Flames Defenseman Earns Spot on Division I Roster After Starting at Division III

Liberty senior Alex Norwinski will dress for the Liberty Division I men’s hockey team for the first time in his career this upcoming season. But for the Flames defenseman, the road to Liberty’s top hockey squad was anything but conventional.

While most high school athletes attend and play sports at local schools, Norwinski decided to take an unorthodox route. During his sophomore year, the Blue Ridge, Virginia, native moved away from his family to Bethesda, Maryland, and lived with his aunt to play prep school hockey at the Landon School.

“It was a good chance for me to develop, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play high-level hockey if I didn’t move,” Norwinski said.

His quest to improve his game took him to Texas where he joined the Sugar Land Imperials, a tier-two U-18 juniors team. He started his career playing as a forward and excelled at the position, but on his second year on the team, a unique situation forced Norwinski into a role he did not expect.

“We only had 10 players on our team, and my coach needed someone to come back and play defense because we only had three defensemen,” Norwinski said. “When coach asked for volunteers, no one raised their hand. So eventually I said, ‘Why not?’”

Despite having to learn hockey from an unfamiliar perspective, Norwinski saw the change in a positive light.

“I like it better than being a forward,” Norwinski said. “It’s nice to sit back and see the play develop. I like being patient, I don’t like rushing things.” 

Now, he realizes that the patience he learned to appreciate as a defenseman would serve him well through some trying times in the Liberty hockey program.

Norwinski took a year off hockey after enrolling at Virginia Western Community College as a freshman in 2017. The following season, Norwinski arrived in Lynchburg and tried out for Liberty’s hockey team, aiming to make the DI squad. 

Instead, Norwinski found himself a member of the Division III team, a setback he did not anticipate. However, his motivation to be a member of Liberty’s No. 1 squad never wavered.

“I was discouraged when I got cut, but I didn’t look at it negatively for too long,” Norwinski said. “I thought, ‘This stinks, I don’t want to be on the Division III team.’ I thought about it for a day or two, and then I never looked back.”

Norwinski’s year-long break from playing hockey created some rust in his game, leading to him being cut, but he had the talent to play higher up on the Liberty rosters. Division II coach Ben Hughes immediately noticed Norwinski’s abilities in tryouts, but wisely decided to provide him with time to sharpen his skillset in a lower risk setting.

“He was a good skater, moved the puck well, kept his head up, had good poise and was smart,” Hughes said. “Those are the things that we look for, but initially, we thought he had a bit of rust he needed to shake off. We knew he could do that in a good environment.”

Norwinski quickly blossomed in the Flames lower division, earning a promotion to the Division II team in his first year. Over the past year and a half, Norwinski notched over 30 points for the Division II squad, maximizing the opportunity Hughes afforded him.

“He was consistent and reliable, his skating ability kept him out of trouble, he was a good pass-first defenseman and contributed on the power play immediately,” Hughes said. “His pass-first ability complemented guys who could create passing lanes.”

His quick improvement soon caught the attention of Division I Head Coach Kirk Handy, who rewarded Norwinski with the ultimate promotion in Liberty hockey this season – a chance to play at the Division I level. In doing so, Norwinski became just the second Flame in Handy’s 25 years of coaching at Liberty to start as a member of the Division III level and make it to Division I (goalie Cary Byron was the other, who earned his spot as a senior in 2015-2016).

“He shows up every day and works hard and is a great team guy,” Handy said. “Alex has the support of our whole locker room, and he is the type of guy you love to have around.” 

Now that he has reached his goal, Norwinski knows his journey helped him to grow, both on and off the rink.

“It helped me grow my personal independence and find ways to stay positive,” Norwinski said. “It helped me become a better leader, better at understanding people and being patient with others.”

Once the season begins in January, Hughes will have lost one of his top performers. But Hughes knows his loss is Norwinski’s gain, which was something the coach was working toward all along.

“Our goal was to help him get to Division I. It stinks to lose him, but our goal is to help guys to reach their potential,” Hughes said. “We’re super happy he’s gotten this chance. He’s been invested in this and he’s gone all in.”

John Simmons is the Web Manager. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnSimmonsJr7.