By Jim Bastian sports@nujournal.com NEW ULM —Mike MacMillan has a lot of hockey memories, but for “Mac,” who was the head coach for the New Ulm Eagles boys hockey team from the 1986-87 season through the 1992-93 season, the best came in 1992 when the Eagles earned their first state tournament trip in school history. MacMillan, who was presented the Tom Macho Award for 2025 on Saturday, said that prior to the start of that 1992 year, he knew the team had some pieces in place for a successful season. “But they had not won much as youth hockey players,” he said. “So we spent a lot of time making sure that they were involved in the right things. And as the season went along, it became more apparent of what they were capable of. I could tell that in their junior season that they were pretty good — the level of competition that we started playing helped them. “But our biggest hurdle was to get them to believe that they could win. And once they got a taste of winning, they were phenomenal.” MacMillan said at that time, beating Rochester Lourdes (who the Eagles host this Saturday at 2 p.m. at the New Ulm Civic Center) and Northfield were both pretty big accomplishments. And as far as New Ulm earning a state tournament trip? “There were a lot of naysayers,” MacMillan recalled. “And we had those naysayers two to three years before. We had to change the attitudes of where and who do we play, and that was stressed even at the youth levels. When that happened in 1992, it kind of proved that it can be done, but once it was proved that this can be done, the entire attitude changed in the program and also expectations changed. Again, that changed the attitude in the entire hockey program from the youth level on up.” MacMillan said receiving the Tom Macho Award is very special to him, especially since he got his start in coaching hockey here. “I tried to work hard and make it a better experience for the kids in hockey,” he said. “It turned out great for me and it has been a great ride for me in hockey so far.” NEW ULM HIGH SCHOOL BOYS HOCKEY ANNIVERSARY Next year will be a very special celebration for the boys high school hockey program at New Ulm High School as they will celebrate 50 years of Eagles hockey.

NEW ULM –Mike MacMillan has a lot of hockey memories, but for “Mac,” who was the head coach for the New Ulm Eagles boys hockey team from the 1986-87 season through the 1992-93 season, the best came in 1992 when the Eagles earned their first state tournament trip in school history.

MacMillan, who was presented the Tom Macho Award for 2025 on Saturday, said that prior to the start of that 1992 year, he knew the team had some pieces in place for a successful season.

“But they had not won much as youth hockey players,” he said. “So we spent a lot of time making sure that they were involved in the right things. And as the season went along, it became more apparent of what they were capable of. I could tell that in their junior season that they were pretty good — the level of competition that we started playing helped them.

“But our biggest hurdle was to get them to believe that they could win. And once they got a taste of winning, they were phenomenal.”

MacMillan said at that time, beating Rochester Lourdes (who the Eagles host this Saturday at 2 p.m. at the New Ulm Civic Center) and Northfield were both pretty big accomplishments.

And as far as New Ulm earning a state tournament trip?

“There were a lot of naysayers,” MacMillan recalled. “And we had those naysayers two to three years before. We had to change the attitudes of where and who do we play, and that was stressed even at the youth levels. When that happened in 1992, it kind of proved that it can be done, but once it was proved that this can be done, the entire attitude changed in the program and also expectations changed. Again, that changed the attitude in the entire hockey program from the youth level on up.”

MacMillan said receiving the Tom Macho Award is very special to him, especially since he got his start in coaching hockey here.

“I tried to work hard and make it a better experience for the kids in hockey,” he said. “It turned out great for me and it has been a great ride for me in hockey so far.”

NEW ULM HIGH SCHOOL BOYS HOCKEY ANNIVERSARY

Next year will be a very special celebration for the boys high school hockey program at New Ulm High School as they will celebrate 50 years of Eagles hockey.