Mikko Makela remembers the first time he saw Akane Hosoyamada play hockey. The head coach of the Warner Hockey School noticed the diminutive girl’s skills and skating ability at a tryout for his team. He knew Hosoyamada — who is now a freshman defender for Syracuse — had the tools to become a Warner Warrior.

The Warner School is a powerhouse that attracts elite talent and produces top college players. The hockey team has saved the small school in Alberta, Canada, from closing and the town from disappearing. There is a certain pride that comes with putting on the Warner sweater.

Hosoyamada lived up to the proud tradition in her three years with the program. Makela, who played seven seasons in the NHL, only hopes to find more players like her to maintain the program’s success.

‘In this program here, we’re trying to find the players that have a good skill set and very good people,’ he said. ‘And then after that, we can build things around that, and that’s what Akane is: a completely perfect Warner girl, the type of a Warner girl and hockey player that we’re looking for.’

She has achieved her goal of playing Division I hockey. It was a goal that started with that tryout more than three years ago.

It started with the Warner School.

‘They told me that they wanted me and how I could definitely play at Division I,’ Hosoyamada said. ‘That’s what got me thinking that I wanted to play at this level of hockey.’

Hosoyamada transferred from Banff Community High School to Warner to focus on hockey. She improved her game and lived away from home in a college-like atmosphere, an experience that prepared her for SU.

By her second year with the team, Makela noticed the quiet girl started to break out from her shell. She was becoming a leader and was named a team captain.

‘Whenever Akane said something, everybody listened because she wasn’t talking just to be talking,’ the coach said. ‘Whenever Akane had something to say, it was something important and something meaningful.’

He said Hosoyamada was a no-nonsense type of player who led by example. She picked up that attitude from her coach. Makela constantly stressed the importance of one thing to his players: work ethic.

It was the foundation of the Warner program.

‘He always focused on how, individually, we have to work hard in order for the team to succeed,’ Hosoyamada said. ‘He made me realize that work ethic is a big thing.’

That work ethic and attitude, along with her skating ability, caught SU head coach Paul Flanagan’s eye. Flanagan watched her play for Team Alberta at the National Women’s U-18 Championship against the top players in Canada, and he was sold.

Her experience at Warner, coupled with her versatility, has Flanagan excited about her potential to make an immediate contribution. The head coach said she has good instincts and plays big on the ice.

Hosoyamada played both ways in high school. She was voted the team’s best defender twice and was also an offensive threat on the wing. Flanagan plans to highlight that versatility this season.

‘We expect her to continue to grow with the team and develop into not only a solid defensive defenseman, but we think that she’ll be able to give us a little added punch up front because she likes to go with it and jump into the play,’ he said.

Hosoyamada has played in all seven games for the Orange this season, logging key minutes on defense and picking her spots on offense. She recorded her first career point on an assist in SU’s 7-1 win over Connecticut.

Makela said Hosoyamada worked hard to reach the Division I level. The journey began with that tryout, and it continues at SU. But she will always be a Warner girl.

Though Makela didn’t play hockey at the collegiate level, he gave Hosoyamada some advice before she came to college.

Said Makela: ‘Just be yourself and play hard like you have done in Warner, and it will take you places.’

rjgery@syr.edu

Published on October 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu