Liam Fraser – St. Norbert College (Photo by Patrick Ferron)

The only thing constant in this world is change, but for college hockey, the constancy of the St. Norbert College Men’s hockey program means that the Green Knights will again be among the elite contenders to control their own destiny in the NCHA and beyond this season.  With a 15-3-0 record in conference play last season including a 3-0 record in overtime, the Green Knights safely have every expectation to sit at the top of the of the conference standing again in 2025-26 and aim for another NCAA Division III postseason bid.  As sure as the weather will change soon and the cold winds of fall and winter will freeze over ponds in the upper Midwest, St. Norbert will see yet another winning season and the sky is essentially the limit for the men’s program with an eye on the prize of winning another coveted DIII national championship.

Coaching provides the catalyst for stability at St. Norbert.

When a college names a hockey rink after you and you’re still the head coach, you have a tendency to become the model of consistency and top performance in the sport of collegiate hockey.  For St. Norbert College head men’s coach Tim Coghlin, being statistically the best hockey coach in Division III history simply isn’t enough of a legacy to leave behind when all is said and done.  With a 684-186-61 overall record and 376-100-36 in the NCHA, Tim Coghlin has been the anchor of success for this program for over 30 seasons.  With five national championships and four national champion runners-up seasons, Coghlin is the modicum of success at the college hockey level.  Regardless of whether you like or hate this head coach, Coach Coghlin’s record at St. Norbert speaks volumes and there’s no dearth of talent waiting in the wings on the ice in De Pere, WI to play for the one of the great leaders in college hockey today.

Top-tier talent will keep St. Norbert in the NCHA title hunt this season.

With one of the great head coaches in college hockey at the helm, it’s relatively easy to find top-tier talent to come and play at St. Norbert.  The 2024-25 season was indicative of the deep talent pool that the Green Knights can pull from and with sophomore forward Logan Dombrowsky leading the way, there should be little question that a repeat performance from last season is in order on the ice again this season.  Dombrowsky led the charge for the Green Knights as a first-team All American and was the NCHA Player of the Year as well and an all-NCHA selection.  With 17 goals and 34 assists for 51 total points, Dombrowsky simply was an offensive machine for St. Norbert and there is every reason to expect an encore performance again in the 2025-26 campaign.

Senior second team All-American Liam Fraser will be missed due to his graduation this past season but his legacy will remain as one of the great offensive players in Division III men’s hockey. The Calgary, AB native led the Green Knights with a team-high 21 goals and 23 assists and also set an NCAA DIII record by having ten game-winning goals in a single season.  Fraser also garnered an All-NCHA selection as well and despite Fraser moving on to a career in the business world, his playing legacy will serve as a role model for aspiring Green Knights players for years to come.

In case you are wondering, the St. Norbert Green Knights play a little bit of defense as well and with junior Dayton Deics on the blueline, his five goals and 12 assists also led the Green Knights defense in scoring last season.  Deics earned an All-NCHA distinction last season and there is reason to assume that his best playing days may be coming in the 2025-26 campaign.  Shoring up the St. Norbert defense is sophomore Hunter Garvey who hails from the hockey rich environment of San Diego, CA.  The young netminder registered a 19-5-1 record with a stellar 2.04 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage last season and also earned an All-NCHA distinction for his goal tending.  With both Deics and Garvey back this season, the logic simply dictates that St. Norbert will have a stellar defensive core again this season.

Final thoughts on St. Norbert heading into 2025-26.

With one of the best college hockey coaches in the business and a tradition of winning, it’s a safe bet to reason that the St. Norbert College men’s hockey program will maintain a standard of success as the 2025-26 season looms on the calendar.  Just as leaves turn and the air gets colder, the Green Knights should be a major factor in the NCHA this season and again it’s a safe bet to assume that they will Garner yet another DIII postseason bid.  How far will the Green Knights go this season?  Stay tuned to that question – the puck will be dropping soon, very soon.