Rohlik Named B1G Coach of the Year, Five Recognized with B1G Accolades

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Steve Rohlik was named the 2025 Big Ten Coach of the Year and five members of the No. 9 Ohio State men's hockey team received Honorable Mention All-B1G accolades, the Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday.

Three forwards – Davis Burnside, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine and Riley Thompson – were recognized, joined by defenseman Damien Carfagna and goalie Logan Terness. Patrick Guzzo was the B1G Sportsmanship Award winner for Ohio State.

This is the third Big Ten Coach of the Year award for Rohlik, who was also recognized in 2018 and '19. He matches Minnesota's Bob Motzko (2020, '22, '23) for the most COTY awards in B1G history. This season, Rohlik led the Buckeyes, who were picked to finish last in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll, to a third-place finish in the league with a 14-9-1 3-2-0 record, tying the school record for most B1G wins in a season. The squad will compete in the Big Ten Tournament final Saturday after winning a quarterfinal series vs. Wisconsin and a semifinal victory over Penn State. The Buckeyes are 24-12-2 overall this year and ranked ninth in the national polls this week. The 24 victories are the second-most under Rohlik, who notched career win 200 early in the season. He has been at the helm of the Buckeyes since 2013-14 and has Ohio State in position for a fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure.

Burnside, Fontaine and Thompson have been on a line for nearly every game this season and have combined for 47 goals, 57 assists and 104 points, along with 16 power play goals, through 38 games. Fontaine, a graduate student, leads the Buckeyes with 39 points, ranking second with 16 assists and 23 points. A junior, Burnside has 33 points to rank second, with 14 goals to stand third and 19 assists. Thompson, a sophomore, has a team-best 17 goals, adding 15 assists for 32 points. All three have posted career highs in points. Burnside matched his career best in goals and has a career high in assists, while Thompson has posted his highest goal total and matched his assist mark from his freshman year.

Carfagna is the leader of the Buckeye defense and has a career-high 20 assists and 26 points, along with a +14 rating and 62 shot blocks while taking just three penalties in 36 games. The Buckeyes are holding opponents to 2.47 goals per game.

A senior, Terness led B1G goalies in goals-against average (2.16) and save percentage (.934) in conference games only. In all games, he ranks second among league goaltenders with a 2.25 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. He was a finalist for the Big Ten Goalie of the Year award.

Guzzo, in his second year as a captain for the Buckeyes, has 16 points, with nine goals and seven assists, this year, along with a +8 mark and 29 shot blocks in 34 games. The graduate student forward recently became the Buckeyes' all-time leader in career games played (168).

Ohio State, the No. 3 seed, will take on top seed and No. 1-ranked Michigan State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in East Lansing, Mich., in the B1G Tournament championship game. The final will be televised by BTN and carried by Ohio State Radio.

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