The OHIO University Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Bird Arena

Dan Morris

Dan Morris may be the most decorated player in OHIO Hockey history. Morris holds team records in career goals with 123 and is second in career points with 218. As a player “Moe” won three ACHA National Championships, being named National Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1996. Former OHIO Hockey head coach and current OHIO Hockey Hall of Fame member Craig McCarthy coached Morris during his time as a player. “Dan was the nucleus of our championship teams. He scored goals when we needed them most. His tough, physical play was feared by all opponents and earned the respect of his teammates. Dan’s deep understanding of the game and the way he led by example were instrumental in him being the first Bobcat to win a national championship as a player and as a coach. The time, hard work, and dedication that Dan put into his near 20 year tenure with OHIO hockey will always be remembered and appreciated,” commented McCarthy.

Dan was not only the first (and only) OHIO player to win a national championship as both a player and coach, he was the first in the American Collegiate Hockey Association to do so. As a coach, Morris holds the record for career wins (344) and games coached (499). Morris led OHIO Hockey to their fourth ACHA National Championship in 2004.

Bill Roen

Bill Roen was an outstanding two way player for OHIO from 1994-1998. So outstanding in fact, he was named a First Team All American defenseman in 1996-1997 and then a First Team All American Forward in 1997-1998. As a player Bill helped OHIO Hockey to three consecutive ACHA National Championships from 1994-1997.

Craig McCarthy stated, “Bill has been one of the best defenseman to play in the ACHA. He had all the attributes of a great player. His speed and strength were a commanding force in our defensive zone. His hockey IQ brought considerable aspects to our offensive game. Numerous games Bill was the most dominant player on the ice. Bill’s leadership on-and-off the ice was critical during the championship years.” Roen finished his career with OHIO with 46 goals, 99 assists and 145 points in 121 career games.

Paul Marshall

Goaltender Paul Marshall currently holds eight goaltending records at Ohio University. They include, most career wins (72), most single season wins (29), lowest career goal against average (2.04), highest career save percentage (.922), most career shutouts (15), tied for most single season shutouts (6), most career saves (2395), and highest single season saves (933).

Marshall also earned numerous awards during his tenure at OHIO Hockey, including earning a spot on the U.S.A Hockey’s National University Team that competed in the Winter World University Games in Harbin, China in 2009. He was also named the Central States Collegiate Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player in the 2009-2010 season.

Former head coach and Hall of Fame class member Dan Morris noted, “It is a thrill for me to see Paul Marshall selected to be inducted into the OHIO Hockey Hall of Fame. Paul was a tremendous talent, outstanding leader and ferocious competitor. His talent at the goaltending position gave us a chance to win every night. It was truly an honor to coach Paul at OHIO. His selection as the 2010 ACHA Player of the Year further solidified his spot as one of the greats to play hockey for the Bobcats. His induction into the OHIO Hockey Hall of Fame is well deserved.”

Leon Rozic

Leon Rozic is the fourth inductee in the 2015 OHIO Hockey Hall of Fame Class. Leon played an integral role in two OHIO Hockey National Championships competing at defense from 1992-1996. During the National Championship season in 1996 Rozic led OHIO Hockey with an outstanding +71 plus/minus stat and was named a First Team All National Tournament defenseman. McCarthy noted, “Leon was a classic shut-down defenseman. He took pride in the challenge of shutting down top players from opposing teams. He went weekend after weekend not allowing goals-against. Leon also had an explosive shot making him an offensive weapon. His work ethic and physical style epitomized what Bobcat hockey had become in the mid-90’s.”

Brandon Alviano

Brandon Alviano’s legacy as a hockey player at Ohio University was not built in one night, or even one season. The defenseman is instead remembered and recognized for his superior growth as a player and as a person while with the program.

Alviano, a native of Canada, joined the Bobcats in the middle of his freshman season without knowing a player on the roster. His work ethic was always evident, but the numbers were not astounding at first. In fact, he had just three points in six games in that first season.

However, with time, the statistical accomplishments came as quickly as the victories on the ice. Brandon compiled three consecutive seasons of at least 23 points; he was named an All-CSCHL Tournament Team member in 1997; and he earned ACHA All-American Honorable Mention or 3rd-Team honors on three separate occasions. Furthermore, his presence helped Ohio in its pursuit of three consecutive ACHA National Titles.

Brandon says that he is “honored to be recognized individually for [his] efforts.” With the hockey teams that Coach McCarthy and his staff assembled, coupled with the help of an unmatched volunteer group, Bird Arena produced one of the greatest experiences a hockey fan could ask for.”

