Peabody's Michelle Roach Honored As MIAA Coach Of The Year

PEABODY, MA — Peabody/Lynnfield girls hockey coach Michelle Roach was one of 21 coaches honored as a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Coach of the Year in their respective sports for 2021.

The MIAA Coaches' Education Instructors subcommittee selected the top coaches based on their demonstrated commitment to being "teacher coaches who have had an impact on the lives of student-athletes by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them develop self-confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic and other skills or values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives."

Coaches were also selected based on their good sportsmanship and reputation among other coaches, and how they help to develop those attributes in their student-athletes.

👏Congratulations to Michelle Roach, #MIAA 2020-21 Girls Ice Hockey Coach of the Year! Thank you for all that you give to your team & the Peabody community! 🏒#OneTeamOneMIAA #ThankACoach @TannerAthletics @PeabodyHigh @MSSADA9 @trytko_ann @RpearsonMIAA_MS pic.twitter.com/FHrDJIDR6J
— MIAA (@MIAA033) January 11, 2022

"Progress is a result of consistency, discipline and the relentless ability to adapt," Roach said. "The best way to teach adaptability is by emphasizing versatility both in playing style and in individual players who are trained to play multiple positions and fill different roles as team needs shift.

"Most importantly, I demand hard work, without which progress would be stalled. We all have to be willing to work hard both off and on the ice, every practice, every shift, every game."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)