Elaborating on the dismissal of Nick Ganga from the Ohio State hockey team, OSU athletic director Andy Geiger said Thursday night that Ganga “indicated by his actions that he didn’t want to be a part of our hockey program, and we accommodated him.”
Ganga, a junior forward and assistant captain last year, was dismissed from the team on March 30.
During the 2000-2001 season, Ganga, according to both parties, contacted Maine head coach Shawn Walsh about a possible transfer to the Black Bear squad. Walsh, aware that talking with Ganga without permission from Ohio State would have been a violation of NCAA rules, immediately contacted Buckeye head coach John Markell.
Ganga’s seeking to transfer, said Geiger, was the clear indication that Ganga wasn’t happy at Ohio State, and the sole reason for his dismissal.
In an open letter to the press, Ganga’s mother, Teresa, wrote that Ganga’s release was a direct result of a series of meetings during the 2000-2001 season between the players and coaches, meetings during which players were encouraged to speak freely.
Geiger called that allegation “absolutely wrong. That’s very self serving and not the case whatsoever.”
Geiger said that what transpired in the meetings is “private to the Ohio State hockey program, between the coaches and players,” and added that the meetings were “very productive.”
Geiger said that he supports Markell’s decision to let Ganga go.
“The coach has the prerogative of making cuts in the best interest of his hockey program. I think that his decision was the best decision, and I stand behind him 100 percent.”
Ganga’s scholarship remains intact, and Geiger expressed his desire to see Ganga complete his education at Ohio State.
“Nick is a fine guy and we wish him only the best.”
