Former St. Norbert All-American goalie Mike Szkodzinski has been named the new head hockey coach at Lawrence University.
Szkodzinski comes to Lawrence from St. Norbert, where he has been an assistant with the Green Knights for the past two seasons.
“We are pleased to secure a coach of Mike’s caliber to lead the Lawrence University hockey program,” said athletics director Robert Beeman. “His proven track record as a player and as the top assistant for the nationally ranked St. Norbert team, combined with his East Coast recruiting ties, give Lawrence instant credibility in national hockey circles.”
During Szkodzinski’s two seasons at St. Norbert, the Green Knights put together a 49-8-5 record, including a 22-2-4 mark in NCHA play. St. Norbert was the NCAA Division III runner-up in 2006 after winning the NCHA regular season title. The Green Knights won the NCHA title in 2005 and also claimed the league’s championship, the Peters Cup.
“I am extremely excited to lead the Lawrence University hockey team in the coming seasons,” Szkodzinski said. “I’d like to thank Bob Beeman for the chance to coach the Vikings, and I’m really looking forward to becoming a part of the Lawrence community.”
Before coaching at St. Norbert, Szkodzinski was an assistant for two seasons at the Findlay and spent a season as an assistant at Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
A native of Brighton, Mich., Szkodzinski played for two seasons at Ferris State, earning All-CCHA Rookie Team honors in 1997. He transferred to St. Norbert and was a standout goaltender for the Green Knights. Szkodzinski was a second-team All-American in 1999 and earned first-team All-NCHA honors in 1999 and 2000.
Szkodzinski put together an impressive 2.21 career goals against average and still holds the school record with a .917 career save percentage. He compiled a 32-9-4 record between the pipes, and included in that total is a 4-2 win in the 1999 NCAA Division III Tournament over Middlebury College.
Szkodzinski earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St. Norbert and has a Master of Business Adminstration from Findlay.
Lawrence returns 21 players from this past season’s squad, including captain Joe Searl, assistant captain and All-MCHA defenseman Josh Peterson, and All-MCHA goaltender Andrew Isaac. The Vikings finished the 2005-06 campaign with a 9-14-4 record, including a 7-9-4 mark in conference play.
