Sophomore goalie excelling at St. Norbert

The 6th ranked St. Norbert men’s hockey team opens the Peters Cup playoffs on Friday against UW-Stout. They'll do it with the nation's leader in goals against average in net, Sophomore David Jacobson.

The purpose of a goaltender is pretty basic. They attempt to keep the puck from going in the net... The conventional wisdom is bigger is better. The 5'9 Jacobson is proving the exception to the rule.

Jacobson said it took a lot of effort overcoming preconceived notion because of his size. "You've gotta work harder and just keep those guys who didn't want you in the back of your mind and just prove them wrong."

Head Coach Tim Coghlin said that as a smaller goaltender Jacobson has to adjust his style of play. “David just has to be aggressive,” Coghlin said. “He's got to be on the top of the paint. He's got to be challenging and he's got to be athletic.”

Being a smaller goaltender Jacobson has always had to fight for his time in the net. That's a skill that came in handy here at St. Norbert. He started last season 3rd on the depth chart.

"I had to prove myself coming in,” Jacobson said. “The Bottom of the lineup like I said. I just had to work hard and earn that spot."

The bulldog mentality that helped Jacobson earns his spot has also garnered his team's trust.

His head coach said whether it’s soccer, ping-pong, or hockey Jacobson wants to win. Coghlin said his starting goaltender puts forth a max effort for each save. “You get him on the ice and he looks at every single puck. He looks at every single puck as a battle and a competition."

Reid Campbell plays defenseman for the Green Knights and appreciates what his goaltender allows the skaters to do on the ice. "Shots from anywhere he gobbles them up,” Campbell said. “We can jump a little bit more and make a mistake and we'll know that we'll have him back there to shut the door."

A late season swoon saw the Green Knights lose 3 out of 5 games but Jacobson has the experience of winning a national title last season to draw upon.

"You've got to find your confidence in you. Look back to last year and see what I did and I do have the skill to get there," the sophomore said.

As Jacobson goes, so goes the Green Knights said Coach Coghlin. "His season and our season are exactly the same.  Our task is to make sure we're playing our best hockey and it has to start with him in the pipes."

It looks like they've righted the ship, winning the final 3 games of the season with Jacobson allowing just one goal in each game and stopping 96 percent of the shots he faced.