Bob Motzko

Robert Giles Motzko is the head coach of the St. Cloud State University Huskies men's hockey team in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 2006 and again in 2007. In 2014 he was named the inaugural NCHC Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. He has guided the Huskies to six WCHA Final Five appearances (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013), two NCHC Frozen Faceoff appearances (2015 and 2016), seven NCAA Division I tournament appearances (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016), and one NCAA Division I Frozen Four appearance in 2013.^[1]

He has been head coach at St. Cloud State since 2005. In 2009 he was given a six-year contract extension through the 2014–2015 season.^[2]

A 1987 graduate of St. Cloud State University (SCSU), 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 served 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 in Oxford, 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, he was named the USHL General Manager of the Year.

Motzko served as a men's hockey assistant coach at the University of Minnesota and 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.

On March 26, 2010, Motzko lead the Huskies to their first NCAA Tournament win in the West Regional at Xcel Energy Center. SCSU earned a 4–3 victory in double overtime against Northern Michigan University. The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak in the tournament for SCSU. St. Cloud fell in the West Regional Championship game to the University of Wisconsin the next night.

In the 2012–2013 season, Motzko led SCSU to a WCHA regular season championship, the Huskies' first regular season conference title. Though they secured the #1 seed, the Huskies shared the MacNaughton Cup with the University of Minnesota. On March 30–31, 2013, Motzko led the Huskies to a pair of NCAA Tournament victories over Notre Dame (5–1) and Miami University (4–1) at Huntington Center (Toledo) to advance to the first Frozen Four in school history. St. Cloud fell to Quinnipiac University in the Frozen Four on April 11, 2013 at Consol Energy Center.

In the 2013–14 season, Motzko lead the Huskies to the inaugural NCHC regular season championship. Unlike in the 2012–13 season, the Huskies held the Penrose Cup alone. On March 29, 2014, Motzko led the Huskies to a win over Notre Dame (4–3 OT)in the NCAA Tournament West Regional at Xcel Energy Center to advance to the Regional Championship for the second straight year, but fell to the University of Minnesota 4–0.

In the 2015-16 season, Motzko led the Huskies to a school record tying 31 victories as well as the first NCHC conference tournament championship in school history, defeating the Duluth Bulldogs 3-1 in the Frozen Faceoff title game on March 19, 2016. The victory also gave Motzko and the Huskies their fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth, also tying a school record; they would fall to Ferris State University (5-4 OT) in the NCAA West Regional at Xcel Energy Center.

Motzko, a native of Austin, Minnesota, is married and has three children.

References

1. St. Cloud State University website
2. ncaa.com