“We’re not in last place, but we’re not in first”, laughs Lo-Ellen Park Lightning Atom head coach Chris Sutton. Truth be told, this description will fit the overwhelming majority of sports team in any given season.

For Sutton, who is joined behind the bench most often by co-coach Chris Jowsey, it’s another enjoyable season of guiding playground hockey teams, a streak that has now covered the past six years or so.

“I’m there anyways, so I figured why not help”, noted Sutton of his original foray into the coaching ranks. With three boys involved with the SPHL (Sudbury Playground Hockey League), Chris Sutton had originally offered to help out with a pair of teams, only to find out that this commitment was a little too overwhelming.

So he’s followed a core of players, including son Frederic, up through the ranks of their minor hockey careers. “We (Chris and Chris) probably have six or seven kids that move along with our own children. And every second year, we have the younger ones that step up.”

That consistency in team make-up has allowed the “Chris Coaching tandem” to gradually incorporate new skills and hockey development with every passing year. “You teach the kids as they grow – they can only take so much at a time”, states Sutton. 

As for the 2008-09 edition of the Lightning Atoms, it’s somewhat a season like any other – always a few new challenges thrown into the mix. “The truth is that we started this year off with some first year skaters, first year hockey players…and we’re doing not too bad”, notes Sutton. 

“There’s a big difference from the start of the year to this time of year. The kids know how to move the puck out of their own end…passing the puck is a big thing for them.”

As they prepare for the post-season excitement, Sutton knows all too well that his biggest job might well be keeping things in perspective. 

“Sometimes it gets a little more serious, at tournaments and playoffs when everybody wants to win. But  you have to remember you’re here to have fun too – we don’t get that serious here”, he says, reflecting an approaching that both he and Chris Jowsey share towards the game. 

“The personalities we have are a lot of fun.” Part of that enjoyment has come from a ritual that at one time, a few decades back, could be seen everywhere throughout the city – a weekly outdoor practice at Lo-Ellen Playground. 

“We only have a short season with the outdoor ice, depending on the weather…but there’s always 10, 12, 14 kids there”, acknowledges Sutton. As for the on-ice product, Sutton would like to see his team shoot a little more when the opportunities arise.

“We get in too close, try and make that last pass.” 

On the flipside, Sutton sees a few keys to the team’s success come the playoff round. “We get the puck out of our own end pretty well, we help the goalie, our defense is pretty good – we do a lot of things well.” 

And when the dust settles, the Lo-Ellen Park Lightning Atoms might well finish the year in exactly the same place as the majority of the remaining XX playground hockey teams – not in last place and not in first. 

The 2008-09 edition of the team includes: Landon Allard, Drew Bensley, Peter Boylan, Zachary Cecchetto, Brandon Costello, Carter Grace, Patrick Huska, Maxon Jowsey, Alex Moore, Kyle Ormsby, Josh Renelli, Patrick Roy, Lincoln Sheppard, Kaitlyn Smith, Jacob Sutton and William Tarini. 

Coaching staff includes Chris Sutton, Chris Jowsey and Bruno Cecchetto.