Of the 23 players on the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team, senior forward Michele Tonnessen is the only Buckeye born and raised in Ohio. The other 22 members hail from dominant hockey domains like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canada.

The Gahanna native has been ice skating for as long as she remembers, but didn’t start playing hockey until she was 10 years old. With two older brothers who played, Tonnessen said she grew up around the sport and quickly became familiar with it.

“After watching them play and having to travel around with my parents, I guess I just kind of decided I wanted to play rather than watch,” Tonnessen said.

But Tonnessen encountered a dilemma many young girls face in non-traditional hockey states: women teams can be few and far between.

Coach Jackie Barto said Ohio doesn’t possess as much strong talent as traditional hockey states, so the “bulk of our recruiting is up north.”

“We’re looking to bring in the best hockey players at Ohio State,” Barto said. If there’s an Ohio girl who shows promise at the Division I level, “we’re going to try and make it work.”
It was Tonnessen’s sophomore year of high school when college hockey became a real possibilities. After attending OSU’s summer camp, she weighed her skills against other campers and solicited advice from the coaches about her potential.

“We knew she would be a hard worker, that she would continue to grow and develop while she’s here in our program,” Barto said.

“Once I knew I had a chance, I knew that I wanted it,” Tonnessen said.

So Tonnessen played with the boys until her senior year of high school. She switched to the women’s game after OSU coaches told her she’d need experience in the women’s game to be recruited.

“It was kind of a no-brainer to switch over,” Tonnessen said.

Tonnessen joined the Ohio Flames, a women’s club team, during the 2005-2006 season. The Flames advanced to nationals after becoming the 2006 Under-19 Mid-Am District Champions.

Although playing the women’s game took some adjusting for the first two years, Tonnessen believes her experience in men’s hockey has helped her in the long run.

“It makes you more physical, it makes you tougher, a bit faster,” Tonnessen said. “I think it just gives you an edge on everybody else. It makes you more competitive.”

Even though the women’s game proved to be slower for Tonnessen, she said it took hard work to play the women’s way.

“It was a lot more skill and finesse with stick handling,” she said. “You could see plays develop.”

But despite the hockey program, Tonnessen said she came to OSU because it was close to home and her two brothers graduated as Buckeyes. It was more about the school and academics. Hockey was just a “bonus that ended up coming along with it,” she said.

As Tonnessen’s collegiate hockey career comes to an end, Barto credits Tonnessen for being a great representative of OSU hockey.

“She’s been a good teammate; … a positive influence and member of the program,” Barto said. “She’s become the best hockey player she can become.”