By Craig Beauchemin

Battlefords AAA Stars seeking new head coach

Apr 29, 2016 | 5:00 PM

After four years with the Battlefords AAA Stars, Jody Reiter has stepped down as head coach along with Martin Smith, the team’s assistant coach.

The Stars posted on their Twitter account April 29 they were looking for candidates to replace Reiter. Chairman Bruce Yockey says it was disappointing to hear both coaches had to step down.

“Family, career, that’s where stuff was kind of causing havoc,” Yockey said. “It’s just a time commitment that was causing some issues. (Smith) and (Reiter) both have other commitments and it was starting to create too much problem for them personally to continue to dedicate that amount of time.”

Yockey said the team wants to hire a head coach in the interim before looking to hire an assistant.

With Reiter and Smith at the helm, the Stars reached back to back league finals in 2014 and 2015, falling short in game four both years. Yockey knows whoever replaces the two has big shoes to fill.

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“I think our record over the past four years speaks for itself. We’re looking to continue to build our program, we want the best results possible for our team and also prepare as many players as possible for the next level of hockey. We don’t want to take any steps backward,” he said.

Yockey added he was grateful for the job Reiter and Smith did at the Stars spring camp, as it helped them evaluate the talent incoming for next season.

This past season the Stars had to deal with the loss of their top 13 scorers from last season. Some made the jump to Junior A, like Layne Young and Troy Gerein who graduated to the Battlefords North Stars, while Spencer Bast made the jump to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. The unexpected losses of Braydon Buziak to the North Stars and Brandon Lesko to the Flin Flon Bombers were also tough pills to swallow, as Buziak was going to be the team’s captain before making the North Stars’ final roster.

As a result, the Stars finished eighth in league standings before being swept in three straight games by the top-ranked Regina Pat Canadians in the opening round of the playoffs. It was also a rematch of the 2015 finals.

“The two of them will still be involved in the team in some capacity, whether it’s in advisory roles or spots on our board of directors,” Yockey said.