BOWLING GREEN — When Dennis Williams was hired as Bowling Green State University’s hockey coach in late March, he didn’t waste any time laying out what he wanted for the program.

The players he talked to got the message right away.

“He’s got very high expectations for us. He kind of came out of the gates with that, and we understood that pretty quick,” BGSU senior forward Ethan Scardina said. “We’re really excited, I know a lot of guys are in the room with the opportunities we have with him as our coach.

“He’s definitely putting us to the test both physically and mentally right now, but it’s definitely going to help us in the long run through obviously a long season like it always is. I think having him as our coach will help us get ready for the season and to have a great season as well.”

With the Falcons practicing the past several weeks in preparation for the quickly approaching 2024-25 season, which begins Oct. 4 at Mercyhurst, the BGSU players have gotten a good feel for what Williams is trying to build in his return to the program.

A former BGSU player who also had several different coaching gigs with the Falcons, Williams has made a strong first impression with the team. Intense and purposeful best describe BGSU’s practices on the ice and workouts in the weight room so far.

“He makes sure that we understand that the purpose is getting better. It’s not just about being intense for the sake of being able to say we’re working hard; there’s a purpose to what we do,” said senior forward Ryan O’Hara, BGSU’s leading scorer last season with 10 goals and 18 points. “At the end of the day, our success is his success, and he makes sure that’s well known in the locker room.”

Williams’ wide range of coaching experience stretches back to 2002 when he was a graduate assistant coach at BGSU.

Prior to returning to his alma mater, he was the head coach of the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips for seven seasons, including the general manager the past three.

The head coach of Canada’s World Junior Championship gold medal team in 2023 and an assistant coach on the winning squad the previous year, Williams has a career coaching record of 544-267-14 across 17 years at the junior and college levels.

That winning mentality is certainly noticeable to the BGSU players. BGSU freshman forward Maxwell Martin, the North American Hockey League MVP and forward of the year last season with the Wisconsin Windigo, said Williams’ way of teaching details to have a winning culture stands out the most about him.

“That’s probably the biggest thing that he’s instilled in us so far is the details we need, and how we can make this team a championship-winning team,” Martin said. “... He’s a true leader, I’d say, and he’s an easy guy for every guy on the team to follow and trust.”

Added O’Hara: “We all know his resume. His resume is winning, so we were excited about that and obviously, he’s come in here and implemented a winning culture right away. So we’re excited to see that through once games begin.”

The early meetings between Williams and his team helped the Falcons have a productive summer. Nearly every player from last year’s squad is back this season as well; 25 of the 28 players on the 2023-24 roster are still with the program.

That experience, along with some talented freshmen and transfers, should be beneficial for Williams.

“I definitely think he wanted to set the standard right away. He’s got a strong voice and a lot of guys listen to him when he talks,” Scardina said. “I think that’s kind of how it started, like he definitely wanted to start off with setting the standard and setting what our goals are for the season and going into the summer.

“I think that everyone kind of took that into the summer and worked really hard both on the ice and in the gym, and just kind of understood that we’re not joking around. It’s going to be intense, it’s going to be competitive throughout our team.

“We have a big roster, so we know no one’s secure in any position on the ice, like lines or anything like that. That was kind of well known right off the bat, and it’s been very intense. I know a lot of guys have responded really well to it, just working really, really hard every single day and not really taking any days off right now.”

First Published September 14, 2024, 12:00 p.m.