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HOCKEY PLAYER PROFILE: TODD MCILRATH
Story by Jeffrey O McManamon, BGSU Student
Recreational Sports Public Relations - Spring 2008
How can you tell it is a nice day in Bowling Green? Girls trade their Uggs for Pumas, BG Boombox bumps T-Pain throughout campus,
and Todd McIlrath is rollerblading from his Darrow dorm to practice at the ice arena.
McIlrath, 21, a sophomore forward on the BGSU varsity hockey team, is part of the youth movement for the Falcons that saw
them pull out a victory over the #1 ranked Miami RedHawks last week. The team that was picked to finish dead last in the deep
CCHA conference, currently sits at a #21 national ranking with a 10-10-0 record, 7-7-0 within the conference. The duel .500
records are good for 6th place within the conference.
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McIlrath (featured here with his sister Alexandra) prides his game on being the set-up man for his linemates Derek Whitmore
and Dan Sexton. “I think what defines a good player is the ability to make the people around him better, and I like to think
that I do that very well,” said McIlrath. Staying true to his game, McIlrath has yet to notch a goal this season, however
he is 6th on the team with 9 assists, and dishes to team point leader Whitmore regularly.
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At a stocky 5 feet 8 inches, McIlrath recognizes that he is undersized compared to his competitors. What he lacks in size,
he compensates by playing gritty. “I have the opportunity to catch some guys off guard and make some big hits,” McIlrath said.
McIlrath has worked hard to get to where he is at, on and off the ice. “I originally committed to Notre Dame when I was about
16, but I was young and made some bad decisions that ended up getting me into some trouble,” McIlrath said.
The speedster averaged just over one point per game while playing his junior hockey for the Indiana Ice (USHL). McIlrath delayed
his entry to BGSU a year because of injury. He overcame the plaguing athletic injury that is the torn ACL to bounce back and
play in nearly every game in his year and a half at BGSU. McIlrath said that when he was injured, he attributed it to bad
luck, so now he just feels lucky to have stayed injury free.
The Northville, Michigan native of South Korean descent is the adopted son of John and Penny McIlrath. He is eager to see
where his hockey career takes him, however he has not lost focus off the ice. “I’m very interested in studying the mind,”
said the psychology major.
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