Head Coach Drew Acker
Coach Acker started playing hockey at the age of 8. He played club hockey for the Bristol Blazers, Warwick Wildcats, and Lawrence Flames. Coach Acker played high school hockey for Conwell Egan Catholic in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. In his sophomore year at Egan, he was a member of the 1998-99 Flyers Cup AAA and AAA Pennsylvania State Ice Hockey Championship Teams. As a senior, he helped lead Conwell Egan to the Flyers Cup A Finals.
Coach Acker studied Finance at Temple University, where he played one year of hockey. He served as a vital defenseman on the team that went on to win the 2005 DVCHC Championship. After graduation, Drew went on board as an assistant coach for Temple. Coach Acker joined the team as our new assistant coach for the 2006-2007 season. Drew is very excited to be part of the Lions' Ice Hockey tradition and looks forward to great success in 2007-2008.
Assistant Coach Jim Meissner
Jim played youth and junior hockey in Buffalo, NY where he was born and raised. He attended Temple University on a rowing scholarship. While on the crew team at Temple, he won two national championships.
After graduating with a degree in sports administration, Coach Meissner took a position in the Buffalo Sabres front office as a marketing manager. While working in this NHL front office, he also coached the freshman team of the high school he had graduated from. Jim left Buffalo after the 1996 season and took on a job in Albuquerque, NM. In New Mexico, he was the rink manager and hockey director for an ice and inline rink. While in this position, Jim coached a Pee-Wee AAA team that was the first team from New Mexico to ever win the Rocky Mountain District Championships.
From 1997 to 2001, Coach Meissner served as a head instructor for the Bobby Glantz International Power skating schools. He ran over 50 camps a year around the country, working with numerous minor league and college players. Jim also worked directly with the Los Angeles Kings players on the ice during training camps working on better skating technique to increase speed, quickness, and strength. In the 2000-2001 season, Meissner also refereed in the West Coast Hockey League.