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GARRETT RABOIN HAS HAD A UNIQUE 18 MONTHS AS A HEAD HOCKEY COACH. Hired by Augustana University in April 2022, the Detroit Lakes native spent most of that time building the country 's newest men's college hockey team before the Vikings finally took the ice in the fall of 2023. For Raboin, the goal was to spend that time recruiting and get- ting the program started on the right track, a track to establishing a win- ning culture. "The biggest thing for me is you have to have a vision for what that is and what works," said Raboin, the former St. Cloud State player and assistant coach, who later followed coach Bob Motzko from his alma mater to Minnesota. "Being around successful coaches, staff and players, you take elements from your journey and pinpoint what you want to see in your group—what, in your eyes, you want it to look like." For Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Augustana, Raboin isn't just looking for the best on-ice talent. "(Longtime college assistant) Mike Gibbons said to me when I started, 'How do you win championships? You have to recruit championship people. But don't just recruit on the ice. Some of the best people become the best leaders. They 're successful students, they 're successful in the community, they 're successful after hockey. So much translates to real life." M H J ON L I N E . C O M | N O V. / D E C . 2 0 2 3 12 by Shane Frederick Championship Values Tips IT STARTS AT THE TOP The head coach and leadership set the tone, Raboin said, noting that he saw that first-hand when he went with Motzko to the Gophers. "When Bob Motzko took over the program, he didn't come in with a firm hand and change everything," Raboin recalled. "He made it fun for his players to be around the rink and around each other and excited about the work." Over time, that winning attitude became woven into the fabric of the program. "As a program we went from a coach- led team to very much a player-led team," Raboin said. "Guys like Brock Faber, you could see how much he cared for the program and how much he cared for the state." Photo / Augustana Hockey, Reggie Photography "As a recruiter, you're first drawn by what you see on the ice, but, from there, you try to find positive people who value others. Those are the kinds of people you want on your team." Detroit Lakes native Garrett Raboin leads Augustana hockey into the Division I era. Building a Winning Culture with Garrett Raboin