Coaching is a demanding and multifaceted profession. For University of Alaska Anchorage hockey coach Matt Curley, it is almost a family business -- two of his sisters are working as coaches, too. Yet coaching looks different for all of them.
 
His sister Maureen Webster, who is three years younger than him, is the head women's basketball coach at Clarkson University in New York, which is also Matt's alma mater. His other sister, Nora Curley, who is one year younger, coaches field hockey, lacrosse and women's basketball at the high school level.
 
"Coming from a bigger family, it was just a very natural thing for all three of us," Matt Curley said.
   
For Matt, staying involved with sports in his professional life was a dream that started at a young age.
 
"It is something I've always wanted to do," Matt said.
 
All the Curley siblings had been involved in athletics from their childhood on. Though they later moved into different sports, they all started out playing the same one: hockey.
 
"Although I loved hockey, there was no girls team in the area and so I switched to basketball due to the contact of hockey while playing with boys," Webster recalled. "I immediately fell in love with basketball and knew it was something I wanted to be a part of for the long haul."
 
Matt, Nora and Maureen went on to play at the collegiate level. Matt stayed in hockey while his sisters played basketball. In addition, Maureen played collegiate soccer. It was during this time in college that Matt's plans of becoming a coach started to take shape.
 
"I love playing, I love the sport. Obviously, I wanted to play as long as I could, but as I got older and realized that playing would come to an end for all of us someday, I knew that coaching was something I wanted to do," Matt said.
   
At Clarkson, he started paying close attention to the way his coaches were training the team, taking mental notes that would later help him launch his coaching career. In 2011, Matt started his coaching career as an assistant coach for the U.S. Under 18 national team at the World Junior Championships. He has also worked with teams in Indiana and Salzburg, Austria, before he was named head coach of the Seawolves hockey program in 2018.
 
Like her older brother, Maureen saw coaching as an opportunity to continue doing what she loved to do after her career as a player.
 
"Since I wasn't good enough to play basketball past college, coaching was the next best way that I could stay a part of the sport and help upcoming athletes," she said.
 
After earning a master's degree in education from the State University of New York at Potsdam in 2005, Maureen started serving as an assistant coach for women's basketball at the State University of New York at Delhi. Five years later, she became head coach for the NCAA Division III program at Clarkson University, where she is still coaching today. Under her leadership, the Golden Knights have made their first appearance at the NCAA Division III Tournament since 1989. They also won a regular-season and a post-season Liberty League Conference Title in 2015-2016.
 
The third coach from the Curley clan, Nora, got into coaching through her teaching job.
 
"Really, all that coaching is is teaching. So for her, it was a really natural fit," Matt said about his sister. "She played college basketball, so to stay involved in basketball and moving into other sports like field hockey and lacrosse was a natural progression."
 
Though coaching looks different for all of the three siblings, there are many aspects of their work that overlap -- be it at high school, NCAA Division III or Division I. At times, having perspectives from different levels can be enriching, Matt explained.
 
"There's things that always come up regardless of the level. Everyone just gets so enamored in how they do things and how they would solve that problem, so it's always nice to hear from how somebody else would do it, somebody I respect and know. It just offers another way of looking at things," Matt said.
 
In regards to his coaching philosophy, Matt highlights three things: character, willingness to compete and commitment both on and off the ice.
 
"I think those things are values that any team, any coach at any level would want to instill in their players. It doesn't matter what sport, what age, what profession," Matt said.
 
This season, Matt led the Seawolves to the WCHA play-offs for the first time in six years.
 
His sister Maureen pursues a similar approach to coaching, also highlighting the importance of quality character in addition to a team's winning record.
 
"I used to only care about how many wins we were picking up every season but now it has transitioned into a philosophy that is based around building athletes with quality character," she said. "Don't get me wrong, winning is still something that I am very passionate about, but I have found that there is more to the game than simply putting a 'W' in the win column."
   
In terms of coaching values, Matt said he and his sisters are talking about the same things. Beyond seeing his players succeed on the ice, he finds great reward in building connections with his players. Sometimes, players he coached a few years back reach out to him to check in and update him on their lives after hockey.
 
"For them to remember and to circle back a few years later, even if it's just to say hello, that's extremely gratifying and rewarding -- to see that you have that kind of impact on a young person's life," Matt said.
 
His players value his efforts and passion for his job and his presence on and off the ice.
 
"Coach Curley really wants to see guys succeed at UAA and beyond. He is a very accessible person, meaning his office door is always open if there are any issues," senior defenseman David Trinkberger said. "This refers to hockey and personal problems. Knowing that your coach has your back is encouraging."