Ohio’s senior captain Mike Kretz reflects on success, looks toward unfinished business.
Editor’s Note: This is the third and final part of a series profiling the Bobcats’ three seniors.
As a teenager playing U-16 travel hockey, Mike Kretz entered Bird Arena for the first time. His team played a scrimmage at Bird Arena and that evening he got tickets to an Ohio hockey game against then-perennial powerhouse Penn State.
That’s when Kretz fell in love with Ohio.
“I just thought it was a great atmosphere,” he said. “I liked the campus a lot and I always wanted to come here ever since then.”
Fast-forward to now, the 23-year-old from Oakmont, Pennsylvania, is a senior studying exercise physiology and is the captain of the Bobcats. This weekend will be his last series at Bird Arena.
When he arrived at Ohio, Kretz was aware of the program’s winning tradition and expected to be part of a good team. On a personal level, he focused on working hard to earn his spot. The thought of becoming the team’s captain some day never occurred to him.
At the beginning of this season, Kretz’s teammates named him team captain.
“It means a lot,” said Kretz of being selected the team’s leader. “It means a lot to me because it means they respect me and they look up to me as a leader in the locker room, off the ice and even on the ice.”
Captains develop their own strategies for how to lead a team. Some try to act as coaches by talking down to other players to gain compliance. Others flip over tables and yell at the top of their lungs to get a point across.
Kretz is more levelheaded with a lead by example approach in which he thinks first and talks second.
“He speaks up when he has to and when he wants to speak, people listen,” assistant coach David Nies said. “He brings a lot of confidence … I think he has a calming affect when he’s out there on the ice.”
The leadership qualities that Kretz brings the program were evident long before he was the captain.
Logan Pfeffer, a longtime childhood teammate of Kretz in Pittsburgh and current forward on the Bobcats, attributes Kretz for helping him transition to Ohio.
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Pfeffer played his first year of college hockey at a D-III NCAA school in Rochester, New York, but wasn’t comfortable in the small school setting and wanted to make a change.
“I reached out to Mike and asked him what he thought about the program here, going to school here, and stuff like that,” Pfeffer said. “He was definitely a big factor in getting me to transfer here, showing me around and introducing me to everybody on the team.”
Playing alongside Kretz in youth hockey, Pfeffer had a firsthand look at the development of the veteran blue-liner’s skills on the ice and character off the ice.
“Growing up, he was more on the quiet side, but that’s definitely changed,” Pfeffer said. “He’s always been our smartest defenseman and it’s no surprise to me to see that he’s had the success he’s had here at the collegiate level.”
Pfeffer showed incredible gratitude for the influence Kretz has had on his collegiate hockey career. He was also one of the players who voted for Kretz to be captain based on his hard work and composure in tight games.
The way Kretz has captained the Bobcats motivates Pfeffer, a junior, to become one of Ohio’s future team leaders.
“Seeing how Kretz has handled the leadership role and I try to mirror that … I can definitely see myself being in a leadership role next year,” Pfeffer said.
Anyone who watches an Ohio hockey game can understand why Kretz is considered the leader on the ice. Likewise, talking to Kretz for a matter of minutes would reveal why he receives such praise for his character.
But the praise from his team and the ‘C’ stitched on his jersey don’t bear much weight with Kretz compared to experiencing shared success with his teammates.
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The defenseman’s fondest memory as a Bobcat came when the team won the division championship at Bird Arena in 2013 and got to celebrate with the trophy in Uptown Athens.
Two seasons later, with more experience under his belt, Kretz is setting the bar higher.
“I’d like to win both the league championship and the national championship,” he said. “It would be great to win both.”
Kretz is already a champion. He is already a proven leader and a well-respected one at that. Regardless of how deep he leads Ohio into the postseason, his time here will be remembered and his presence will be missed.
Farewell, captain.
@JordanHorrobin
jh950614@ohio.edu
