New field hockey coach brings game, guidance skills to Canton squad

Canton athletic director Dan Erickson does not claim to be a great recruiter. Instead, he believes the right person for an open position just happened to walk in the door at the right time.

That person is Brooke Bergmann, who interviewed this spring for a guidance counselor position at Canton High and, in the process, mentioned that she would like to coach field hockey one day.

Bergmann was offered the guidance position, and the field hockey offer naturally followed. Both were firsts -- her first job out of college, and her first head coaching position.

''I didn't expect everything to work out so nicely," said Bergmann, who graduated from a master's degree program at Boston College in May.

Erickson agreed. ''We had somebody fall in our lap," he said. ''I would love to say I did this great recruitment job to bring her in. . . . This is not an easy to position to fill."

The start of school also means the team's defense of its state title has begun, with the Bulldogs facing Franklin High School tomorrow afternoon and Sharon High on Wednesday.

Bergmann has big shoes to fill. Canton had a storied program under coach Christine O'Connor, who led Canton to the Division 2 state title last fall before retiring.

''There's some pressure that comes with that, but it's also nice to know that you're coming into a community that supports what you're doing and is interested in what you're doing," Bergmann said. ''There is already a strong foundation and you're not building from the ground up."

Bergmann's background impressed Erickson. She was a Division 1 player at Villanova, where she earned numerous academic and athletic awards. She learned the sport in her hometown of Fallsington, Pa., an area that Bergmann described as a hotbed of high school field hockey.

''She's going to be very demanding," Erickson said. ''She's an accomplished Division 1 athlete and at the same time a guidance counselor. Certainly, she will have things in perspective, and have a great balance and understanding."

The example set by Villanova coach Joanie Milhous will be one of the experiences Bergmann will be drawing from from this season, she said. When it comes to teaching, Bergmann will have another support system. Her parents -- Jim and Marilyn Bergmann -- have worked as educators for more than 30 years, all the while sharing their experiences with Brooke and her brother Kurt, who is also a teacher.

''We came home and had a ton of stories to tell," Marilyn Bergmann recalled. ''I think they saw how much we liked it. . . . I hope they're saying that 30 years from now."

Marilyn Bergmann has also spent 16 years as a guidance counselor, and played field hockey in college. Brooke sees her mother as a great resource, and talks to her almost daily.

Marilyn Bergmann, for her part, counsels her daughter to be patient. ''I tell her, 'Your first year in this job is trial and error until you go through it and establish your own counseling personality,' " Marilyn Bergmann said. ''You'll have good days and bad days, but you work through it."

Brooke Bergmann said she feels prepared for what lies ahead. When it comes to field hockey, she said, she wants her players to excel, but she also wants them to have a balanced experience.

''My main goal is to make sure that we progress and we get better individually and as a team -- and we have fun while we're doing it," she said.

Monique Walker can be contacted at mwalker@globe.com.