Men's Hockey
Men's Hockey
MEN'S HOCKEY: Novak's Boost SCSU Hockey and Volleyball
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Travis Novak |
By Jacob Laxen
St. Cloud State Athletic Media Relations
ST. CLOUD, MN.---Parents John and Tina Novak had it easy. That’s because the middle brother, younger sister angst must have passed over the Novak household in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
Their children, Travis and Brittany, rarely got in typical family arguments. Instead the pair grew up with a close respect for each other.
"We never really had those brother-sister fights," Travis said. "We actually always got a long pretty well."
Added Brittany: "We’ve always been a real tight knit family. We were the kind of family that did a lot of extra activities together."
Also adding to the pleasure of their parents, the sibling pair has a strong academic background.
Both were honor students at Catholic Central High School and are majoring in the medical field at St. Cloud State. Brittany is a pre-med student and Travis is a bio-med major. Brittany was also an introductory speaker for Alberta’s Premier, won her school’s Ambassador Award and was nominated for the Christian Action Award
"We’ve always been taught to do well, work hard and study hard," Brittany said. "We have both always been really adamant about doing well in school."
Added Travis: "My parents have always stressed doing well in school and taking pride in what you do and doing well at. But Brittany is really smart. She’s the brains of the family."
Travis and Brittany have even stayed close now that they’ve moved on to college. It’s been aided that they both have come to St. Cloud State to play for the Huskies.
Travis is a sophomore forward on the men’s hockey team. Brittany is a 5-10 first-year outside hitter on the Husky volleyball team.
"We’ve bonded well this year being at the same school," Brittany said. "We’ve really grown as siblings."
They both have the same Monday night religion class and meet weekly for a dinner together.
"We are able to see each other quite a bit and I think it’s good for her transition," Travis said. "Being from Canada, we are away from home so it’s really good to have family so close."
Also parents John and Tina again get the easy treatment. They are able to make just one trip down for the weekend and see both Travis and Brittany play.
"It’s great for them because they can just come down for the weekend to one spot," Travis said. "We all get to be kind of close to each other...and it definitely saves them a ton of money."
Being from Canada, Travis was naturally drawn to the sport of hockey. He played junior hockey with the Canmore Eagles (AJHL) and the Omaha Lancers (USHL).
In Omaha, he took off as a prospect. He scored 89 points in two seasons and helped the Lancers win the Clark Cup in the 2007-08 season. He scored three goals and nine assists during Omaha's playoff run.
But while Travis made a name for himself in Omaha, it was in Canmore where he was first recruited by St. Cloud State.
"Some of the coaches came up on a recruiting trip and we had a strong connection," Travis said. "I got a good feel for the program. I then went down to see a game and was really taken back by the atmosphere. I also really liked how the school was big but still in a smaller town. It was a good overall fit."
He then got a strong introduction to the Husky program as a freshman in 2008-09. One of his first home series was against the University of Minnesota.
"I was just in awe," Travis said. "It was pretty amazing how big a deal it is to this town. Everyone was so fired up."
Travis scored his first career point on Oct. 11, against Mercyhurst at the National Hockey Center. His first career goal also came at home on Nov. 15, against Denver.
His family, including Brittany made many trips down to see Travis in his first season.
"I’m a pretty big hockey fan but I was still really taken back at how big (hockey) is here at this school," Brittany said. "I really loved the whole atmosphere."
In Travis’ freshman campaign he totaled five goals and 10 assists. He played in all but two games on the season.
"I knew I had it in me but I was a little bit surprised how fast I was able to contribute to the team," Travis said. "It was a really good experience for me. I was put in all those different situations right away and got my feet wet. It helped me this year just to be that much more experienced."
The sophomore-found comfort level was well exposed in the first home series last weekend against Union. He scored a goal in the 3-1 Saturday win and was named the top St. Cloud Times Star of the Game.
"It’s always good to get that first one out of the way," Travis said. "You can just kind of relax from there and just go play hockey. And year two has obviously been easier. You know all the guys pretty well and get excited when you get back into it."
And now, he has even more comfort with his sister around. An idea that he first joked about.
"When she told me I actually laughed right away," Travis said. "I was like, we’ll see how this goes."
Unlike Travis’s sport, Brittany’s sport of volleyball isn’t as popular in Canada. It’s also not as highly recruited.
"Volleyball is not overly promoted so I had to really do my own recruiting," Brittany said. "I had to make the contact with SCSU and had to send out my own recruiting videos."
Brittany also had all the accolades. She earned All-Region, All-City and First Team All-Star accolades during her prep career.
In the summer months she also participated on the U-16 Team Alberta volleyball squad and the U-17 Canada Prospect team
Over this past summer Brittany stayed in touch with Husky volleyball coach Patricia Gerchy after initial contact.
"I sent some more e-mails and found out they were really interested me," Brittany said. "It was the perfect fit."
Brittany has played in 11 games thus far and has made 13 kills.
"I was definitely really nervous for my first time but at the same time I was really excited to play," Brittany said. "But I get a rush of excitement before every game. That’s what makes it all fun."
Travis has returned the favor and made his way to Halenbeck Hall for some of Brittany’s games.
"It’s good to get out and see the other teams on campus," Travis said. "And she is so supportive of me, I wanted to be out there to be supportive of her."
It’s all just full proof that the Novak family is as strong as ever.
"The thing most people don’t know about Travis is that he has always been a family oriented person," Brittany said. "He likes being together every chance he gets. I mean he left home at an early age, but like the rest of us in the family he’s always been a family-oriented person."
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