A New Era Behind the Bench for the St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Team

There were only four days between the departure of St. Cloud State women’s hockey head coach Brian Idalski to PWHL Vancouver and the announcement of Mira Jalosuo, former assistant coach with the Huskies, as the new head coach.

Idalski was in Ottawa for the 2025 PWHL Draft, as was Jalosuo. She was there as the director of scouting and an assistant coach for the Minnesota Frost. While there, Idalski bounced the idea of Jalosuo taking the St. Cloud head coaching job as a hypothetical, which Jalosuo admitted she didn’t think about because of her duties for the draft.

The morning after the draft, the two met for breakfast and talked details about the team and the university. It was a way to tie up loose ends, though Jalosuo still didn't have a concrete answer. 

When Jalosuo was on her way home that night, she suddenly found herself with free time.

A three hour plane delay allowed Jalosuo time to think about the opportunity on hand. “My gut feeling was I need to take this job. There is so much potential to this team. We can make it very far this year in the NCAA and make some Husky history,” the 36-year-old recalled during her introductory press conference. 

Only the second female head coach in program history, Jalosuo was one of two choices Idalski had in mind. The other was current associate head coach Jinelle Siergiej, who turned down the idea and instead phoned Jalosuo to encourage her to take the job.

And she did.

Now Jalosuo, Siergiej, and assistant coaches Noora Räty and Emily Ach are the first all-women coaching staff in program history. It’s a milestone for a program that put themselves on the map during Idalski’s tenure, and those in charge want to continue taking strides. The coaches talk about their dynamic, what each of them brings to the staff, and why Jalosuo was the perfect fit in her second bout with the Huskies.

All the coaches shared the same sentiment: it didn’t matter the gender of the next head coach. What mattered most was their qualification. “I remember having conversations about who we were looking for and what would be the best for the program and Mira jumping in was a great fit,” Siergiej told The Ice Garden. “It didn't matter whether or not that person was a female or a male, we wanted somebody to lead us in the next direction.” 

Jalosuo shared the same sentiment about her staff. She gave praise to the university for finding the best individuals over the years to build out the staff. “If you look at the numbers, there are many male coaches, but there are not that many female coaches… that the St. Cloud State athletic director has been able to find the best four candidates to lead this program [and] they happen to be females. It's very special for me.”

What everyone wanted on the staff was someone who would continue the legacy and flourishing of the program, and the best person for that was Jalosuo.

Being plucked away from the PWHL after working on a staff that won back-to-back Walter Cups had its benefits, Siergiej believed the experience Jalosuo gained in the pros, along with her proven track record as a player, would benefit the Huskies. “Brian pushed this program to a new level, and to continue that, we have somebody that has that expectation of NCAAs, period. That's it. Mira has a very cutthroat mentality, and her coming in with that edge, I thought the girls would benefit from that.”

Coach Idalski had great traits to him that helped him grow the program, but with a new set of freshmen coming in—a total of 10—and the loss of star players like Emma Gentry and Dayle Ross, the coaching staff didn’t want Jalosuo to feel she needed to work the same way Idalski did or to follow what Frost head coach Ken Klee did with Minnesota either. They wanted to choose what worked and integrate that with Jalosuo’s vision. 

“As we grow in our respect for each other, it's also understanding that we come from different backgrounds and have different opinions, but the end goal is the same for all of us. You have to transition and mold the team in a different way, with a different leadership and a different style of play,” said Siergiej.

Part of Jalosuo’s vision is to give her team time to adjust to changes. Jalosuo said the Huskies aren’t going to win a championship in September and doesn’t want to put more pressure on the team than they already have, adding that a regular season of college hockey has enough pressure. Building her connection with the team by leading with warmth and love and having confidence is something she feels will go a long way.

What makes the connection to the staff and the team helpful for Jalosuo is her familiarity with them. She described reconnecting with the players she once coached defensively and being impressed with their growth on and off the ice. ”A lot of the players were freshmen when I was here, so now seeing them being seniors and being more confident in themselves and growing up, [It] has been super fun for me to see.”

That familiarity extends to the staff too. Jalosuo spent one year as an assistant coach with the team under Idalski before taking the same position with the Frost before their inaugural season. She spent a season working with Siergiej, has a close friendship with Räty, and previously coached Ach twice, in the PWHPA and in her younger days with the Minnesota Ice Cougars AAA Hockey Club. With Jalosuo having a front row seat to Ach’s development, Ach felt their preexisting relationship allowed Jalosuo to trust her easily when taking the head coaching job.

“We built that relationship of two hard-working people and we could both take that into working together in a professional environment. But with having that work ethic kind of already established… It was an easy transition for her to be able to trust me. I'm going to give 110% with the task I’m given and she's going to invest in me 110% as well.”

Ach said she is constantly learning and gives her best effort each day. It’s something Jalosuo was proud to share about Ach, citing the fact that Ach is the youngest on the staff and part of the NHL Coaches Association. Jalosuo sees Ach’s passion for coaching and drive to learn more. Ach said she aims to always be a student of the game and it’s something she takes pride in.

But one of Jalosuo’s favorite things about Ach is how the 27-year-old has her own voice within the staff and how she can be direct with Jalosuo when needed. It’s a big step for Ach, who began as a graduate assistant working in hockey operations/video coordinator and is now an assistant coach with the team. She embraces all that she has learned and her role within the program and said she became comfortable being able to lead because of Idalski and sees that same comfort with Jalosuo. “I can voice my opinion and feel like I'm a valuable part of the staff and not just another voice. I can bring a different opinion and a different light to the players and in my relationship building with them as well.”