The growth for Brandon is evident in the numbers. His point total jumped nearly 30 points in a three-year span and he emerged as a major leader for Ohio. In 1997-98, he enjoyed his most successful statistical campaign, igniting the ‘Cats with 25 assists and eight goals.

“Brandon was a terrific player that excelled in both the offensive and defensive zones,” said teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, Derek Partlo. “He could lead the power play with his great first pass and big shot from the point, or he could kill the big penalty late in the game to ice a big win.”

His ability to perform exceptionally in crucial moments in games made him both a statistical and emotional leader for Ohio. This presence carried off the ice, as well, where Alviano was widely known as a funny and light-hearted personality in the locker room.

After graduating, Brandon’s growth was highlighted once more for his teammates. Former player and Head Coach Dan Morris remembers that “the best part about Alviano is that he improved more than anyone that we played with over four years. He went from being a guy that would be nervous when we played in big cities, to a guy that graduates and heads for New York City. That alone shows his growth. Alviano is the guy that Ohio University wants as a poster kid to highlight his mighty growth in his time on campus.

Mike Lee

Between 1991 and 1996, Mike Lee established himself as one of the premier netminders in the history of Ohio Bobcats hockey. Mike wasn’t content with just stopping the puck; he single-handedly swung a contest in the favor of the ‘Cats with his dominance and leadership along the crease.

Statistically, Lee finished his career with 68 victories as a goaltender, a 2.48 goals against average, a .903 save percentage and 13 shutouts – all of which were at one point Ohio University records.  

For Lee, being accepted into the Ohio University hockey Hall of Fame “is certainly an honor because I played with a lot of great players, and there have been others that played before and after me. [Hockey] is something I put a lot of time into both at Ohio and before I got there, so being recognized is awesome.”

The honor is one of many for the former Ohio netminder. He was named a 1st-Team All-American in the ACHA in 1995 and was also a two-time ACHA National Champion with the Bobcats.

Furthermore, Lee captured 23 wins during the 1993-94 season, leading the ‘Cats to a 31-3-0 mark, and was the starting goaltender during the 33-2-0 run of 1995-96, which still stands as the two most successful years in Ohio history based on winning percentage. 

Ohio Hall of Famer and former teammate of Lee, Derek Partlo remembers “Mike was an outstanding goalie who was a huge reason for our success during my four years at Ohio. He was a big game goalie. The bigger the game, the better Mike played. When he was in net I knew we had a chance to win regardless of who we were playing.”

Lee’s legacy isn’t built on performance alone, however. While at Ohio, he established himself as a valuable teammate both on and off the ice. This made him a favorite of the Bird Arena faithful and the others who wore the Ohio sweater.

“Off the ice, Mike was one of the funniest guys I met at Ohio,” said Hall of Famer, Brandon Alviano. “He always made the players roar with laughter on long road trips to Wisconsin or Illinois. Fantastic player on the ice, even better off.” 

After leaving Ohio University, Lee continued playing both competitively and recreationally before finally setting the skates aside for a career in business. Regardless, his time in Athens remains a part of his every day life.

Lee says “the team atmosphere is something I use a lot in my life after hockey. Ohio hockey taught me a lot as a player, but also as a person.”

Derek Partlo

Between 1993 and 1997, Derek Partlo was one of the catalysts for an Ohio University hockey team that won 122 of 141 contests and back-to-back-to-back ACHA National Championships – the most statistically successful four-year period in program history.

In his career, the Ontario-native led first and foremost as an offensive presence. He recorded more than 150 points – which is amongst the leaders in program history –, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1995 ACHA National Tournament, and completed his run as a 3rd-Team ACHA All-American and as a CSCHL All-Star in 1997.

When asked about being inducted, Derek says that “it is an honor. We had a really great team during that time and it feels great to be recognized for our performance as a group over those years.”

Derek isn’t remembered for numbers alone, however. The Bobcat forward became known as an enforcer while on the ice, despite the fact that he wasn’t the biggest man in the green and white sweater. It was this attitude that solidified his place in the hearts of his teammates.

Former teammate Brandon Alviano remembers that “Partlo wasn’t the biggest guy by any means, but he sure had the biggest heart. I think the person who coined the expression, ‘it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but it’s the size of the fight in the dog,’ must have watched Derek play hockey.”

His willingness to battle for his teammates led to a club record for penalty minutes in a season (183) and in a career (424). It is this competitive spirit that defined the playing days for Derek. All skaters play to win, but few possess the fire and drive that fueled the talented forward.

Since leaving Ohio University, Derek has remained a heavy connoisseur of ice hockey. He coaches his sons, while also teaching the game as a physical education instructor. Derek says, “he learned a lot from Craig McCarthy and his staff over the four years at Ohio. I like to carry on that philosophy that I learned while at school.”

