Last season, his first at the helm of a high school team after a 30-year detour into the business world, Breck boys' hockey coach Les Larson guided the Mustangs from the No. 4 seed to the Class 1A championship.
If that sounds unexpected, imagine Larson's reaction five months ago when doctors told him triple-bypass surgery was required to relieve nearly total blockage in his heart.
A man who prides himself on long walks with his dog, carrying his own golf clubs and skating was told he would have to refrain from the latter until at least January.
"You can't run a practice without the skates," said Larson, 56, a former defenseman at Hill High School and Notre Dame. "But once I got them back on, it was like riding a bike."
Larson now feels "wonderful" and has had zero setbacks.
Though he spent six weeks coaching from afar, Larson has Breck as the favorite to repeat as champion this week in the Class A field.
The Mustangs (26-2) are the top seed. They continue their quest for a second consecutive title at 6 p.m. Wednesday against New Ulm (16-9-1) in the state quarterfinals at Xcel Energy Center.
Breck lost only two seniors off last year's team, and have been favorites all this season. An overtime loss to St. Thomas Academy in the third game of the year and a 4-1 defeat to prep school juggernaut Shattuck-St. Mary's have been the only bumps in the road.