Allowing everyone on the staff, including Ach, to have a voice is incredibly valuable. Räty said when a voice isn’t taken into consideration then contributing to the staff won’t happen. “That's when you start feeling left out and that you're not respected,” Räty said.“I appreciate that we get to say it. At the same time, the end decision is Mira. She doesn't need to agree with the three of us and she can still make a different decision if she wants to.” 

Räty described the conversations within the staff simply as, “Give your input, say your opinion, and then Mira makes the decision.”

While Jalosuo is steering the ship, one of the members of the staff is the one leading it.

Siergiej is an 11-year veteran of the staff but she’s best described as the mom of the team. A mom of two at home, those duties don’t end there. Around the team, Siergiej is the tranquil one that anyone can go to.

She played her college hockey at Wisconsin and coached three years of high school hockey before taking her first assistant coaching job at Robert Morris. She then joined St. Cloud in 2014. 

Even with years of coaching under her belt, Siergiej admitted it wasn’t her time to coach when approached by Idalski. “I love this program and I'm super passionate about them. The girls in the room deserve a leader that's going to be available for them on a level that I just wasn't able to give them this year with the ages of my kids and my family,” Siergiej explained. 

While Jalosuo was with the Frost, the two still kept in touch. When Siergiej called Jalosuo to talk over the head coaching vacancy, that spoke volumes to Jalosuo about the type of person Siergiej is.

“The last couple years she took a huge step when it came to the hockey part,” Jalosuo said about Siergiej. “I always knew that she's very good with recruiting and paperwork and all of that but now it has been fun to see how much she was able to learn from Brian and be able to communicate the things that she has learned in the last couple years.” 

Jalosuo described Siergiej as patient. She’s the one who isn’t as impulsive as the rest of the coaches and knows how to stay calm when the decision making process calls for it. “She's the glue. We can get into talking about practice or talking about lineups and big decisions in that sense and Jinelle is like, hey, let's make sure that we're making the best decision for everybody here,” Ach described. “She keeps us mellow. On the ice too with the players, it's that mom role as well. if anyone needs that emotional support, they're going to Jinelle.”

For Räty, the transition to a new coach was made even easier by the fact that she and Jalosuo are best friends. They played 12 years together, including playing college hockey at Minnesota and appearing at two Olympic Games together. Though Räty and Idalski were close—Raty has played for Idalski and coached alongside him—Räty was still excited to reunite with her best friend. Having that close friendship and working together professionally is something Räty knows can be done with ease. She stated she has no desire to be a head coach and is happier as an assistant focusing on goalies instead. The added bonus of seeing Jalosuo now is great for Räty too. Jalosuo knows Räty is exceptional with her goalies, especially with the accolades Räty has, including winning best goaltender at the Women’s World Championship five times for Finland in her career.

“Noora is all about winning. She's a pro and she's focusing on things that are going to make this team win on the ice. She's the best of the best when it comes to goaltending,” Jalosuo said. “Her being my best friend, it's very valuable for me because a lot of people are afraid to be direct with me, I would say that she is not afraid. I never have to question what comes out of her mouth. I know she's going to be honest with me.” 

The same sentiment is reciprocated between the two. Jalosuo is direct with her own communication, and that never leaves Räty questioning what she means. They hold each other accountable and have done so throughout their friendship. Having the ability to tell it how it is helps with communication and with the confidence Räty needs from her head coach.

Having a friendship built on honesty and respect is great but the sense of trust Jalosuo has for each of her coaches allows them the foundation to work the way they have without fear of meddling by their new head coach. For Räty, the thought of being watched and micromanaged would be discouraging for her and would affect her confidence in her own work. Being a goaltender as long as she was, Räty knows that her expertise is one no one else on the staff holds and she understands the other coaches also have their expertise as well. 

Trusting her staff wholeheartedly and understanding they have their specialty makes it easier for Jalosuo to take a step back. She said she won’t waste her energy micromanaging her staff and doesn’t need to go through a vetting process with their video or drills either.

“They're the best people to do their jobs. I [whole-]heartedly trust them,” Jalosuo said. “My job as a program leader is to put them in the spot where I know that they're comfortable and they're going to be successful and their confidence is going to build up.” 

But things aren’t always going to be smooth sailing and while the staff all have immense respect and trust in each other that they continue to build, Siergiej also understands that conflicts will help as well. Being able to voice their opinions and have an open conversation is crucial to also helping the team grow.

“That makes all of us a better coach and a better leader when there's discussions and disagreements. If I disagree with how something's run and it's something that needs to be talked about, absolutely, let's talk about it,” Siergiej explained.

The Huskies opened their new season against Lindenwood on Sept. 19, and Coach Jalosuo earned her first win that evening. While St. Cloud still has the rest of the 2025-26 campaign to play, the team will continue to gain their foothold with a new head coach in place and hope to continue the uphill trajectory the previous teams played a part in.

For Jalosuo, her presence on the bench is empowering and a testament to hard work and dedication to reaching the ability to become a head coach.

“It's a great example [of] her playing career and how she's worked her way up to be a head coach and also to some of the younger players and coaches that it's a journey and it takes time [and] patience. It's not going to happen overnight,“ Räty said. “She's built that career and she's built it to be ready for this moment.”