Cole Ikkala

Classroom

Ikkala owns a 3.8 grade-point-average (on a 4.00 scale) as a Managerial Economics major. He has spent much of his academic career on a pre-med track, learning to balance that with managerial economics and hockey. This past semester, he recorded a perfect 4.0.  He is a recipient of the Charles N. Morrison Award, an endowed scholarship at Union that recognizes extracurricular activities and demonstration of academic interest and achievement.  In addition, Cole has been awarded the following scholarships from Union:  the Presidential Scholarship, the Joseph T. Maras Scholarship and the Dr. Donald E. Nitchman ‘33 Scholarship.  Ikkala was recently chosen to the Union College Formal Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, an international leadership honor society.

Cole served an internship at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in McKinney, Texas, where he learned financial advising.  Upon graduation, Cole will begin a career at Price Waterhouse in Boston as a risk assurance associate.

Cole is a two-time member of the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team (2012, 2011).

Character

Ikkala is much respected by his teammates, having been named as an assistant captain for the 2013-14 season. “He holds everyone accountable and is a hard worker,” says team captain Mat Bodie. “A lot of the guys look up to Cole on and off the ice.” Last year, Ikkala received the Scott Richardson Unsung Hero Award at the team’s season-ending banquet.  This past winter he was named a candidate for the BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award—given to college hockey’s finest citizen.

Community

Ikkala is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has participated in the Team Impact project, which assists children with life threatening illness. He has also worked alongside his teammates in several community service projects. Service commitments have included serving Thanksgiving dinner at the YMCA, buying Christmas gifts for a needy family, organizing a book drive and helping beautify local neighborhoods through litter pickup.  During the summer, Cole spends time working with youth players at hockey camps and has been cited by coaches as being one of the more popular instructors among his students.  During the summer of 2012, Cole worked as an intern in the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.  In that capacity, he shadowed doctors, organized records and fundraisers and observed organ transplant procedures. He also assisted the Hurricane Irene Relief Aid efforts in Rotterdam, N.Y. in the fall of 2011. Cole and his teammate Kevin Sullivan recently helped the hockey team raise around $500 for the Dutchmen Dip, an event to benefit three cancer patients in the Union community.

Competition

Ikkala is completing his fourth season at Union.  He has led the Dutchmen to three ECAC Hockey regular season titles in four years, and to a pair of ECAC Hockey Tournament championships.  Union has also made three NCAA Tournament appearances and four straight 20-win campaigns.  This season, Cole and his teammates have earned a No. 3 national ranking, putting together the nation’s second-longest home winning streak (10 games) while also compiling an 11-2-1 mark against nationally-ranked opponents.  “Cole sets the tone with his work ethic, the team falls in line with what he does,” says assistant coach Jason Tapp. “He is respected by his teammates and represents what we look for in a student-athlete.”