Bohacik, Pavel

BORN PAVSTAR BOHACIK IN ZLIN, Czech Republic on 23 August 1969 he first played hockey in 1977 with HC Zlin. In September 1985, at the age of sixteen, he arrived in Australia and joined the Tigers IHC in the South Australian local league. Two years later in 1987, he represented Australia in the National Youth Team in China, winning a C-Pool bronze medal. He represented the state in the Brown Trophy and was the Most Valuable Player in 1991.

He won five Goodall Cups for his state in 1991, 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001. He first wore green and gold for the national men's team in Great Britain in 1992 where he won C-pool bronze, then Slovenia in 1993, Barcelona in 1994, South Africa in 1998 for the silver, and again in 1999 for the bronze. He also played rugby and took up judo and boxing, but the highlight of his sporting career was being voted Best Forward in the 1994 Goodall Cup, even though he had played defence all his life.

He joined the foundation team of the Adelaide Avalanche in 1999, and was team captain in the inaugural AIHL season in 2000, and again in 2001. He retired in 2004 and works as an electrical engineer in Adelaide. Married to Michaela since 1999, they are raising two boys, now aged 10 and 12.