St. Cloud Norsemen forward Kade Peterson recently committed to play his college hockey for Long Island University and he’ll be on campus and playing for the Sharks this coming fall.
When talking about why Peterson wants to be a part of the LIU program, the first thought that comes to mind is the coaching staff. “I really like the coaching staff and the things they are doing there as a program to develop their players,” Peterson wastes no time pointing to. Brett Riley is the only head coach Long Island’s men’s team has had and will be going into his fourth season after being an Assistant Coach for Colgate University and a head coach at the Division III and New York High School levels.
Peterson played two seasons for the Norsemen and finished with 39-42-91 in 117 NAHL regular season games. Last year Peterson was one of two Norsemen players, alongside Duke Kiffin, to play all 60 games and his 25-25-50 led the team in goals, points, and his 82 PIM was third on the team.
Prior to his time in St. Cloud Peterson spent two seasons in Alexandria, MN playing for Northstar Christian Academy and in 2018-19 in his hometown of West Fargo, ND as a sophomore he led the West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs in goals and points with 13-3-16 in 22 games. Peterson also played for the Team North Dakota AAA program, so this next season will be the first time Kade will play for a team outside of North Dakota or Minnesota.
Despite not having spent much time out on the East Coast, Peterson is looking forward to the change in scenery and getting some new adventures further away from home. “I am not familiar with the area, I have only been out East once or twice and my first time in New York was on my visit,” admits Peterson. “I really enjoyed it and I am super excited to experience something new and out of my comfort zone and see new things.”
St. Cloud Norsemen Assistant Coach Brock Kautz feels that while Peterson is getting a great opportunity from Long Island University to play for their program, it may be the Sharks that are getting the better end of the deal. “Kade is an unbelievable kid who works very hard and is well liked by his teammates,” Kautz boasts. “He has the ability to play multiple styles of hockey and makes everyone around him better. LIU is getting a tremendous hockey player, but an even better person.”
Long Island University, which is located in Brooklyn, NY, is a new program in the world of college hockey. In April 2020 LIU announced they would field a Division I men’s hockey team beginning in the fall of 2020, a year after their women’s team’s inaugural Division I season. “Obviously it is a new program but they are doing big things and taking big strides each year,” Peterson points out. “It is a cool thing to be a part of building a program and a culture.”
Long Island University is not currently in a college hockey conference and competes as an independent. Their timing onto the scene may not have been ideal as their first season of 2020-21 was the first season post COVID-19 pandemic and they only were able to get 13 games on their schedule and they went 3-10-0 in that first year. But their second season was a huge jump up going 10-21-3 and last season was their best to date with a record of 13-22-1. Last season the Long Island’s wins included victories over Ohio State, who made the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament as a #3 seed, and Alaska, who were the first team out of the tournament field and the loss to the Sharks may have been the difference in missing the NCAA tournament.
Peterson is a left-handed shot forward and typically plays left wing, though was able to fill in as a center for the Norsemen when they were battling injuries down the middle of the ice at the end of the regular season and postseason last year. Peterson is a 2003 birth year and will be a freshman at Long Island University with the college season starting up in October.
A two-year player for St. Cloud, Peterson led the Norsemen in regular season goals and points in 2022-23 with 25-25-50 in 60 GP. (Photo Credit: Pete Knutson)