Kord Cernich

Kord Cernich
Born (1966-10-20) October 20, 1966 (age 58)
Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defenseman
Shot Right
Played for Lake Superior State
Binghamton Rangers
San Diego Gulls
Flint Bulldogs
Rochester Americans
Capital District Islanders
Nottingham Panthers
Fort Wayne Komets
Dayton Bombers
Anchorage Aces
Playing career 1986–2001

Kord Cernich (born October 20, 1966) is an American retired ice hockey Defenseman and coach who was a two-time All-American for Lake Superior State and helped the Lakers win their first National Championship in 1988.[1]

Career

Cernich played junior hockey for the Dubuque Fighting Saints after graduating from Service High School. He helped the team win the 1985 Clark Cup and followed that up with a spectacular final season in 1986 where he was named as the league's best defenseman. After accepting a scholarship to Lake Superior State University, he quickly became a major contributor for the Lakers, collecting 22 points as a freshman. During his second year, Cernich led the Lakers' defense in scoring and helped the team win their first NCAA Championship.[2] Cernich scored twice in the title match, pushing the Lakers past St. Lawrence 4–3 in overtime.

Lake Superior continued to be a top program while Cernich was there, making two additional NCAA tournament appearances. He was named an All-American both as a junior and senior, leading the Lakers' defense in scoring in 1989 and serving as alternate captain in 1990. After graduating with a bachelor's in marketing, Cernich embarked on a long career in professional hockey. He spent the following season at the top level of the minor leagues. It was the closest he would come to the NHL as he found himself sinking down the minor league ladder over the next few years. He briefly experimented with playing in Europe in 1993 but returned before the season had ended and finished out the year in the ECHL.

In 1994 he returned to Alaska and began playing for the Anchorage Aces. He remained with the team for the next seven years, becoming a fixture on the blueline and playing over 300 games for the Aces. He retired following the 2001 season.

Cernich remained in Anchorage following the end of his playing days and worked as a general foreman for Arctic Electric for a dozen years. He left in 2013 to devote his full attention to being the owner/COO of Arctic Branding And Apparel, a clothing and equipment manufacturer that he co-founded with his wife Angela.[3] He briefly returned to hockey in 2018, working as an assistant coach for the Alaska All Stars U14 team.

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1981–82 Service High School AK-HS — — — — — — — — — —
1982–83 Service High School AK-HS — — — — — — — — — —
1983–84 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 27 8 7 15 59 — — — — —
1984–85 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 48 7 24 31 — 12 1 11 12 —
1985–86 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 48 20 46 66 66 — — — — —
1986–87 Lake Superior State CCHA 39 4 18 22 32 — — — — —
1987–88 Lake Superior State CCHA 46 16 23 39 78 — — — — —
1988–89 Lake Superior State CCHA 46 7 31 38 74 — — — — —
1989–90 Lake Superior State CCHA 46 11 25 36 59 — — — — —
1990–91 Binghamton Rangers AHL 52 5 10 15 36 — — — — —
1991–92 Binghamton Rangers AHL 5 1 3 4 6 — — — — —
1991–92 San Diego Gulls IHL 64 5 18 23 53 3 1 0 1 0
1992–93 Rochester Americans AHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1992–93 Capital District Islanders AHL 6 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
1992–93 San Diego Gulls IHL 17 1 5 6 4 3 0 0 0 2
1992–93 Flint Bulldogs CoHL 31 5 12 17 18 6 3 3 6 4
1993–94 Nottingham Panthers BHL 23 4 9 13 22 — — — — —
1993–94 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 3 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
1993–94 Dayton Bombers ECHL 21 4 13 17 14 3 1 2 3 4
1994–95 Anchorage Aces PHL — — — — — — — — — —
1995–96 Anchorage Aces WCHL 57 4 24 28 57 — — — — —
1996–97 Anchorage Aces WCHL 54 7 12 19 24 9 1 2 3 2
1997–98 Anchorage Aces WCHL 64 4 19 23 64 8 0 2 2 12
1998–99 Anchorage Aces WCHL 71 7 47 54 42 1 0 0 0 0
1999–00 Anchorage Aces WCHL 71 3 28 31 62 4 0 0 0 0
2000–01 Anchorage Aces WCHL 11 1 5 6 32 — — — — —
USHL totals 123 35 77 112 — — — — — —
NCAA totals 177 38 97 135 243 — — — — —
AHL totals 67 6 13 19 48 — — — — —
IHL totals 84 6 23 29 61 6 1 0 1 2
WCHL totals 328 26 135 161 281 22 1 4 5 14

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-CCHA Second Team 1987–88 [4]
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1988 [5]
All-CCHA First Team 1988–89 [6]
AHCA West First-Team All-American 1988–89 [1]
All-CCHA First Team 1989–90 [4]
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 1989–90 [1]
CCHA All-Tournament Team 1990 [7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "Lake Superior Men's Hockey Team History". U.S. College Hockey Online. 1996–2010. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  3. ^ "Linked In". Kord Cernich. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "All-CCHA Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  5. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  6. ^ "CCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  7. ^ "2012–13 CCHA Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 2014-04-23.