Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Pete Townshend’s lyrics echo strangely true around Cornerstone Ice Arena this week as the Lockport Express have relieved Brian Becker of head coaching duties. In his place, General Manager, Frank Vecchio will resume coaching duties going forward. Greg Penke will remain in his role as assistant coach.
The coaching change came after a 7-5 loss against the Roc City Royals, the 12th consecutive loss for the Express. This was Becker’s first season behind the bench for Lockport. Vecchio coached the team for the first pair of seasons in Lockport before handing the coaching duties to Becker so he could focus on the General Manager role.
Express owner, Steve Bueme, offered Becker is best wishes. “Brian is a good kid, and I wish him the best. He knows hockey and will find something that he will be great at. Right now, I had to make a change for my hockey club moving forward.”
Vecchio echoed the same in his statement: “Brian is a good guy, and a good hockey guy. But after losing 12 in a row, we had to make a change. This is certainly not all on Brian, and everyone, from ownership, to myself, and players, must take responsibility. We need to put the work in to get our program back where it belongs. We wish Brian the best as he moves forward.”