Brown Bears fire head coach: Quarters let go after 12 games; assistant David elevated to interim lead man

After a long road trip to begin the season, Kenai River Brown Bears head coach Marty Quarters was looking forward to taking the ice in front of the home crowd for the first time tonight at the Soldotna Sports Center. That chance will never come.

After 12 games as head coach, Quarters was fired Tuesday. He said Thursday via cell phone that some "petty things" occurred on the road trip and the Brown Bears board decided to go another direction. Quarters said further reasons for his dismissal must come from Nate Kiel, general manager of the Brown Bears. Kiel did not return phone calls on Thursday seeking comment.

Assistant coach Oliver David has been named interim head coach.

Quarters said he was not given the opportunity to share his side of the story with the entire board of directors.

"I was really looking forward to living in the community and coaching these guys and helping hockey develop as a whole," he said.

"I feel bad. There were a lot of kids I brought out here," Quarters said.

Coming from Michigan, Quarters recruited several team members from the area. Eight players of the current 25-man roster hail from the Wolverine state.

Recruiting players to move to Alaska to a team that has had coaching changes each year since its inception in 2007 was hard enough. Quarters said it was even tougher telling the team that he would no longer be the coach.

Because so many players are from the Michigan area, they have deeper ties to their former coach than just this season, David said in an interview Thursday.

"This is Marty's team that he built," he said.

Quarters worked all summer to find players and form a team that could compete at the Junior A level, which he did successfully, David said.

"We are a very, very competitive team," David said. "All that credit is Marty's."

Despite the team's record, 2-9-1, Quarters said the Brown Bears made huge strides on their road trip and received much attention from collegiate scouts. The team's record had nothing to do with his termination, Quarters said.

Though he's disappointed with the decision, Quarters said that's part of hockey. Players are traded and coaches, too, can change during a season, he said.

The team has a good group of kids and they'll find a way to adapt, he added.

"I really enjoyed the support that the city gave," Quarters said. Although his time as head coach was short-lived, Quarters said he wants to thank the Brown Bears organization.

"Marty was very positive around the team and the concepts he's instilled will be carried out," David said. "We're going to carry on as best we can. We're all going to miss Marty."

David said Quarters always had a positive outlook, which is what his team needs now.

"These guys need to really focus on rallying around each other and keep that optimistic outlook," David said.

Like Quarters, David said personnel changes are part of the game, and his team is learning that fact.

"I think they are realizing, because it happened, that it is a part of the game," he said.

Players have to continually compete for their positions. "They've come to find out the same holds true for their coaching staff," David said.

For now, David sees the decision as a chance to earn the head-coaching job. However, if another coach is brought in, David said he is committed to the assistant coaching position.

"I just want the best for the Brown Bears," he said.

David said though it's a difficult situation, it's important for his team to stay positive.

"Hockey is all about adversity. That's the message," he said. "I hope that I can carry the torch that was lit before me."

Mike Nesper can be reached at mike.nesper@peninsulaclarion.com.