Praise for Mauron's coaching style not limited to his players

He would rather his record speak for itself.

That’s just who Mauron — who his players and coaches call Lio for short — is and he uses that trait to better his team and those he coaches and works with.

However, those who coach with him and others who play for the Bobcats Hockey head coach aren’t afraid to compliment their leader and talk about the person behind the glass.

In today’s front page story, Mauron talks about the path that led him to Athens and his coaching philosophy.

Now, it’s other people’s turn to talk more in depth about how the coach has changed the course of OU Hockey and how his leadership skills and his persona have influenced their lives.

“When he first took over the reins at Ohio Hockey he wanted the transition to be as smooth as possible, yet instill his on mark on the program from the get go,” said Jackie Forquer, president of OU Hockey Blueline Booster Club.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Coach Mauron. Lio has been a breath of fresh air around Bird Arena,” Forquer said. “It has been a joy to watch the seniors enjoying the game again. They stepped up when they needed to and did what needed to be done to see that the historic excellence that is Ohio Hockey continued. They enjoy playing for Coach Mauron and it shows every time they step on the ice.

“In the last 15 months, Lio has remained honest and transparent with the boosters and the parents and, most importantly, the players. It has been refreshing to see how he has worked hard to learn the history of the program and reach out to the alumni who made the program what it is today.

“He asked the Blueline Booster Board how the various aspects of the program worked in the past, opinions on what worked well, what didn’t, and how best we could work together to make it better. He has made the hard decisions and had the hard discussions earning the respect of those he works with on and off the ice,” Forquer added.

One of those people who Mauron has earned the respect of is assistant Bobcats coach, Jamieson McVicar.

“Lio’s coaching style is unique, it is less about what he says and more of the presence that he brings. He is a quiet, but powerful leader, his words are not much, but the words he does say have a giant impact on the team,” McVicar said.

“He is passionate about our program and gets the backing from our team because they see how much he cares about our success. He allows our team to be creative, we support our players and encourage them to play to their styles, he is a supportive coach,” McVicar added.

The graduate assistant coach went on to say he has learned much from Mauron and will apply that knowledge to his own career trajectory.

“He has taught me a lot, he has shown me how to let things sort themselves out, whether it is a drill, a player making a mistake in a game, or a player making a mistake in a drill,” McVicar said, adding, “Generally I would stop things right when they happen and get upset that things are not going the right way. Lio has taught me to take a step back and just be patient, generally the mistakes sort themselves out, you just have to let them make some mistakes and eventually they will sort themselves out. He has also taught me a lot of tangible skills in terms of drills, structure, and coaching decision making.”

Another OU assistant coach said similar things about Mauron and how his style of leading has impacted his own skills.

“Lio has taught me how important communication and honesty is in all aspects of coaching and business. He has always placed a high priority on his communication with his players and staff, which in my opinion is one of the reasons he has had so much success here at Ohio Hockey,” Johnson said.

Having played for many coaches during the course of his hockey career, Johnson notes one thing stands out about Mauron that is special.

“I think what makes Lio different from the other coaches I’ve played for is that he focuses on developing a style of play for his team based on their strengths and weaknesses. Most coaches have their perspective of what is the best X’s and O’s, but Lio takes a different approach.

“I think he has a very unique history in hockey where he grew up playing in Europe, then played in the U.S., in which they have very different styles of play. This resulted in him really having to learn different styles of the game, which in my opinion has made him a very effective and adaptable coach,” Johnson added.

And several current OU hockey players have their own words of praise for their head coach.

“Working under Lio has helped us click. He doesn’t tell you, he implements structures and lets us have a lot of say,” freshman forward Luc Reeve said, adding that part of the reason that he feels the team responds to Mauron’s coaching is that “we are on the same generational path.”

Junior forward Aiden Grieco attributes the coaching skills Mauron possesses as one of the main reasons this team is so consistent and cohesive.

“I think he’s brought a new energy here, especially what he’s brought this year,” Grieco said, adding that Mauron’s “belief that we are the best team and can accomplish anything has made his players believers, too.”

And Bobcats’ Captain Sam Turner echoes his other teammates praise of Mauron and feels he is a key reason this team has accomplished so much thus far in the 2022-23 hockey season.

“All credit goes to Lio, he’s done a great job. COVID wreaked havoc on everything and he is extremely instrumental in keeping us on track.” Turner said.

Hanging above his extremely organized desk is a photo of the 1962-63 OU hockey team.

“The picture behind my desk is significant, not because of what the team achieved, but because of the people who are on it. Just to cite a few: John McComb was the first coach of our hockey program, Mike L’Heureux created the AYHA program, Tom Gosiorowski, Al Haines, Ken Arvidson, amongst others, have created our players’ scholarships over the years and are still to this day, huge supporters of our program. I don’t want to forget “Sheik”, a goalie who was the definition of being a Bobcat. Every person on that picture deserves much more recognition, but for me it is a daily reminder of our legacy. We continue to represent all the Bobcats who have worn the uniform before us, and we owe it to them to work as hard as possible.”

It’s a constant reminder of the legacy that was established long before Mauron arrived here.

It’s also a legacy that Mauron hopes to add to during his tenure as the leader of the team.

That photo also accurately encapsulates what the coach continues to strive for with this current incarnation of the Bobcats.

As for Mauron, he credits his players for buying into his philosophies and taking the team to prominence in the American Collegiate Hockey League’s Men’s D1 standings.

While the names have changed since Mauron took over his position, he is extremely pleased with this current incarnation of the squad and his players and coaches who are making the success happen.

“The team has significantly changed over the past two years, the players have bought into my philosophy, and it seems we are all on the same page now. We have redefined our team culture, our goals, and our values. I have to say it was a long a difficult process, but it is great to see the players taking over now and believing in our plan. It was always my objective to empower the athletes and create a players’ led team, we are getting closer to this goal every day, and it as brought a lot of success on the ice so far,” Mauron said.

Obviously all involved feel they have the ability to continue the team’s success into the home stretch of the 2022-23 campaign.

So even though Christmas is a time for miracles, the depth of talent involved with this squad may not warrant needing one, as both the players and the coaches look to Mauron to continue to lead them to the promised land and hopefully a national championship this March.