ORLANDO, FLA – Recently, Orlando Solar Bears head coach Vince Williams reflected on the first four months of juggling his hockey team and being a brand new father, saying that even after a bad game one smile or giggle from his daughter would put everything in the proper perspective. Friday afternoon, Wynter Skye’s daddy needed one of those smiles big time.
The Orlando Solar Bears announced on Friday that Vince Williams would not return as head coach (File photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing / Orlando Solar Bears)
Late in the afternoon, the team announced that Williams, who had just finished his second year behind the Solar Bears’ bench, would not be returning for the 2015-2016 season. The short release did not give details of the breakup other than indicating that the decision was a tough one.
“Vince was part of the Solar Bears family long before we came out of hibernation in 2011,” Solar Bears President and C.E.O. Jason Siegel said in the release. “We’ve taken a lot of positive steps and these are hard decisions that have to be made as we progress as an organization. He will always be well thought of , respected and when we look back he’ll have played a significant role in the re-launch of the franchise.”
Williams joined the Solar Bears starting with the 2013-2014 ECHL regular season after the Trenton Titans ceased operations. In two seasons, Williams compiled a record of 80-49-15, going 43-24-5 in 2013-2014 and following that up with a 37-25-10 mark in 2014-2015. Orlando qualified for the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs in both seasons but failed to get out of the first round with losses to Cincinnati and Florida. Given the high expectations of ownership regarding bringing a championship to Orlando, the failure to advance may have played a factor in the decision to relieve Williams of his duties.
As late as April 30th, it appeared that Williams would be back for a third season in Orlando. In a post-season interview, Williams beamed about how despite numerous callups and injuries his team qualified for the post-season and looked forward to making a deeper run in 2015-2016. He talked about how numerous players exceeded expectations and his plans for fixing issues with depth among the team’s corps of centers.
With Williams not returning, the Solar Bears will have their third different head coach in four seasons when training camp opens in October. Drake Berehowsky coached the team in its inaugural ECHL season with Williams handling the last two. No indications were given regarding the fate of assistant coach Danny Brooks who played a key role in helping Orlando succeed after a slow start to the season.
The team said the search for a new head coach would begin immediately but no timeline was given as to when an announcement would be forthcoming.
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