Bowling Green State University Athletics
Hockey Coach Scott Paluch Is Inducted Into Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame
December 18, 2007 | Ice Hockey
Dec. 18, 2007
(BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University hockey coach Scott Paluch has been inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame as announced on Tuesday (Dec. 18) by the Hall of Fame committee. The third annual class consisted of 13 new members with nine coming in the "Builders" category and four in the "Players" category.
Paluch, who is a native of Chicago, joined Val Belmonte, Chad Cassel and Stan Mikita as new members in the "Players" category. The group will be honored at an Induction Dinner on Sunday, Feb. 10 in Elk Grove Village.
"I'm certainly thrilled to be inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame," said Paluch. "To have my name included amongst the great names of previous inductees, such as Tony Granato, Chris Chelios, Eddie Olczyk and Stan Mikita is just a tremendous honor. I was very fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to play amatuer hockey in Illinois and be surrounded by the outstanding leaders, coaches and players that the state provided."
Paluch, who played for the Falcons from 1984-88, left a strong mark on the program as he went on to finish his career as the Falcons' all-time leading scorer for a defenseman with 169 career points (48-121-169), while his 48 goals also stand atop the all-time BG defensemen's list. His senior year he helped lead the Falcons to their fifth Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament Title and a trip for the second-straight season to the NCAA Tournament. Serving as the team's captain, he tallied 61 points that season, the second-highest single-season total by a BG defenseman. The effort earned him both First Team All-American and CCHA honors.
Paluch helped guide BG to four-consecutive winning seasons and a .655 winning percentage. The Falcons also won the CCHA regular-season title in his junior season, finishing the season with 33 wins.
Paluch was also a member of the Team USA squad that captured a bronze medal at the 1986 World Junior Championships in Hamilton, Ontario.
Following his college career, Paluch signed a professional contract with the St. Louis Blues. He played two seasons in Peoria, the Blues' International Hockey League affiliate, before moving on to coaching. In his two professional seasons, he finished with 90 points (21-69-90) in 160 career games.
Paluch, the fifth coach in the 39-year history of the BGSU hockey program, was the first player to return and become head coach of the storied program on Apr. 15, 2002. In the last five seasons, he has helped his alma mater host its' first home CCHA playoff series in over a decade and seen a slew of his former players, including current NHL player Kevin Bieksa (Vancouver) and AHL stars Jonathan Matsumoto, Jordan Sigalet and many more, go on to have successful playing careers after donning the Orange and Brown.
As an assistant coach, Paluch served under current Boston College head coach Jerry York for 12 years, first as a volunteer coach and assistant at BG before becoming his associate head coach at Boston College in 1995. In 2001, he was part of the NCAA Championship coaching staff as the Eagles won the national title and participated in the Frozen Four for the fourth-straight campaign.
For more information on the inducted class and the previous classes, please refer to the official press release in the link below.
Complete IHHF Release in PDF Format
