DE PERE (NBC 26) — The St. Norbert men’s hockey team has a huge NCAA Division 3 tournament game on Saturday evening. It’s their 21 appearance, which is second most all-time in D-3 history.
- They earned an automatic bid after defeating Adrian College for the Harris Cup Playoffs title last weekend.
- The Green Knights have 9 freshmen making a huge impact.
- St. Norbert is seeking their sixth title in program history.
They’ll host St. Olaf a team they beat in Minnesota to kick off their season. They earned an automatic bid after defeating Adrian College for the Harris Cup Playoffs title last weekend.
“Our goal isn’t just to get in the tournament, we want to make some noise,” Green Knights head coach Tim Coghlin said.
“We’re electric, we’re ready to go,” said sophomore forward Dayton Deics.
“I don't know if people know what’s coming, but it should be good for us,” said team captain junior forward Carter Hottmann.
The Green Knights are confident heading into the tourney. It helps to play for head coach Tim Coghlin, who has the most wins in D-3 history.
“You can’t even put words to it because he’s so determined,” Hottman said. “He holds you accountable and has such a track record that it’s a pretty amazing time to be here.”
“He's one of the best coaches in the world,” said Deics. “One of the winningest coaches in NCAA history. why wouldn’t you want to play for him.”
For Coghlin, a tournament appearance is nothing new. He’s only missed 9 in his 30 years coaching St. Norbert.
“12 frozen fours. We've played in 9 national championship games. We won 5. We lost one in overtime. We lost one in double overtime and we got beat twice. When we get there we’ve been effective,” he said.
They open up tournament play hosting St. Olaf, who they beat by just one goal (4-3) in their season opener. However, at that time the Green Knights were trying to figure out who they were.
“Every year is different,” said Coghlin. “This year we’re playing 9 freshmen, including a freshman in goal. It’s taken us a little longer to get our head around it this year.”
Being young doesn’t mean they can’t make it far in the tournament. Freshman goalie Hunter Garvey and forward Logan Dombrowsky, who is 3rd on the team in points, have had a huge role in the Green Knights' success.
“History will tell you it depends on how you’re playing and how you play on game night,” Coghlin said. “These single elimination things are really important that you’re on point.”
St. Norbert has won 7 straight games. They’re putting it all together at the most important time of the season.
“We've been just coming together as a team and growing, which is the most important part coming into the playoffs and we’re on the right path to do so,” said Hottmann.
