Men's Ice Hockey

Ninnemann and Akervik Inducted Into Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame

Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame

EAGLE RIVER, Wis.--Current University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point women’s ice hockey head coach Ann Ninnemann and former UW-Eau Claire and UW-Superior men’s ice hockey head coach Wally Akervik were inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame on Sept. 10.
 
Ninnemann, just the third woman to be inducted, will be behind the UWSP women's hockey bench for the 17th season this year. She has been a member of the women's hockey program as a player or coach in all but one season since the program originated.
 
Under Ninnemann's direction, the Pointers have posted a 221-157-46 overall record (.575) and her .575 winning percentage ranks 11th among active NCAA Division III coaches and 36th among all-time coaches at all divisions. Her teams posted a 70-42-17 mark in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA).
 
As a player, Ninnemann was UW-Stevens Point's first All-American player in 2001-02 and captained the Pointers for three straight seasons from 2002-05. She totaled 55 goals and a school-record 69 assists for 124 points, ranking second in school history for goals and points. Ninnemann was named to the all-tournament team in 2004 when she led the Pointers to a national runner-up finish. She also assisted former UW-Stevens Point head coach and current St. Cloud State head coach Brian Idalski for one season with the Pointers in 2005-06, resulting in a third-place national finish.
 
When Idalski left for a Division I position, Ninnemann took over as head coach and has remained in that position ever since, acquiring a record of more than 200 victories and leading the Pointers to the NCAA Tournament twice. She is one of the only people ever to both play and coach in a Division III Frozen Four. She was an assistant coach in the Frozen Four and became just the third female head coach ever to lead a team to the national semifinals. She was inducted into the UW-Stevens Point Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
          
Since beginning her coaching career, Ninnemann has been heavily involved with WAHA and USA Hockey Central District Girls Camps and has worked countless regional and state development camps. She has been a tremendous role model to countless student athletes, and that includes assisting the UW-Stevens Point and Stevens Point Area Senior High softball teams. Her non-hockey activities also include serving as the Spud Bowl Coordinator that established a $75,000 endowment to award scholarships for Central Wisconsin students with an agriculture background, and Title IX Investigator on the UW-Stevens Point campus.
 
Akervik was born in Duluth, Minn., and was a four-sport athlete at Duluth Central High School, helping his Trojan team reach the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. He had a football scholarship to play for the Minnesota Gophers but a head injury convinced him that hockey was his game, and he returned to Duluth to play collegiate hockey at UMD.
 
Simultaneously, Akervik played for several senior league teams and the Green Bay Bobcats. He was also a referee in the WCHA.

While pursuing his master’s degree at UW-Superior, he was asked to start a varsity hockey program there. His Master’s Thesis addressed the need for a multi-purpose arena, and that helped result in the construction of Wessman Arena.  Akervik would not only serve as the head coach of the new Yellowjacket hockey team, but also as the Assistant Rink Manager.

At UW-Superior, he was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 1973 and in 1976 went on to win his first of two NAIA National Championships. Akervik left for Eau Claire in 1977 to manage Hobbs Ice Center and was asked to head the UW-Eau Claire hockey team. And lead them he did, beginning with very young players, and then on to win the final NAIA National Championship in 1984, and a second NAIA Coach of the Year Award.

Akervik was an outstanding promoter of hockey, helping to grow the sport from youth to high school and on to the college level. His teams were heavily laden with Wisconsin natives, and his “coaching tree” would number individuals like Gary Harker, Dave Witting, Dan Wilson, Mas Fukushima, Greg Rajanen, P.K. O’Handley, Wes Bolin, Troy Ward, Scott Parker and Rich Penick.

Akervik was inducted into the UW-Superior Hall of Fame in 1983, and one of the rinks at Hobbs Ice Center was named the Akervik Rink in his honor. Wally Akervik passed away July 4, 1993. He is survived by his wife Loris, and children Holly, Andy and Leah.
 
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