The Ohio State University will always be a football school
but this year the men’s hockey team has started the season with a five game
unbeaten streak. Much of the recent success of the hockey program can be traced to one
guy, the head coach, Steve Rohlik.
Steve Rohlik has been a winner where ever he has been around
hockey. Whether it be coaching or playing, success has followed him throughout
his career.
Rohlik was a four year letter winner when he played at
Wisconsin. Twice named the captain, he helped the Badgers win the 1990 NCAA
Championship. He played 166 games during his time at Madison, compiling 34
goals and 47 assists. He was named the most competitive player on the team in
1990.
He started his coaching career at his high school alma mater,
Hill-Murray High School, which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. His coaching
record was 107-2-1. In his five year with the program, the team made the
Minnesota State High School Tournament twice. The tenure highlighted by a
runner up finish in the 1993 Tier 1 event.
After two 1 year assistant coaching jobs at Wisconsin and
Stillwater High School, Rohlik took over the upstart Nebraska-Omaha (UNO)
program. He coached three seasons with the Mavericks. His time in Omaha was
highlighted with the team’s first trip to the CCHA Championship Final in 2000.
From UNO, Rohlik spent the next ten seasons on the Minnesota
Duluth coaching staff. A team known for its gritty and physical play, it was
perfect match for Rohlik and his personality.
The Bulldogs made the tournament twice and all the way to the Frozen
Four once.
In 2010, Rohlik joined the Ohio State staff. He
coached under Mark Osiecki, who was a former teammate of Rohlik when he was at
Wisconsin. This lasted until 2013 when Osiecki was let go and Rohlik became the
head coach.
The 2013-14 season was the first for Rohlik and the first
for the Big Ten Hockey conference. Ohio State’s biggest win of the season came
in the Big Ten Tournament when they upset #1 seed Minnesota. The Buckeyes
almost won the championship but a furious comeback by the Badgers ended the
dream.
The 2014-15 campaign started with a bang as the Buckeyes
upset the eventual National Champions, Providence, 5-4 in OT. The team finished
strong, going 7-4-1 in the last 12 games. The Buckeyes made it to the Big Ten
Conference semifinals before being bounced by the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Last year, Rohlik and the Buckeyes had a tough start to the
season but they did not give up hope. The team got things on track with a trip
to the Florida College Classic. The Buckeyes upset Boston College 3-2 and then
destroyed Cornell 8-3 to win the tournament. They finished the year undefeated
in eight of their last nine games. They also were 3-1 on the season, against a
highly ranked Michigan team.
Success has continued into this season, as Rohlik and the
Buckeyes have a five game unbeaten streak to start the season. They started off
with a huge upset of #3 Denver, who made it to the Frozen Four last season.
They have added a shootout win over Miami (OH) and a sweep of Bowling Green to the
2016-17 resume. They are on the road against Niagara this weekend.
As you can see, Steve Rohlik has been a winner wherever he
has coached. I believe at some point with his coaching, Ohio State will become
a top ten hockey program. Right now, the sky is the limit for the Buckeyes, and
hopefully that means an NCAA tournament appearance this year!
Steve Rohlik's Offical Bio - A great resource, used in the formation of this blog post.
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