The space inside the Glen Rock locker room at Prudential Center was filled with emotion last month following the team’s Public B hockey state final loss to Ramsey.
The sudden and unexpected announcement that coach Sergio Fernandez would be stepping down from the position he held for the last 14 years only added to the somber scene.
“I love the kids of Glen Rock,” Fernandez said Monday. “I’ve loved every minute of the past 14 years. I’ve got no regrets. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Glen Rock finished 23-3-3 – including its first trip to the state final, a 5-1 loss – this past season, the best in program history. It was a season of breakthroughs after years of close calls. It was a season to remember.
But the man who helped turn the program into a perennial county, league and state title contender is moving on.
A year into Fernandez’s tenure as the Glen Rock coach he became a husband. Four years later, a father. While many now consider him to be one of the finest coaches in the state, Fernandez decided it’s time to put family first.
“My son [Charlie] is 10 years old now, and man, the 10 years have absolutely flown by,” said Fernandez, who accumulated a 181-70-20 record and led Glen Rock to the past four Big North Freedom Cup titles.
Click link to finish reading this story: http://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-ice-hockey/glen-rock-moves-on-sans-longtime-coach-1.1538528
