Minnesota Hockey Journal

Minnesota Hockey Journal December 2013

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Q&A INTERVIEW WITH ZACH PALMQUIST Zach Palmquist Z ach Palmquist dabbled a bit in everything growing up in South St. Paul. But football, basketball and soccer never compared to hockey for the 22-year-old. Now a junior at Minnesota State UniversityMankato, Palmquist has proven to be a solid blueliner, ranking 18th in the nation for scoring by a defenseman with 25 points last year. As Palmquist and the Mavericks look to lead the Western Collegiate Hockey Association this season, he took some time to chat about the sport that stuck with Minnesota Hockey Journal. MHJ: You said hockey has been around most of your life. Could you skate before you could walk? Zach Palmquist: (Laughs) Almost! My parents put skates on me when I was two or three years old. Growing up, I first played rec hockey in Minneapolis and then started playing youth hockey with the South St. Paul Youth Hockey Association. It wasn't always organized hockey though. I remember playing with my brothers outside on the pond where my dad would always build a rink. That's where I really started to love playing hockey. 20 MHJ: Your dad, Dave Palmquist, had made a name for himself as the head coach of the girls' varsity hockey team at South St. Paul for the past 17 years. How much did that factor in to your decision to play hockey growing up? ZP: My dad played hockey in college and I think he wanted us to play but he didn't force us to. But I do think that was a big part of the reason I did play. In addition to being around PLAYER PROFILE: ZACH PALMQUIST Minnesota State University-Mankato, South St. Paul Youth Hockey Association MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // DECEMBER.2013 the rink, seeing my dad as a high school coach with so much success had an impact. I've been at the rink seeing that since I was five years old so I think that it definitely played a part in my decision to play. He's such an influence in my life on and off the ice. MHJ: You were able to stay in the State of Hockey for college. How excited were you to be able to play for one of the five Division I schools here? ZP: Playing in Minnesota was definitely something that I considered when deciding which college I wanted to go to. I wanted a school that I could focus on hockey but still have my family, friends and school remain a high priority. I knew I wanted to stay close to home and to all of my family and friends and Mankato was the right choice for that. It's close to my family, but far enough away where there are no surprise visits. PHOTO: MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MHJ: But growing up, hockey wasn't the only thing you focused on. What other sports drew your attention? ZP: My parents believed in playing a lot of sports and didn't want us to focus on just one thing. I played football growing up and a little bit of soccer, which I think almost every kid does. I tried basketball a bit too but mainly for me it was hockey, baseball and golf. I love to golf. Not sure what the correlation between hockey players and golf is—maybe it's the way you swing—but I have noticed plenty of hockey players are big golfers, too. It wasn't always organized hockey though. I remember playing with my brothers outside on the pond where my dad would always build a rink. That's where I really started to love playing hockey.

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