Pilot Mound Hockey Academy is pleased to announce the hiring of four additional staff members to our coaching staff. Please welcome Mark and Alana Collins, Dana Bell, and Brian Archibald to the PMHA family. Here’s a little background of each of them!
Alana BreMiller Collins, PT, DPT, CSCS
Alana will be joining the PMHA Female U18 Prep team as an assistant coach, and will also be Pilot Mound Hockey Academy’s strength and conditioning coach. Alana grew up in Millbrook, NY where she started playing hockey at a young age. She played high school hockey at the Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, CT) and continued her playing career at Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH) earning three NCAA Frozen Four appearances. Alana was a member of the US National Team U22 squad as well as a final selection for the 2006 Olympic Team. Her coaching experience includes assistant coach at Williams College (NCAA Division 3), Pacific Steelers (JWHL), and Hockey Director in Bellingham, WA. She specializes in teaching skating technique and individual skill development. In addition to hockey, Alana grew up playing soccer, lacrosse and softball.
In 2015, Alana earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. She has since worked as an orthopedic physical therapist specializing in elite athlete rehabilitation, injury prevention, and concussion treatment and education. Alana is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has worked as a strength and conditioning coach since 2006.
Alana has lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last fifteen years with her husband and four daughters.
Mark Collins
Mark will being joining Billy Keane’s U18 Prep program as an assistant coach. Coach Collins was most recently the Head Coach/GM of the Bellingham Blazers of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) and previously the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NPHL). Collins along with father Rod Collins worked with the Northern Pacific Hockey League in 2012 to bring the team to Bellingham after not having a junior team since 1995.
Under Collins’ leadership, the newly formed Blazers won the Cascade Cup Championship (NPHL) in the first two seasons, also earning spots in the 2013 and 2014 USA Hockey Junior National Championships. In 2013, Collins was named Coach of the Year for the Northern Pacific Hockey League. In 2016 he made the push to join the Western States Hockey League for increased competition for the Blazers. The Blazers continued to take huge steps forward in the first three seasons winning the Northwest Division and earning a trip to the Thorne Cup.
Collins is a former North Dakota State University collegiate player by way of Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, SK. He coached in Bellingham over 15 years with ex-NHLer Garth Butcher and was the Bellingham Sportsplex Hockey Director from 2012 to 2018. Prior to that he was an Assistant Coach with the Wenatchee Wild U18 AAA team for two seasons. While a part of the Wild program, the team won the Richmond International Midget Tournament in 2011 and the Kelowna International Midget Tournament in 2012.
Dana Bell-
PMHA welcomes Dana Bell to the coaching staff of the U18 Female Program at PMHA.
Dana is known as a dynamic Coach with 13 years of experience in the female coaching world. Dana is a skilled hockey coach with in-depth knowledge of skills and development of female athletes. He consistently motivates and inspires players to bring their best to every game and have fun.
Dana has been active as the Head Coach, Co Coach or Assistant Coach of the Pembina Valley Hawks, AAA Female U18 program for many years. Dana played a leading role in guiding his team through the emotional struggles of the pandemic for the past 2 years. He takes pride in developing a good rapport with his athletes, promoting skill development and moving athletes to the next level of play. Dana is seen as a positive role model for his team participants and in the community. He demonstrates a high level of respect for opponents, officials and facilities.
Dana is looking forward to his work with Pilot Mound Hockey Academy Female program, and is excited to work within his home town setting and to help to move the PMHA Student Athletes to the next level of development. Dana’s shares his personal Mission Statement as being : To help coach each individual athlete to their expected goals, to develop and advance all athletes to the next level, to make our team a fun environment but stay competitive.
Brian Archibald-
PMHA is happy to be adding Brian Archibald to our Goaltending staff alongside Gordie Tumilson. Brian grew up playing minor hockey in Killarney. Later on in his career he played 3 years for the AAA Midget Southwest Cougars from 2009 – 2012. During the 2009/10 season, he was awarded the AAA Midget Top Goaltender Award and was also a 3 time – First team All Star; all three years he played. He then went on to play 3 years in the MJHL for the Dauphin Kings, OCN Blizzard, and Winnipeg Blues and was named to the All Rookie Allstar team 2012-2013. Brian currently plays Senior Hockey for the Killarney Shamrocks.
Stay tuned! PMHA will be announcing the hiring of 3 additional support staff next week!
