First-year Neumann coach Dominick Dawes delivered more than most coaches even promise their first year on the job. Dawes’ Knights won the school’s first national title in any sport when they defeated Gustavus Adolphus 4-1 to win the Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship March 21 at Lake Placid, New York.

“I’m just glad we showed we belonged here,” Dawes told the Mankato Free Press. “We played the best teams all season long, and we beat the best teams.”

Gustavus Adolphus found the net first, with David Martinson scoring just 4:54 into the first period. Before the close of the period, Neumann’s Ryan Heicket answered the goal with one of his own, scoring on a deflection during a power play and tying the game at one a piece.

The Knights came out aggressively in the second period, taking 16 shots. Three of those found the back of the net. First, Jesse Cole scored just 3:06 into the period, sending the puck through the legs of Gusties goaltender Matthew Lopes. Nearly four minutes later, Cole found the net again to make the score 3-1.

The final goal of the game came during a power play midway through the second period. Marlon Gardner, assisted by Charles Paterson and Matt Ward, put the Knights up 4-1. Neither team scored in the third period, despite Gustavus Adolphus coach Brett Petersen deciding to pull goalie Lopes for the final four minutes of the game to add to his arsenal on the ice.

“The better team won tonight, no question about that,” Petersen told the Minnesota paper.

Dawes, who won a national title with Norwich in 2003, is just the second coach to win a national championship as both a player and a coach. St. Norbert’s Tom Coghlin coached the Green Knights to the championship last year and won as a player with Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1989.

Neumann closes the season 21-9-2, while Gustavus Adolphus finishes 19-11-0.

Semifinals

Neumann                   0          0          2—2

Hobart                            0          0          0—0

First period: No scoring.

Penalties: N: Marlon Gardner (tripping)

Second period: No scoring.

 Penalties: N: Mike Hedden (elbowing). H: Andrew Brennan (interference), Michael Steiner (cross-checking).

Third period: N: Matt Ward (Kyle Casey) 11:16, Kaleigh Schrock (Jeff Rodell) 19:20.

Penalties: N: Dave Gooch (holding). H: Blake Bonham (hooking).

Saves: Ross MacKinnon (Neumann) 36. Keith Longo (Hobart) 22.

Gustavus Adolphus    0          2          0          1—3

Wisconsin-Stout         0          1          1          0—2

First period: No scoring.

Penalties: GA: Brad Wieck (tripping), Mitch Carlson (diving), Ross Ring-Jarvi (hooking), Ryan Noonan (hooking). WS: David Larson (slashing), Jeff Wheeler (hooking), Bench (too many players, served by Scott Motz), Andy Sternberg (slashing), Derek Hanson (cross-checking).

Second period: GA: Patrick Dynan (Rory Dynan, Casey Dynan) 5:32, Erc Bigham (Mitch Carlson, Joe Welch) 14:30. WS: Joel Gaulrapp (Motz, Hanson) 11:45.

Penalties: GA: James Leathers (hooking), Spencer Campion (holding) Cody Mosbeck (hooking). WS: Paul Henderson (hitting from behind), Jeff Wheeler (tripping), Sternberg (slashing).

Third period: W: Motz (Nick Klaren, Hanson) 14:24.

Penalties: GA: Justin Lee (interference). WS: Klaren (hooking).

Overtime: GA: P. Dynan (C. Dynan) 6:31.

Saves: Matthew Lopes (Gustavus Adolphus) 18, Josh Swartout (Gustavus Adolphus) 14. Matt Koenig (Wisconsin-Stout) 35.

Championship game

Neumann                     1          3          0—4

Gustavus Adolphus   1          0          0—1

First period: N: Ryan Heickert (Sean Bianchini) 12:52. GA: David Martinson (Brad Wieck) 4:54.

Penalties: N: Dave Gooch (tripping). GA: Rory Dynan (tripping).

Second period: GA: Jesse Cole (Heickert) 3:06, Cole (Heickert, Jeremy Gates) 6:53, Marlon Gardner (Charles Paterson, Matt Ward) 10:37.

Penalties: N: Paterson (cross-checking). GA: Wieck (holding), Matt Schugel (charging), Joe Welch (boarding).

Third period: No scoring.

Penalties: N: Brock Van Slyke (tripping), Gardner (cross-checking), Bench (too many players, served by Gardner). GA: Ross Ring-Jarvi (tripping).

Saves: Ross MacKinnon (Neumann) 24, Matthew Lopes (Gustavus Adolphus) 18.