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OCTOBER.2015 // MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM 19 SOUTH ST. PAUL SUPPORT Faulk has quickly added his name to the list of hockey notables coming out of South St. Paul. He's in good company: Phil Housley. Doug Woog. Warren Miller. Alex Stalock. Adam Wilcox. Dave Palmquist. Zach Palmquist. That list continues to grow thanks to the direction of the South St. Paul program. "It's exciting to see where hockey is going in South St. Paul," Faulk said. "We now have a few players playing pro and with Housley get- ting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, it's another way we're putting ourselves on the map." Even more exciting for Faulk is seeing his former teammates and childhood friends break their way into the show. Alex Stalock, another former UMD Bulldog, is the man between the pipes for the San Jose Sharks. Adam Wilcox, Stalock's cousin, is one of Faulk's best friends and is currently play- ing in the American Hockey League with Tampa Bay's affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. "Adam and I stay in touch pretty well. He is currently in my kitchen, so that's about as in touch as you can get," Faulk said with a laugh. Wilcox stayed with Faulk this past summer. "I've been best friends with Adam since I was 5 or 6 years old, so it's something that will never go away. We stay in touch through the season and then obviously I talk to Alex every time we play each other. It'll be fun when Adam gets his turn in Tampa Bay, too." Faulk anticipates that number of hockey elite will only continue to grow. If he could predict the future of South St. Paul hockey: "It's going to keep getting bigger and better." FROM HOCKEY TO HARDWOOD College was always in Faulk's plans — hockey or not. When it came to the hockey side, there was little doubt in his mind that it would be the University of Minnesota-Duluth. "I think I made the right decision for col- lege," he says with a smirk. The NCAA championship trophy on display at AMSOIL Arena would agree. As a freshman on the title squad, Faulk led all Bulldogs defen- semen in goals (8), assists (25) and points (33) through 39 games. He ranked first among freshmen blueliners in scoring and made his way on to the All-WCHA Rookie Team. But the stats aren't what Faulk remembers. He admits even the championship trophy was just the cherry on top of a great season with a great group of teammates. "Being able to win a championship at any level is something you'll never forget," he said. "But what really made it special was that we had a pretty fun group of guys. That's what I'll remember the most about that season; those 26 guys on the team that year. We pretty much all keep in touch and when we see each other, we don't miss a beat. "That's the biggest thing about playing sports at any level is the friendships we were able to create and the amount of fun we had, whether it was on the ice or off." In Raleigh, North Carolina, home to the Hurricanes, col- lege hockey isn't the NCAA sport of choice like it is in Minnesota. Instead, college bas- ketball reigns king. Raleigh is home to North Carolina State. Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina are little more than 30 minutes away as is Duke University in Durham. The three schools have basketball rivalries similar to Minnesota's showdowns at the North Star Cup. "Obviously hockey is a pretty big sport in Minnesota and that's how basketball is out here, so games can get pretty intense," Faulk said. "You have 18,000 people in the stadium for a UNC-Duke game or N.C. State-UNC game — sold out every time. It's a pretty big event for the whole triangle area, one that's probably compa- rable to the Minnesota high school tournament or our in-state college rivalries." Faulk finds the time in between NHL games to take part in the statewide basketball excite- ment. Who's his favorite North Carolina team? "THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING ABOUT PLAYING SPORTS AT ANY LEVEL IS THE FRIENDSHIPS WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE AND THE AMOUNT OF FUN WE HAD, WHETHER IT WAS ON THE ICE OR OFF."