# Kord Cernich

Kord Cernich (born October 20, 1966) is an American retired ice hockey Defenseman and coach who was a two-time All-American for Lake Superior State and helped the Lakers win their first National Championship in 1988.

## Career

Cernich played junior hockey for the Dubuque Fighting Saints after graduating from Service High School. He helped the team win the 1985 Clark Cup and followed that up with a spectacular final season in 1986 where he was named as the league's best defenseman. After accepting a scholarship to Lake Superior State University, he quickly became a major contributor for the Lakers, collecting 22 points as a freshman. During his second year, Cernich led the Lakers' defense in scoring and helped the team win their first NCAA Championship. Cernich scored twice in the title match, pushing the Lakers past St. Lawrence 4–3 in overtime.
Lake Superior continued to be a top program while Cernich was there, making two additional NCAA tournament appearances. He was named an All-American both as a junior and senior, leading the Lakers' defense in scoring in 1989 and serving as alternate captain in 1990. After graduating with a bachelor's in marketing, Cernich embarked on a long career in professional hockey. He spent the following season at the top level of the minor leagues. It was the closest he would come to the NHL as he found himself sinking down the minor league ladder over the next few years. He briefly experimented with playing in Europe in 1993 but returned before the season had ended and finished out the year in the ECHL.
In 1994 he returned to Alaska and began playing for the Anchorage Aces. He remained with the team for the next seven years, becoming a fixture on the blueline and playing over 300 games for the Aces. He retired following the 2001 season.
Cernich remained in Anchorage following the end of his playing days and worked as a general foreman for Arctic Electric for a dozen years. He left in 2013 to devote his full attention to being the owner/COO of Arctic Branding And Apparel, a clothing and equipment manufacturer that he co-founded with his wife Angela. He briefly returned to hockey in 2018, working as an assistant coach for the Alaska All Stars U14 team.

## Statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1981–82 | Service High School | AK-HS | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Service High School | AK-HS | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983–84 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 27 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1984–85 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 48 | 7 | 24 | 31 | — | 12 | 1 | 11 | 12 | — |
| 1985–86 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 48 | 20 | 46 | 66 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 39 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 46 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 46 | 7 | 31 | 38 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989–90 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 46 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 52 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 64 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992–93 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1992–93 | Flint Bulldogs | CoHL | 31 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 1993–94 | Nottingham Panthers | BHL | 23 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Dayton Bombers | ECHL | 21 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 1994–95 | Anchorage Aces | PHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | 57 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | 54 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 1997–98 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | 64 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 64 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 1998–99 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | 71 | 7 | 47 | 54 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999–00 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | 71 | 3 | 28 | 31 | 62 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| USHL totals | USHL totals | USHL totals | 123 | 35 | 77 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NCAA totals | NCAA totals | NCAA totals | 177 | 38 | 97 | 135 | 243 | — | — | — | — | — |
| AHL totals | AHL totals | AHL totals | 67 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| IHL totals | IHL totals | IHL totals | 84 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 61 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| WCHL totals | WCHL totals | WCHL totals | 328 | 26 | 135 | 161 | 281 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 |

## Awards and honors

| Award | Year |
| All-CCHA Second Team | 1987–88 |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1988 |
| All-CCHA First Team | 1988–89 |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American | 1988–89 |
| All-CCHA First Team | 1989–90 |
| AHCA West Second-Team All-American | 1989–90 |
| CCHA All-Tournament Team | 1990 |