ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — The Notre Dame hockey team is back in the state tournament and hungry for more. After pulling off an upset in the Division 1 sectional final, the Tritons have their sights set on their third straight state title.
“To me, to us, it's not necessarily a three-peat,” head coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “To the school, it's definitely a three-peat, but for us, it's our own chance at the championship. Every year our team changes. It's a different group. It's a new group. And this is our chance to make a run at it.”
The Tritons advanced to the state tournament after beating Neenah-Hortonville-Menasha 4-2.
Junior captain Ryker Thomas said the team took it personally when it was seeded third and felt extra motivated after falling to the Rockets earlier this season.
“To play them with that big of a crowd and the energy was high,” Thomas said. “It was just—it was so much fun. All the boys loved it. It was probably the most energetic bus ride home we had.”
One big difference with this year's team is the number of underclassmen.
“I’m playing with a sophomore and a freshman,” Thomas said. “But I like it. They have a lot of skill— a lot of these young kids, a lot of skill coming up. I love that about our team. We might be young, but we're all great hockey players.”
Senior goalie Anton Widas said he hopes to prove a lot of people wrong this weekend.
“I feel like we’re seen as a group that shouldn’t win this or make it as far as we have,” Widas said. “But we have, and it’s all because we’ve been working hard and staying connected and positive.”
While they’re a young team, Szkodzinski said this is a very complete group.
“From top to bottom, everybody contributes,” Szkodzinski said. “Every single day, guys are engaged and ready to practice and ready to work hard. And I think it just shows that if you dedicate yourself to something and you continue to work toward it, you can get rewarded.”
The Tritons will face Wausau West on Friday at 2 p.m. in the Division 1 semifinals at Bob Suter's Legacy 20 Arena in Middleton, Wisconsin.
The winner will play in the championship game on Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m.