Dr. Brian Gallagher

Dr. Brian J. Gallagher was a member of the Ohio University Men’s hockey team from 2001-2004. Brian was selected as an ACHA All-American in 2003 & 2004. During the 2004 National Championship season, Brian was selected as the CSCHL player of the year, ACHA National player of the year, and the 2004 Ohio University Male-Athlete-of-the-year. Brian played two years of professional hockey in Finland before returning to earn a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology. Brian earned a Master’s of sport science and was the graduate assistant during the 2007-2008 season. Brian has since earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. This honor was made possible by the efforts of Brian’s teammates, coaches, family, and friends.

 “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

John Menzies

John Menzies coached the Ohio hockey team from 1977-1980.  With a .691 winning percentage over three seasons, he revived the hockey program and established hockey as a major sport at Ohio University.

His teams won Midwest College Hockey League championships in 1979, 1980 as well as 1981.

Coach Menzies was also co-founder of the Midwest College Hockey League.

Dr. Dan Marazon

Dr. Dan Marazon grew up in Toledo, OH and first got involved with Ohio Hockey in the early 80’s helping Dr. Dave Patriquin as team physician. He enjoyed the game and soon started going to the games regularly, especially after his two sons started to as mites in the Athens minor league. He said that his love of sports medicine led him into hockey, and he enjoyed helping even more when his son Marcus was on the team.

When asked what it meant to him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame he responded, “I’m very happy and proud of this honor. It means a great deal to me to be remembered as part of such a successful program. I look forward to the team’s continued success at the national level.”

Dan hopes to be remembered as a good family doctor that loved to be involved in sports as a volunteer coach, referee, and physician. His fondest memory of working with Ohio Hockey was winning the national championship game against North Dakota. When remembering that moment he said, “that was the first of three championships in a row – it was the best.

Dan credits his involvement in Ohio Hockey to the enjoyment that he got from working with Coach McCarthy. Dan wanted to be part of McCarthy’s dream to build a successful and nationally recognized program. 

When reflecting on his relationship with Ohio Hockey, the one thing that has stayed with him over the years is that Ohio Hockey games are extremely fun to go to. He always looks forward to the beginning of each season, coming into the rink, the smell of the ice and watching the guys practice and improve over the course of the season.

Craig McCarthy

Craig grew up in London, Ontario, Canada where he began playing hockey, like most Canadien boys at the age of 5. He was 12 years old when he started to teach “the walkers” how to skate in hockey schools. By the time he was 16, he was running both on- ice and off-ice programs for hockey schools. After he finished playing junior hockey, he started coaching junior hockey in Canada at 20 years old.

Craig considers being ranked in the top 3 at the end of the season in seven out of the eight seasons that he coached. He also includes winning 5 coach-of-the-year awards in eight years including a national coach-of-the year award in 1998.

When asked his fondest memory of coaching at Ohio University he replied, “I have a lot of great memories coaching at Ohio University. However, the best memories would be winning the three National Championships. The first one since it was the first, the second because that was the most talented team I have ever been associated with, and the third one because we were the under-dog and not expected to win.”

When asked what being inducted into the Hall of Fame means to him, he replied, “It is special. You always wonder how people perceive what you have tried to accomplish during a period of time. Further, going in the same year as Dr. Dan Marazon adds another element…Dan was one of the first people I met when I came to Athens 16 years ago, and has always been very supportive of me and my philosophy.” 

Craig hopes that he is remembered for two things. The first is that he always tried to be the hardest working person in the organization. The second is that he always tried to maximize the efforts of the players he coached, especially when it came to competing in the national championships. 

Craig wanted to thank those who influenced him most while at Ohio University. In particular, from a hockey perspective, every captain and leader from all the teams he coached, from an academic and professional perspective, Dr. George Johanson, Dr. Richard Miller, and Dr. Gary North, and from a personal perspective, his wife Holly.

Craig graduated in 1993 with a M.S.P.E with emphasis in Foundations of Teaching and Coaching. He graduated with a P.H.D. in 2000 in Higher Education and Administration.

Ron Ivany

Ron played at OU from 1968-1972 when hockey was a varsity sport. He was one of the leading scorers each year he was on the team. He was also team captain in 1972 & All League in 1972. Since leaving Ohio University, Ron has many hockey accomplishments throughout the world as a coach. He coached Elite professional teams in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, winning 5 national championships. He has also coached National Teams at the Group A & B World Championships, the Davos Selects at the Spangler Cup in Switzerland, and coached Italy during two Olympics. Among his other coaching tenures are 5 years at Kent State, and a stay with the Storm of the OHL. Ron has also scouted for the Minnesota Wild of the NHL, and was a lecturer at the International Coaches Symposium in Montreal Quebec. Ron is married with two children.

