St. Norbert hockey is a global affair

DE PERE - “Hi, my name is Johan Ryd. I'm from Stockholm, Sweden."

"I'm Dustin Walz and I'm from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan."

"I'm Scott Pulak and I'm from Green Bay."

The St. Norbert College Green Knights’ hometowns dot the globe. Fifteen of the 27 members of the hockey team come from right here in the U.S., including three players from Wisconsin. Ten others come from hockey-rich Canada.

The remaining pair traveled across the pond from Sweden.

"Just a great opportunity to come here and be part of a very successful program," Ryd said of his decision to come to St. Norbert. This is Ryd's second season with the team.

“It was the first time we've actively gone overseas and sought young men out," head coach Tim Coghlin said.

Ryd's acclimation to the Green Bay area wasn’t exactly easy.

“It's been, in many ways, both in lifestyle on and off the ice,” he said. “It's a culture collision: people, food, music, everything."

Just getting his fellow teammates and coaches to understand him and appreciate his sense of style took some time.

“Every now and again he shows up in the locker room wearing these clothes and guys wonder where did you get these? He says, ‘I look good!’" Coghlin said.

The Swedes aren't the only one's receiving some good-natured ribbing. For the Canadians, an age-old question always comes up.

“Everybody thinks Canadian hockey players are so much older than Americans but it's all the same age. There's no big differences," Walz said.

Humor has allowed this team to be more accepting. From Stockholm to Saskatchewan, it's the game that brought them all together.

“Once you get on the ice, it's all the same, really," Pulak said.