From 1975 through 2001, the CCAA Championship Bowl was raised on 22 occasions and the CCAA Challenge Cup was hoisted in 1992. In five of the events, a goaltender was named CCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player. Of the five, one set the standard.

Born in Macklin, Saskatchewan, Cleo Rowein joined the NAIT Ooks in the fall of 1982. A few months earlier, the Ooks won their first national championship while Rowein donned a Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) jersey for the final time.

Rowein was NAIT's number one goaltender for three seasons from 1982-83 through 1984-85 backstopping the men's hockey team to one CCAA championship (1984-85) and two ACAC championships (1983-84, 1984-85). During his final campaign, he recorded 16 wins and no losses and a goals against average of 2.32 in the regular season and post season.

At the provincial level, Rowein was among the regular season leaders in a number of statistical categories during his time at NAIT. In each of his three campaigns, he was among the conference's top two in wins, save percentage and goals against average. In his first two seasons, he posted the highest save percentage and the lowest goals against average in the ACAC. In his last two seasons, he accumulated the most wins in the ACAC.

Rowein stonewalled ACAC rivals in 1983-84 and 1984-85. In ACAC regular season & ACAC playoff action, he never lost on the road during his final campaign & at home during his final two campaigns.

At the national level, Rowein compiled a goals against average of 2.16 and a winning percentage of .667 earning CCAA Tournament All Star and CCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player honours in consecutive years. In his last game with the Ooks, he recorded the win in the finale of the 1985 CCAA National Hockey Championship as NAIT completed a perfect season.

Beyond the ACAC and CCAA, Rowein was in the crease when NAIT won the gold medal game at Viking Cup '84 in Camrose and downed York University (the eventual 1984-85 University Cup champion) to capture the Altjahres Cup in Adelboden, Switzerland. He was the first Canadian to be selected as the Most Valuable Player at the Viking Cup as Hannu Virta and Petr Klima were honoured previously. He also attended the training camp of the Pittsburgh Penguins (National Hockey League) in the fall of 1984.

For four seasons from 1988-89 through 1991-92, Rowein won three ACAC championships (1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92) and three CCAA championships (1988-89, 1989-90, 1991-92) as an assistant coach with the Ooks.

Rowein is the first of six men's hockey players in the conference to be a three time ACAC First Team All Conference selection. Of the six, he is one of four players and the lone goaltender to be honoured in every season of participation. No men's hockey player has been an ACAC First Team All Conference selection four times.

Of the 107 hockey players in the nation to be honoured as a CCAA All Canadian, only 11 received the award more than once. Of the 11, only Rowein was named CCAA Tournament MVP. When the honour was bestowed in 1985, he became the first hockey player in the nation to be selected as a CCAA All Canadian and CCAA Tournament MVP in the same season.

Not only did Rowein raise the bar in hockey, he did it across all sports. Rowein was the first male athlete in any sport nationwide to be a three-time CCAA All Canadian (1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85) and the first athlete in any sport provincewide to be a five-time CCAA individual award recipient. No hockey player has been a four time CCAA All Canadian or a six time CCAA individual recipient.

More Articles