When asked what it meant to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ron responded by saying "I am deeply honored and at the same time very humbled, knowing there are so many other candidates that are as deserving if not more deserving of this great honor. I am truly grateful for this acknowledgement." Ron only hopes that he will be remembered as being "an honest, hard working and dedicated person, a serious professional, a teacher, goal oriented motivator and a person of integrity.

Fondest Memory of playing at Ohio University: "All the great people I met who had a tremendous influence over the direction my life took after leaving Ohio University."

Jim Gilmore

James R. Gilmore served as an advisor for the Ohio University Hockey team for 18 years. Jim retired in December 2005 as the executive director of the Division of Campus Recreation. He was instrumental in the transitional process of the program from a varsity sport to a club sport. Jim helped Ohio become a founding member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and has been a part of four national championships. When asked what it means to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Jim replied, “it is a tremendous honor”. The hockey program is very important to me and I feel privileged to have been part of the program for almost 20 years.

Robert Bray

Robert J. Bray played for Ohio University from 1972 to 1975. In 1975 he was the leading scorer for the Bobcats while serving as team captain. Robert grew up in Lion’s Head, Ontario, Canada, and began playing hockey at the age of 5. During Robert’s tenure at Ohio University, the program went from a varsity team to a club team, and he was one of the leaders who was dedicated to keeping the program alive. Robert’s response to the induction was, “I am very humbled by being inducted”. There have been so many great players that have contributed to Ohio Hockey’s success that my part seems insignificant.

Charles Wilson

Charles B. Wilson was a goaltender for Ohio University from 1976 to 1980. Chuck was part of back-to-back Midwest College Hockey League championships, and during the 1978-79 season, he was named the tournament MVP. Chuck grew up in New Jersey and idolized former New York Rangers goaltender Eddie Giacomin. Hockey helped teach him the discipline and hard work it takes to be successful in not only hockey, but in life. Chuck said, “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is my greatest honor, a dream come true, and gives me a sense of pride that can hardly be put into words. It’s something you could only dream about when you first started playing hockey.”

Mike L’Heureux

Mike L’Heureux is recognized for his great skill on the ice as a player and off the ice as a coach. He played for three season at Ohio University from 1963 to 1966. During that time, hescored 53 goals and had 57 assists for a total of 110 points. For his career, L’Heureux had 78 penalties in minutes (PIM). He once tallied nine points in a game, a record for Ohio University. L’Heureux was instrumental in starting youth hockey in the Athens area. He was relentless in finding additional ice time at Bird Arena for youth players. To his credit, Athens youth hockey thrives today. He returned to Ohio University to coach the Bobcat team from 1981 to 1984 and compiled a 55-17-2 record. He is a two time graduate of Ohio University earning a bachelor’s in education in 1966 and a master’s in 1969.

Brody Danner

Brody Danner played goalie for Ohio University for four seasons from 1994 to 1998. While at Ohio University, he was a member of three American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) national championship teams in 1995, 1996, and 1997. He was a First Team ACHA All-American and First Team ACHA Tournament player in 1996. In 1997, Danner was the ACHA Tournament MVP. He was also named to the Second Team ACHA Tournament Team in 1998. Danner is a 1998 graduate of Ohio University’s college of business.

Dr. Marvin Fletcher

• 37 Years working for the university
• 33 Years of service to the Ohio Hockey Program

Dr. Fletcher has worked at Ohio University since 1968 as a professor in the history department and has been a part of the Ohio Hockey Program since 1972. He has served in multiple roles for the program and has given his time and financial support. One such capacity is as an off-the-ice official. Known as an expert of the rules handbook, he is often consulted by referees. For a 20-game season, Fletcher recruits and schedules six volunteers per game who work as penalty box operators and goal judges. His dedication was instrumental to the successful operation of the 2003 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Tournament that Ohio hosted. Dr. Fletcher is a respected part of the program and lends it a great deal of integrity.

John McComb

In 1958, John McComb began his career as hockey coach when Bird Arena opened. He had joined Ohio University the previous year as the varsity soccer coach. Coach McComb assisted in the development of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association league, and Ohio University became a charter member along with Ohio State, Bowling Green, and St. Louis. He was a member of the NCAA Hockey Rules Committee for seven years and chairman for five. Coach McComb’s teams played to sold out crowds in Bird Arena; he continued to coach hockey until 1974 when he stepped down. He was an Associate Professor in Health, Physical Education and Recreation until his retirement in 1998. Among alumni and friends, he is often credited with influencing, for the better, the lives of countless players and students. Without a doubt, Coach McComb will forever be remembered as the father of Ohio University Hockey.