|
The Ohio State University Women’s Club Hockey team was formed in 1991 by graduate student, Louise Mallory. Mallory said of the time; “Being from Stoney Creek (Ontario, Canada) and playing hockey since I was a kid, I wanted to play here but there was no place in Columbus for women to play hockey so we formed the team.” The first seven members were given an hour a week in order to practice at the OSU Ice Rink and paid annual dues of $50.
It may have been a meager start but they have had quality coaching from the beginning. Cyndy Schlaepfer, member of the Hall of Fame at Cornell and Cornell’s most prolific women’s hockey player, was the team’s first coach. The team was dedicated to teaching women the sport of hockey.
Within four years the team grew to two teams with over 50 members. The two teams were organized into novice and advanced. The novice team was all about teaching women who had never played before. “It was really a fantastic program. We won tournaments sponsored by Circle City Sirens and Central Ohio Girls' & Women’s Hockey Association” said Mary Kate Komaransky of the time. The advanced team participated in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and the Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association (CCWHA). In 1995, they won the ACHA championship and were the CCWHA champions in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
In 1997 the team applied for varsity status which was granted the following year. Following the formation of the varsity team were slim years for The OSU Women’s Club Hockey team. The 2000 season was the last year the team participated in the CCWHA. The team remained independent playing a sporadic schedule with little funding. Kate Nushart says of it; “We were just a group of girls who enjoyed playing hockey together--we had no direction and no focus.”
In 2002, Amy White, the club president at the time asked Jeff Cunningham to be the head coach. Cunningham agreed and a few days later found himself on a team bus destined for Michigan State University for his first game as Head Coach of The Ohio State University Women’s Club Hockey team.
Under Cunningham’s guidance, the club increased team funding, membership and interest. “When Jeff started coaching, he was obviously dedicated to the team and our success. That changed the attitudes of all the players and the team as a whole,” says Nushart of the changes.
Coach Cunningham and the club's Board of Directors, headed by club President Kate Nushart, led the team to rejoin both the ACHA and the CCWHA in 2004. The team solidified a coaching staff for that season that included assistant coaches, Eric Ott and Tom Maxwell and goalie consultant Dan North.
The first season back to the ACHA was a learning experience for both coaches and players. “I think we faced many new challenges in our return to the ACHA, especially with the hectic travel schedule and the strength of the opponents in our conference.” Nushart continues on the 2004-2005 season; “While we may not have won as many games as we would have liked, we improved steadily as a team.”
Since re-joining the ACHA, the team has achieved a record of 65-67-7 which includes finishing 3rd in the CCWHA Tournament in '05, 4th in '06, 1st in '07, and 7th in '08. The team also earned a 2005 final national ranking of 15th, 12th in '06, 11th in '07, and 13th in '08. The team has been ranked in the ACHA top 15 during the last 14 consecutive ranking periods.
The program also started and hosts the premier early season girl’s hockey tournament in the country. Started in 2006, the Buckeye Ice Breaker Girl’s Tournament attracts teams from as far away as Alaska, Texas, Colorado and Canada.
Prior to the beginning of the 2008-09 season Tom Maxwell returned to the team as Head Coach. (Coach Maxwell left the program to coach a local high school for the 2006-07 & 2007-08 seasons). Coach Cunningham who has worked diligently to make the team a respected force in the ACHA stepped down after 6 seasons to pursue other opportunities. He remains as Coach Emeritus and Program Scout.
|
