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Osiecki named MIAC Women's Hockey Coach of the Year

Le Ann Finger
April 1, 2003

Tom Osiecki, head coach of the St. Olaf women's hockey team, was named MIAC Women's Hockey Coach of the Year. Osiecki led the Oles to a 10-10-4 overall record and a sixth place conference finish in the MIAC. Osiecki coached the Oles to their best season in the three years of the program, narrowly missing the post-season by one point.

Since 1964, Osiecki has been involved with teaaching and coaching ice hockey. He coached at his high school alma mater, St. Agnes from 1964-1966 and then began an incredible tenure at Burnsville High School from 1966-1990. When Osiecki retired from high school coaching in 1990, he became a scout for the Minneota North Stars and later the Dallas Stars from 1990-1995. He returned to coaching in 1996 as the head Burnville Girl's hockey coach and began the Women's hockey program at St. Olaf in 2000.

Osiecki's teams have won championships in the Central Catholic, Missota, Southern Minnesota, and Lake Conferences. While at Burnsville, his teams won two state championships and were runners-up in 1983 and 1987. His Burnsville teams won five consecutive section championships from 1983-1987 and again in 1990.

As Osiecki developed the Burnsville hockey program, it became one of the premier hockey programs in the state. As the program grew and became more successful, Osiecki likewise became more widely respected. As a result, he was elected to the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association Executive Board in 1986, elected to Vice President in 1987 and served as President in 1989-1990. He was induced into the Minnesota Coach's Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the prestigious Cliff Thompson award in 2001.

Osiecki has long been recognized as one of the strongest advocates of boys' sports in the 1970's and 1980's, and has become the most visable supporer of girl's sports in Minnesota in the 1990's.

Tom and his wife Bev are both retired educators from the Burnsville school district. He and his wife live in Burnsville and have two sons, Mark and Matt, and two grandchildren.

Contact Le Ann Finger at 507-786-3315 or Finger@stolaf.edu.