Trevor Gilligan (Photo: AJ DiCesare)
I am the head 16U boys hockey coach as well as the boys hockey recruiting director.
What brought you to Northwood?
A couple of reasons. I am local, born and raised in Saranac Lake. I attended Northwood from 2000-2003. I had an opportunity in 2008 to come back, and I coached hockey here and did the recruiting for 5 years. Then I had the opportunity to be the head coach at the collegiate level at SUNY Canton for 3 years. I then had a chance to come back to Northwood and take over the 16U program, and I jumped all over it. I value developing hockey players, and being able to work with elite teenagers was something that was very intriguing to me.
What made you pick your career?
I’ve been involved in sports my whole life. My dad was a gym teacher and a hockey coach. Every dinner table conversation had something to do with sports. I was able to play in college for 4 years, and I knew that after college I wanted to get myself back into the sports world, and coaching just seemed like a natural fit for me.
Where do you live? Would you like to live at Northwood?
I lived on campus for the first few years I was out of college, and I kind of took it for granted: you don’t have any expenses. When I moved up to Canton and had a few more bills than I was used to it was certainly a little different. Being back is great from a financial standpoint, but more importantly, I may be 32 years old, but I am definitely a teenager at heart. I like being able to throw the ball around with the boys. I’ve got a pretty big backyard that I can take advantage of and have some fun.
How do you like Lake Placid?
I love it. It is a gem. Any person to come to Lake Placid who might not have known about it before has a tough time leaving. At one point in my life I was afraid that I was going to be stuck here my whole life. After being away for 3 years and now seeing how fortunate we are to live in this area, I’d certainly be content to being in Lake Placid for a long time.
What did you do this summer?
I was on the road a little bit recruiting for this year. I was able to work in a few different hockey camps and still get outside quite a bit. I’m a big golfer, I was able to do some hiking and get out on the lake. I took advantage of the quality of life here and what the Adirondacks have to offer.
