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Men's Hockey
- Title:
- Head Men's Hockey Coach
- Email:
- rgmotzko@stcloudstate.edu
- Phone:
- 320-308-4806
- Office:
- HBNHC 23
Bob Motzko will begin his 13th season as head coach with the Huskies in 2017-18.
The 2014 NCHC Coach of the Year and the 2006 and 2007 WCHA Coach of the Year, Motzko has guided the Huskies to seven NCAA Division I tournament appearances in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. He lead the Huskies to the 2013 NCAA Division I Frozen Four and consecutive conference regular season crowns in 2014 (NCHC) and 2013 (WCHA). In 2016, the Huskies captured the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship under the leadership of Motzko.
The Huskies have also advanced to the championship game of their respective NCAA regional tournament four times since 2010. This includes the NCAA Midwest Regional title in 2013 along with runner-up finishes at the NCAA West Regional in 2010, 2014 and 2015.
In 12 seasons with the Huskies, Motzko has charted an impressive 251-183-43 overall record and has seen the Huskies ranked among the nation's top 20 teams for much of the past 12 seasons. In conference play, Motzko has charted a 161-125-34 record in the NCHC and WCHA combined.
In 2015-16, SCSU tied a team record by posting 31 victories. The Huskies finished the year with a 31-9-1 overall record and placed second in the NCHC with a record of 17-6-1. In postseason play, the Huskies claimed the team's first NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship with wins over Denver and UMD at the tournament in Target Center. The Huskies earned their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament bid and gained a number one seed at the 2016 NCAA Division I West Regional.
Of note, Ethan Prow and Charlie Lindgren both earned AHCA All-America status in 2015-16. Prow was named the NCHC Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year, while Lindgren was picked as the NCHC Goaltender of the Year. Prow was also picked as a Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist in 2015-16.
In 2014-15, SCSU played one of the nation's toughest schedules and posted a 20-19-1 overall record. SCSU advanced to its first-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff in 2015, where it finished as a runner-up. The Huskies also gained an NCAA playoff bid and finished as the West Regional runner-up in games played at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D.
In their first season of competition in the NCHC, Motzko and the Huskies posted a 22-11-5 overall record and won the league's inaugural Penrose Cup championship with a 15-6-3 conference record. To cap the season, St. Cloud State advanced to the championship game of the NCAA West Regional.
In 2013-14, St. Cloud State's Nic Dowd was selected as a Hobey Baker Memorial Award top three finalist and was also named to the 2014 AHCA All-America West First Team along being honored as the NCHC Student-Athlete of the Year and the NCHC's Defensive Forward of the Year.
Frozen Four Run
The Huskies' 2012-13 season was a special one at St. Cloud State. Under the direction of Coach Motzko, the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in team history after winning the 2013 NCAA Division I Midwest Regional title.
The 2012-13 WCHA regular season champion, St. Cloud State was the top seed at the 2013 WCHA Final Five and finished the year with a 25-16-1, 18-9-1 WCHA record. To cap the season, SCSU's Drew LeBlanc was named the 2013 Hobey Baker Award winner along with being selected as the WCHA's Player of the Year and Student-Athlete of the Year. LeBlanc gained All-America honors along with teammate Nick Jensen, who was picked as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13.
For his work in 2012-13, Motzko was named as a finalist for the 2013 Spencer Penrose Division I Coach of the Year award.
In 2010-11, the Huskies faced one of the nation's toughest NCAA Division I schedules and finished with a solid 15-18-5 overall record and an 11-13-4 mark in the WCHA. The Huskies capped the season with a first place finsh at the the 2010 Florida College Hockey Classic
The Huskies ended the 2009-10 season with a 24-14-5 overall record and captured third place in the regular season league standings with a 15-9-4 WCHA record. SCSU¹s Ryan Lasch, Garrett Roe, Garrett Raboin and Dan Dunn all brought home All-WCHA awards and the Huskies capped the year with a big 4-3 OT win over Northern Michigan in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
In 2008-09, the Huskies charted an 18-17-3 overall record and a 13-13-2 record in the WCHA. Lasch, Raboin and Roe were all named to the 2009 All-WCHA team, and the Huskies enjoyed a top 20 ranking in the national polls through much of the season.
In 2007-08, Motzko's Huskies posted a 19-16-5 overall record and a 12-12-4 WCHA record. SCSU gained home ice in the WCHA playoffs and also advanced to the WCHA Final Five for the third consecutive season. The success also led the Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA tournament bid in 2008.
