Coaching Staff

George Pagonis, native to New Jersey, played youth hockey for the Colorado Thunderbirds and Colorado Rampage during the 2009-2010 season. He later joined the 18U AAA Tier 1 Elite team, formerly coached by Andrew Sherman. After youth hockey, Pagonis played for the Wichita Falls Wildcats (NAHL). He has been coaching with Colorado Rampage for the past five seasons.

Coach Pagonis currently serves as the Head Coach of our 18U Monument H.C. teams. His previous seasons played with the Colorado Rampage Association have helped provide players with the fundamental mindset and aptitude of skills needed to play at the next level.

Career Highlights

• Attended National Player Development Camp 2009
• Attended National Tournament three times with one national title
• Six years coaching experience with Colorado Rampage Association
• USA Hockey Level 4 Coach

Mario Puskarich grew up playing hockey in Florida until moving to Chicago at the age of 15 to play for the Chicago Young Americans (Tier 1 Elite/MWEHL). After two seasons at CYA, Puskarich went on to play two seasons for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL, along with two seasons in the BCHL for The Langley Riverman. In his second season in the BCHL, Coach Puskarich won the Brett Hull Trophy awarded to the regular season scoring champion, while also serving as team captain.

Following his junior career, Puskarich accepted a Division 1 scholarship at the University of Vermont. In his freshman season, Puskarich earned Rookie of The Year (Hockey East,) as well as appearing in the NCAA Tournament. Four seasons at Vermont saw Puskarich score 52 goals and 65 assists, totaling to 117 points. He became the first UVM player in over 20 years to hit the 50 goal and 100 point mark.

After his senior season at UVM, he signed a professional contract with the Manchester Monarchs of the (ECHL). Coach Puskarich found success right away and found himself making a playoff run to the conference finals. The next two seasons saw Coach Puskarich make the move to Europe, playing for Medvescak Zagreb in the (EBEL). After two seasons in Croatia, he joined the Manchester Storm in the (EIHL) playing out of Manchester, England.

Coach Puskarich now serves as the Program Director of 365 Performance Hockey Academy, Head Coach of the Colorado Rampage 13U AAA team, and Head Coach for all MHC teams.