COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State men’s lacrosse made history by winning the program’s first-ever Big Ten regular season title. The achievement was extra special since it came at the expense of Michigan, overcoming a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to win 10-8.

Alex Marinier may have only scored one goal in the regular season finale, but he’s been making a big impact for the Buckeyes all season long. The senior leads OSU with 41 goals this spring. But that wouldn’t have happened if the senior hadn’t made a big change midway through his collegiate career.

“Growing up, always thought I wanted to be in the NHL, wanted to be a professional hockey player,” Marinier said. “I think that’s a pretty common dream for young hockey players growing up around my area in Canada. But I realized at a pretty young age, maybe nine or ten years old, that there was more opportunities in lacrosse.”

When a neighbor introduced Marinier to the game of lacrosse, little did he know the sport would take him from Burlington, Ontario, to Columbus, Ohio.

“The prospect of coming to one of these great schools, there was a bigger opportunity in lacrosse than maybe there was hockey. I think I was always a little bit more talented at lacrosse,” Marinier said. “Looking back on it, best decision I ever made.”

Marinier began his Buckeye career as a long stick midfielder, playing more of a defensive role on the team. But at the end of his sophomore year, head coach Nick Myers made a suggestion.

“The first question from coach was, ‘How do we get you on the field more?’ I said, ‘Maybe it’s playing man down, maybe it’s man-up, maybe it’s offense,'” Marinier said. “He said, ‘Yeah there could be an opportunity for you.'”

Myers emphasized how his experience playing box lacrosse in the offseason could prove to be pivotal in finding a bigger role at Ohio State when he returned for his junior year.

“We feel like we have the defensive depth that we need and we both agreed it was worth looking at in the fall,” Myers said. “We played around with it. There were some days where he felt like he was a fish out of water. There was days where we looked really good.”

Fast forward to his senior year, Marinier consistently finds the back of the net each time he steps onto the field with the Buckeyes, who were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country at one point after stringing together 11 straight wins, including victories over Virginia and defending national champs, Notre Dame.

Marinier gives a lot of the credit to Myers.

“He’s been really, I would say patient in terms of the transition and him putting me in spots to have success as been huge,” Marinier said.

And the attackman’s willingness to switch positions illustrates the selflessness that runs throughout the entire team, which will enjoy a first-round bye into the Big Ten semifinals as the tournament’s top seed.

“A hundred percent of my success comes from the ability of my teammates. I’ve alluded to it before, I don’t like to take credit for my goals. I think the hard work for my teammates sometimes could be overshadowed by me scoring a goal,” Marinier said. “I’m pretty much just there at the end and have the ability to put the ball in the net. All of it really comes from my teammates.”