In 2006-07, Motzko led the Huskies to a 22-11-7 overall record and a second place record of 14-7-7 in the always rugged WCHA. SCSU advanced to the WCHA Final Five in 2007, and also gained the team's first NCAA bid since 2003.
In 2007, Motzko saw SCSU standout Bobby Goepfert named a Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist. SCSU freshman forward Andreas Nodl was named the 2007 HCA Division I Rookie of the Year and the 2007 WCHA Rookie of the Year.
In 2005-06, the Huskies earned a 22-16-4 overall record and a 13-13-2 WCHA record in 2005-06. SCSU ranked 14th in the final national college polls in 2005-06, and the Huskies also advanced to the title game of the 2006 WCHA Final Five.
A former SCSU hockey player and graduate of St. Cloud State, Motzko served as a men's hockey assistant coach at the University of Minnesota from 2001 to 2005. He was part of two NCAA Division I national championship teams in 2002 and 2003, and helped the Gophers win WCHA playoff crowns in 2003 and 2004. Motzko helped produce one Hobey Baker Award winner, three first team All-Americans, two second team All-Americans and many All-WCHA honorees at Minnesota.
A 1987 graduate of St. Cloud State University, Motzko was a two-year varsity letterwinner for the SCSU hockey team from 1984-86. Motzko began his coaching career in 1986-87 as an assistant coach for the legendary Herb Brooks at SCSU - and also worked with former SCSU head coach Craig Dahl.
Motzko went on to serve as general manager and head coach of the USHL's North Iowa Huskies from 1987 through 1991. In 1989, Motzko led the North Iowa squad to a United State Junior A national championship and was named that year's USHL Coach of the Year.
In 1991, Motzko was named associate head coach at Miami University (Ohio), where he helped lead the RedHawks to a Central Collegiate Hockey Association title and an NCAA tournament berth in 1992-93. He served for one season as an associate head coach at the University of Denver from 1993-94, before returning to Miami University in 1994.
Motzko was named general manager and head coach of the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede in 1998. He led the Stampede to a 77-31-6 record in the team's first two seasons in the USHL, and in 2000, Motzko was named the USHL General Manager of the Year. At Sioux Falls, 26 players moved on to college programs around the United States including SCSU standouts Mike Doyle, Joe Jensen and Dave Iannazzo.
In over 20 years of coaching hockey, Motzko has worked with many of the top coaches in the game including Brooks, Dahl, Don Lucia (Minnesota), Mark Mazzoleni (Harvard and Green Bay-USHL), George Gwozdecky (Denver) and Frank Serratore (Air Force). SCSU players who Motzko has coached that have skated in NHL games include Drew LeBlanc (Chicago), Ben Hanowski (Calgary), Oliver Lauridsen (Philadelphia), Andreas Nodl (Carolina), Casey Borer (Carolina), Joe Jensen (Carolina), Nate Raduns (Philadelphia) and Andrew Gordon (Anaheim).
A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko and his wife Shelley are the parents of three children. They currently reside in St. Cloud, Minn.
The Bob Motzko File at St. Cloud State
| Year | Overall | Conference |
| 2005-06 | 22-16-4 | 13-13-2/6th place# - WCHA |
| 2006-07 | 22-11-7 | 14-7-7/2nd place#^ - WCHA |
| 2007-08 | 19-16-5 | 12-12-4/4th place#^ - WCHA |
| 2008-09 | 18-17-3 | 13-13-2/6th place - WCHA |
| 2009-10 | 24-14-5 | 15-9-4/3rd place#^ - WCHA |
| 2010-11 | 15-18-5 | 11-13-4/8th place - WCHA |
| 2011-12 | 17-17-5 | 12-12-4/6th place# - WCHA |
| 2012-13 | 25-16-1 | 18-9-1/1st place#^$% - WCHA |
| 2013-14 | 22-11-5 | 15-6-3-0/1st place^ - NCHC |
| 2014-15 | 20-19-1 | 11-12-1/6th place - NCHC^@ |
| 2015-16 | 31-9-1 | 17-6-1/2nd place - NCHC^* |
| 2016-17 | 16-19-1 | 10-13-1/5th place - NCHC |
| Overall Record | 251-183-43 | 161-125-34 |
# WCHA Final Five participant
@ NCHC Frozen Faceoff participant
* NCHC Frozen Faceoff Champion
^ NCAA Regional participant
$ NCAA Regional Champion
% NCAA Frozen Four participant
