the trip back home was through a soupy fog. But all in all, it was a pleasant evening at the game, which the Hounds won 3-2 over the Laredo Bucks.

Aurorans Jim Vaca and his son, Jim Jr., accompanied me to the game after Kovach arranged to get tickets for us.

We were supposed to sit in the pressbox, but it was full, so we picked out an unoccupied loge -- or suite as the facility calls it -- and enjoyed the game from the top of the arena near mid-ice.

The Hounds, who are still in the race for a playoff spot, fell behind 2-1 after one period, then tied it after two and won it with a goal in the third.

As fans know, pro hockey matches usually produce a good fight or two, and one broke out in the third period. Two opposing players squared off and the crowd roared. Hockey fans love those fights!

The Chevy Centre is a comfortable place to visit. The crowd the night we were there was announced at 3,372. There are about 30 suites and a VIP section for group outings at the top of one end, which include food at a buffet.

The Hounds have a dance team of about 15 girls. Between each period, various contests are offered, including chuck-a-puck, where fans toss foam pucks onto the ice in an attempt to come closest to a target.

Young fans are selected to walk onto the ice and hit real pucks into the goal to win prizes. And, of course, it's fun to watch two Zamboni machines manicure the ice between periods.

Then there are the antics of Hounds mascot, Crusher.

After the game, we were invited into the training room and clubhouse to talk to Kovach, observe him taking care of players' bruises and tour the facilities as players packed up to leave for the night.

The Steelhounds are an affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League and Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. There are 17 teams in the CHL, and 10 of them will go on to the playoffs.

Some of the league's other teams are the Texas Brahmas, Rio Grand Valley Killer Bees, Odessa Jackalopes, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, Austin Ice Bats and Corpus Christi Rayz.

The Hounds have only been around for three years. Their coach is Kevin Kaminski, who played a few years in the NHL and has coached two previous minor league teams. In his playing days, he was known for accruing a lot of penalty minutes.

I hadn't been to downtown Youngstown for years, and was a little scared of walking around the city which has had a rather rough reputation. When talking to public relations manager Tim Sampsell about where a good place to park would be, he told me downtown is about the safest place in the city now.

Fans can pay for parking right beside the arena, or there is plenty of free spots on the streets and in a large garage. The streets and sidewalks were pretty bare at night except for fans walking to and from the facility.

There weren't many businesses which attracted people downtown at night either, except for a BW-3's, where we grabbed a bite to eat before the game.

Linda Kovach, Denny's wife, who we talked to briefly after the game, said how the Hounds finish in the final standings will determine whether they will play at home in the playoffs.

Anyone who might be interested in taking in a possible playoff game, or finding out about next season, can visit the team's Web site at www.steelhounds.com.

Denny said despite the long drive to Youngstown and the out-of-state travel, he's really enjoyed his time as trainer.

E-mail: klahmers@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3155