In 27 years as the Findlay High School hockey coach, Mike Root guided the Trojans to a state championship, five state tournament Final Four appearances and achieved 400-plus victories. Root coached FHS to the state championship in 1983 and a runner-up finish in 1994. Two other Findlay teams made semifinal appearances in 1979 and 2002. Along the way, he recorded a 401-257-14 won-loss record. He was honored in 1997-98 with the Ohio High School Hockey Coaches Association SEI Award, which is given annually to a coach who displays sportsmanship, ethics and integrity. The Gallipolis native started skating on the ice-covered Maumee River in Point Place. He advanced through the Toledo Hockey Association ranks, then through junior hockey before landing at Bowling Green State University, graduating in 1971. Root has the distinction of scoring the first goal in BGSU’s Ice Arean and was part of a group of players who helped the school bridge the transition into the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. He began his teaching career at Oregon Clay and Toledo Rogers and started coaching in a stint at Toledo Bowsher.