St. Cloud Norsemen defenseman Gunnar Johnson has committed to NCAA Division III St. Olaf College to play collegiate hockey.
Johnson, a native of Edina, MN, has played in 89 games for the Norsemen over the last two seasons. The 5’10, 175 lbs. defender is a key member of the Norsemen penalty kill and has five assists this season.
“When I went to visit, it was definitely a fun place to be. The coaches were really awesome and one of the reasons I wanted to go there. I liked the campus and the rink. One of my friends from high school goes there and showed me around and that was a big part of it,” Johnson said.
“Takes a little weight off the shoulders, knowing where I’m going and having a plan for next year,” added Johnson.
Johnson will play for St. Olaf next season. The Oles season ended last weekend with an overtime loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament, as St. Olaf was appearing in the NCAA’s for the first time since 2006 after winning their second Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs title.
The Norsemen have five NCAA Division I commitments on the current roster and Johnson’s commitment makes 10 current Norsemen or program alums with an NCAA commitment this year.
The St. Cloud Norsemen are now 31-14-2-1 overall and are first place in the Central Division with 65 points and a nine-point lead over second place Aberdeen, with 12 games left in the regular season. First place St. Cloud is on the road on Friday, March 18 at Austin, and hosts the Bruins at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex on Saturday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale at tickets.stcloudnorsemen.com
St. Cloud Norsemen on Social Media | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | TikTok