By Shane Frederick
Free Press Sports Editor
ST PETER —
David Martinson never expected things to come easy for him at Gustavus.
When he transferred to the college from the Air Force Academy in 2007, the St. Louis Park native knew he was transferring from a Division I hockey player to a Division III player.
“I didn’t look at it as (a step down),” Martinson said. “With Division III hockey, probably more than any other sport, the level of play is really close to the next level. … I wasn’t looking to come in and dominate. I knew every game would be a battle.”
But Martinson did come in and play great. In three seasons, he averaged more than 11⁄2 points per game and led Gustavus to two national-tournament appearances.
On Thursday night, Martinson was awarded the Sid Watson Award as the nation’s top Division III player by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Martinson is the first Gustavus men’s player to win the award.
“It’s a terrific honor for a terrific player,” Gusties coach Brett Petersen said.
One of three All-Americans for the Gusties this season, Martinson led the nation in goal scoring with 29 goals in 29 games. He also ranked fifth in the nation with 49 points, as he led the Gusties to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title and their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament.
A year ago, Gustavus advanced to the Frozen Four, and their second-place finish was the best in school history. Last week, the Gusties fell in the national quarterfinals at St. Norbert.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Martinson said. “This past week was a little tough with a tough loss to St. Norbert. Coming here, I never would have expected to play in two national tournaments in three years, especially when Gustavus hadn’t been there in over 15 years.”
Before 2009, the Gusties’ last trip to the NCAAs was in 1993.
For his career, Martinson had 76 goals and 55 assists for 131 points in 85 games over three seasons. The two-time All-American’s .89 career goals-per-game average ranks third all-time at Gustavus and his 1.54 career points-per-game average ranks fourth in program history.
But Petersen said his team captain’s impact goes beyond individual statistics.
“When your best player is your hardest worker and one of your best students in the classroom, your other players tend to jump on his back,” Petersen said.
Martinson, who is an accounting major, is the first player from the west region to win the Sid Watson Award since 2006.
“Sometimes a Division I transfer has a little bit of a letdown when he gets to (a D-III school),” Petersen said. “But that’s not the case with David. He excelled.”
