Former St. Norbert College hockey standout Maris Ziedins has been named to the roster of Latvia’s Olympic hockey team, which will compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics February in Turin, Italy.
Latvia opens Olympic play on February 15 against the United States. The Latvian national team will also host the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Ziedins’ hometown of Riga this coming May.
“Coming off last year’s World Championships we hoped he’d get the opportunity to play in the Olympics,” St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin said. “It’s a big step for Maris and to have a shot to play in the Olympics is pretty impressive.”
Ziedins competed at St. Norbert from the 1999-2000 to 2002-2003 seasons and was named the American Hockey Coaches Association College Division Player of the Year in 2003. He scored 145 points (74-71-145) in 117 games and was a two-time All-America selection. Ziedins was also the 2002 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year and was a two-time first-team All-NCHA selection.
Ziedins currently plays for the Stockton (Calif.) Thunder of the ECHL.
Ziedins, who was a Dean’s List student at St. Norbert, is a 2003 graduate of the college with a degree in international business. He was twice named to the NCHA All-Academic team.
