St. Norbert to Host NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal Saturday

From Sports Information Director, March 9, 2008 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College earned the top seed in the West Region of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament for the seventh straight season and will host a national quarterfinal contest against either UW-Stout or the University of St. Thomas on Saturday, March 15.

The Green Knights (24-1-4) won the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season and Peters Cup championships. St. Thomas (19-6-2) claimed the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship. UW-Stout (18-8-3) placed third in the NCHA race during the regular-season and lost to St. Norbert 4-3 in overtime Saturday night in the Peters Cup championship.

Stout travels to play at St. Thomas at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn.

The national quarterfinal game will start at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Cornerstone Community Center.

St. Norbert is unbeaten in its last 26 games, going 22-0-4 since a 4-2 loss at home to Gustavus Adolphus College on Nov. 3. The Green Knights have been ranked No. 1 in the U.S. College Hockey Online Division III poll eight of the last nine weeks.

The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal will advance to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four on March 22-23 at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

This tournament appearance is St. Norbert's tenth, making appearances in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, with all quarterfinal-round games except for 1997 coming at home. The Green Knights are 9-9-1 all-time in the NCAA tournament.

Tickets for Saturday's quarterfinal game will go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, March 10 at the St. Norbert Box Office in the Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts or by calling (920) 403-3950 or (800) SNC-BOXX.

Click on "more" for the full NCAA Tournament bracket. >>MORE