HOLLAND, Mich. — A new junior hockey team is giving local players the chance to compete at higher levels while staying close to home in West Michigan.
The Fresh Coast Freeze, formed last year by co-owners Kyle Gagneau and Jake Lainesse, competes in the United States Premier Hockey League and fills a gap in the region's hockey landscape.
"Junior hockey in West Michigan wasn't really available unless you were a very high end player playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks," said Gagneau, who serves as head coach. "Our goal is to try to provide the highest level of junior hockey that we can to the players."
The team provides opportunities for players like Emersen Lippert from Caledonia and Jakob Van Zweden from Waterford, who have big dreams for their hockey careers.
"The reason I came to play junior hockey was to play a higher level, or a higher college level," Lippert said. "The more years I get to play it in a more competitive setting, the happier I'm going to be."
Van Zweden echoes that sentiment about pursuing his hockey goals.
"This is just one of the many paths of trying to, for my ultimate goal, is just to play at the highest level I can," Van Zweden said.
The Fresh Coast Freeze allows players to stay connected to their communities while pursuing their hockey dreams. For Lippert, that means playing near his Caledonia roots.
"It allows me to be close to home. My parents are at pretty much every home game too. So it's nice having that support," Lippert said. "If I was playing in a different state, it'd be a lot harder for them to come to games."
The team's location in West Michigan also provides strategic advantages for college recruitment.
"There's roughly 10 college hockey teams in the Greater Grand Rapids area, so it's a great recruiting opportunity for them, and that was really where Jake and I felt there was a need for junior hockey in West Michigan," Gagneau said.
The program has already shown success in helping players advance to the college level.
"Last year, the team struggled a bit, and they were still able to move kids to the college level," Van Zweden said. "It just shows that there's always kids moving, no matter where you're at."
Beyond developing hockey skills, players are growing personally through the experience.
"It's definitely grown my game. I've grown as a person, meeting new people, mentorships with our coaches, like, even off the ice," Van Zweden said.
The Fresh Coast Freeze also gives back to the community through outreach events, including visits with students from Woodside Elementary in Holland.
"Being able to play in front of them and see how energetic they are for our sport and the sport we love, and how energetic they are to see us play, it was just a nice thing to feel, just seeing their eyes light up," Lippert said.
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