The Green Knights celebrate their 2018 championship in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Green Knights’ National Title Extends a Remarkable Run

As the Green Knights readied for their 12th Frozen Four appearance in Lake Placid, N.Y., a D3hockey.com article appeared. Headlined “St. Norbert’s Incredible Success, Quantified,” it tracked the history of this storied team. The author, Matthew Webb, was ready to dub St. Norbert’s as perhaps the most successful program of Division III’s modern era.

“Aside from Middlebury’s run that saw the Panthers score eight national titles in a 12-year span – a feat likely never to be matched – there’s a strong case to be made that St. Norbert’s sustained success rates as [sic] utterly unprecedented,” wrote Webb.

“One other factoid … speaks to the resounding success of the St. Norbert program: If the Green Knights fail to bring home this year’s championship, it will mark their first recruiting class since the class of 2003 that will graduate without having scored at least one national title.

“Not even Middlebury [eight-time champion] managed such a long stretch. In fact, it didn’t even get close.”

And that was before the Green Knights secured the 2018 title.

With five national titles to its name in just 11 years, Green Knights Men’s Hockey now reigns supreme over a well-contested division.

The story from Lake Placid
The Green Knights claimed the 2018 NCAA Division III national championship with their hard-fought 3-2 double-overtime win over Salve Regina University (Newport, R.I.) at Herb Brooks Arena. Brad Pung ’19 scored at 9:42 of double overtime to lift the team to its fifth national title in 11 seasons.

St. Norbert finished the season with an impressive 12-game winning streak to cap off a memorable run for the roses. The Green Knights – who also won national championships in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2014 – are now 22-4 in their last 26 NCAA Tournament games.

The team took home the gold when Pung’s wrister cleanly beat Salve Regina goaltender Blake Wojtala. Tanner Froese ’18 came up the far wall and dropped the puck to Pung, who was unimpeded coming down the right slot. Pung’s shot rifled past the goal line to set off a wild on-ice celebration.

SNC scored the game’s first two goals, both coming on the power play. Froese found Dominick Sacco ’20 coming down the slot on a power-play opportunity for a 1-0 lead with 18:31 elapsed in the first period.

The Green Knights added to their lead when the Seahawks were assessed a major boarding penalty. They took advantage when a shot from the point by Luke Davison ’21 bounced a Seahawks’ water bottle off the top of the cage at the 12:25 mark. Salve Regina quickly got back in the game when Cameron Russo scored shorthanded 65 seconds later. The team took a 2-1 lead into second intermission despite holding a 15-4 advantage in shot in the second period.

The Seahawks tied the game midway through the third period and outshot SNC 14-9 in the first overtime, but the Green Knights had an 8-3 edge in the second extra session. SNC held a 50-43 edge on shot on goal for the game.

Most outstanding 
Froese assisted on all three goals and was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. Peter Bates ’21 also had a multi-point game with two assists. T.J. Black ’20 turned out 41 saves for the Green Knights, including several difficult saves in the first period. Black stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced in the third period and two overtime sessions. In addition to Froese being named MVP, Sacco and Davison were named to the All-Tournament Team. 


April 5, 2018