Then it was back to St. Norbert, outside Green Bay Wis., where he majors in math and boasts a 3.77 GPA.
“It was tiring with all the travel,” Tabisz, a three-time D-III All-American, said Friday after a religion class. “But I made sure to enjoy it.”
A defenseman with the skills of a forward, Tabisz, 22, scored four goals in St. Norbert’s five-game postseason run. He finished his college career with 37 goals, the most important of which snapped a 3-3 tie in the second period against Adrian College on March 26. Described as “a power-play bomb from the right circle” on the St. Norbert website, it gave the Green Knights their second national championship, first since Tabisz was a freshman.
His name is now indelibly etched in St. Norbert lore, as teammate Scott Pulak keeps reminding him. “It’s pretty funny,” Tabisz said. “Scott scored the winning goal in the championship game my freshman year and I always gave him a hard time, saying he was a legend. Now he keeps saying that about me.”
Two days after cementing his legacy, Tabisz was suiting up with the Stingrays for their final regular-season series against the Florida Everblades. His goal, in his second of three games, came on an end-to-end rush during a power play, which made St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin smile because it sounded so familiar.
“He’s got a special skill set,” Coghlin said. “I knew we had a special player.”
A pro career might be in the offing. Coghlin said the South Carolina coaches told him Tabisz has at least enough game to play in the American Hockey League.
“But I don’t know if he wants to kick around in the minors for five years,” Coghlin said. “With that math degree, he’s going to have all kinds of options.”
Too old for the NHL draft, Tabisz is a free agent.
“I’m kind of waiting to see what happens,” he said. “If it’s a good opportunity, I’ll keep playing. Right now I’m just trying to focus on school.”
Campus tour
• Former Trotwood-Madison standouts Kara McLemore and Derricka Henry, along with Brittiney Latimer (Xenia) and Taylor Frazier (Middletown), helped Cincinnati State's women's basketball team make its first D-II National Junior College Athletic Association tournament.
McLemore, a freshman, averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds off the bench. Henry was the starting point guard.
• Georgia Tech sophomore distance runner Shawn Roberts (Centerville) was named Atlantic Coast Conference outdoor track & field performer of the week recently after posting a time of 3:47.62 in the 1500 meters at the Georgia Intercollegiate Championship. The time was the second-fastest time in the nation this year.
If you have information about an athlete competing in college, please share it by emailing Sean McClelland at smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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