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With Haley, a disciplined day starts with a workout. That's followed by going to school, where the 24 year-old teaches fourth grade. By the time she's done coaching, it's already 7 p.m. "It's fine. I'm young," she said. "It gets long, but I'm enjoying it so far." Growing up in Red Wing, Haley surround- ed herself with southern Minnesota hockey. Her father, Scott, coached the Wingers for 13 years. He completely turned the program around into a state tournament contender. It played a role in Paige, an assistant the past two years, wanting to begin her head coaching career at a fellow Big Nine school like Northfield as it jumps to Class AA and competes against schools like Lakeville North and South and Farmington. "I was really inspired to see how he took a program in the southern part of the state where hockey is not as prevalent down here. We're not part of the Metro. He took a place that no one really thought of and developed Division I athletes and a suc- cessful team," said Haley. "I wanted to do that. I wanted to be a part of a program and actually have an impact on it. "It would be very easy for me to go to a program that is already successful and continue it on, but I wanted more of a chal- lenge than that." Williamson, meanwhile, came to coach- ing after going in a different direction from the business route she planned on taking after college. Illness—undergoing brain surgery and dealing with Myasthenia Gravis during her junior year—led the 2014 Minnesota Ms. Hockey winner into minis- try and coaching. During her mornings, she is on campus with the University of Minnesota meeting with students as part of Athletes in Action, leading a weekly bible study with her for- mer Gophers teammates. "I never really thought that ( being a head coach) was something I'd do right out of college. After talking with my Dad and him jumping on board to do it with me, it was another one of those feelings that God was calling me to coach this team," she said. "Now that I'm here I couldn't be happier that I stepped up and took the job." FAMILIAR ICE As Williamson and Pieper help lead West Metro teams and Haley coaches in her familiar south- ern Minnesota, Emma Stauber walks through the doors of the rink where she used to play. Previously an assistant coach at Duluth Marshall, Stauber replaced her own head coach, Glen Gilderman, after he spent 21 years with the Mirage. She helped lead Hermantown/Proctor to its first Class AA state tournament in 2010 as a player before going on to a collegiate career at Minnesota Duluth and professional hockey in both Sweden and America. "It's definitely an honor," Stauber said. "Being a part of the program in that respect to our history, it's even more special to be back here and super special for the girls that there's another female willing to come back and be a part of the program again. Help them accom- plish their goals." She had thought about it over the years, but never thought the possibility of coaching at her alma mater would happen. When the tim- Photo / Gopher Athletics, Michael Hughes/Northfield News "As a player I never thought about what coaches did when we were doing warmups. Just little things like that. Things that you wouldn't think about as a player. Like the bus schedule, making the bus schedule and making sure that (my players) are on time. As a player you don't think about it. As a coach you do." – JACKIE PIEPER, CHASKA CHANHASSEN HEAD COACH, EDINA AND GOPHER HOCKEY ALUM Former Red Wing star and Golden Gopher Paige Haley is in her first year as head coach at Northfield High School.