By Anthony Garcia
Sports Editor
Captain of the College’s club hockey team Marc Tietjen and his teammate Kris Hastings have both reached a major career milestone, scoring their 100th point on Feb. 8 against West Chester University. The tandem hit this mark in the last weekend of regular season play, finishing with a 16-1-1 record. The score will carry the team into the first seed of the Colonial Cup playoffs.
“Scoring my 100th point was one of the most exciting events that has ever happened to me in my hockey career,” Tietjen said. “After my initial excitement, I felt relieved to say the least, as I wanted to accomplish this feat prior to the playoffs.”
The hopes for the Lions are high, as they expect to win the Colonial Cup championship for the third year in a row, then build on last season's first regional tournament win against Rowan University.
“It was a tremendous feeling,” Tietjen said in reference to scoring the goal that put him at 100 points. “This is something I never expected to be possible when I walked into the rink as a freshman.”
He explained that Hastings was credited with the assist on his shot which put him at 100 points.
“I’d like to take the time to thank my teammates over the last four seasons, as well as the TCNJ coaching staff,” Tietjen said.
Tietjen and Hastings are now a part of a small group of players in the College’s history, but they believe they’re going to be playing their best in the postseason.
“The team is in high spirits,” Tietjen said. “We’re a close-knit group and all want to succeed as much as the guy next to us.”
Over 10 players for the Lions are in double-digit point-scoring echelon, accentuating the great success the offense is having this season. Moving into the playoffs, Tietjen continues to exercise his leadership skills, striving to lead by example and set the tone for the younger players.
“Being a captain means working hard on and off the ice to be the best teammate I can be,” Tietjen said. “To me, being the captain of the team is an honor.”
Although hockey is a club sport at the College, the players and coaches have proven to be dedicated as if the sport was officially represented as an athletic team. In recent years, the players have achieved nothing short of domination, successfully completing a three-peat championship run last season and expecting to make it four in 2020.
“The hockey team would love to be supported more by the College,” Tietjen said, who would like to refer anyone interested to the teams social media pages on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook where they can find updates and more information.
As the team heads into the playoffs, they are focusing on one game at a time, according to Tietjen. He has his eyes set on the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Southeast Regional Tournament, ready to accede the team's potential and punch their ticket to the DII National Championship in Texas.
