In the 2011-12 season, when the puck drops, guess who will be behind the bench as Alton’s coach? It will be none other than the father of River Bend hockey, Larry Thatcher, who has decided to step back in the world of high school ice hockey since the Alton High School’s team needed a head coach.

For some, it is never enough. Nothing, including a lot work, can deter them from their work; which they hardly consider as work and consider it mostly as life. Thatcher is one of them. For him, youth hockey has become his life and hence, when the team needed him, he didn’t look back and stepped right in.

Thatcher has head-coached many a team in the past with the list including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) hockey club, Roxana High School club as well as the Bethalto. He later had to step down from his duties as head coach due to health concerns.

Larry had continued being the general manager for the SIU Edwardsville team for the prior season but since Bobby Meszeros stepped down as the head coach of SIUE, the Cougars began a search for a head coach and Mike Edwards, Alton’s coach of four years decided to fill in. but that led to the AHS Redbirds being without a coach and the Redbirds simply decided to ask Larry to do the honors.

Thatcher has been an instrumental and driving force in the Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association (MVCHA) since its beginning and has ever since remained as its board member. He also has another full-time position as the manager of East Alton Ice Arena which is home to SIUE team and also to the MVCHA’s West and North division teams.

He has an extensive history as a successful coach and has said that he is excited to be the Alton’s coach.