Steve graduated from Grand Forks Central in 1984. During his time at GFC, he played hockey and golf. In 1983, Steve was instrumental in helping his team beat Red River to win the state championship. He was recognized as an all-conference and an All-State player. After graduating from GFC, Steve went on to play hockey at UND. He finished with 191 points in his college career, the seventh-most in UND history. He then played professionally for a couple of years before taking on various coaching roles. He served as head coach for the Fargo-Moorhead Bears for one year, the Lincoln Stars for 10 years and the Fargo Force for one year. In 2017, Steve was inducted into UND’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Steve says that hard work and commitment set GFC apart from other schools he competed against. His standout memory is winning the State Championship game versus Red River in 1983.

Steve and his wife, Nancy, reside in Grand Forks, where Steve works as the Director of Youth Hockey. Steve and Nancy have three children: Their daughter, Ellie is a recruiter for the University of North Dakota. Their son Luke played for the Chicago Blackhawks the past 3 years and with the Minnesota Wild. Their son Max currently plays hockey in the Saskatchewan Jr. Hockey League.