When St. Cloud State University advanced to the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Frozen Four following a win over Boston College in the regional tournament in Albany, New York, Mark and Sally Hentges couldn’t pass up the chance to go see their son take the ice in person.
That resulted in the parents of Huskies junior forward Sam Hentges – along with his sister Molly, aunt Carol and uncle Mike, among others – finding a flight to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to watch and cheer on Sam and the rest of the St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey team battle in the Frozen Four and in the National Championship Game in Pittsburgh.
“I went right online to get the plane tickets (during the final regional tournament game). Sally got the car, she got the hotel and I got the flights. I spent two and a half hours on the phone getting everything,” Carol said. “I had the mindset of ‘I am going. I’m not going to miss this.’ It’s a once in a lifetime experience.”
The opportunity to watch the Frozen Four in person was something the Hentges family has wanted to watch their son do since Sam arrived at St. Cloud State in 2018. The last time the Huskies reached the Frozen Four was in 2013 when it was also held in Pittsburgh.
“You have to take advantage of every moment you can. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Sally said. “We don’t miss anything. We drive around the whole country to watch him play.”
The Hentges family weren’t the only St. Cloud State fans in attendance at PPG Paints Arena filling the seats in red and black, as plenty of other Huskies fans made the trip to the east coast to cheer on St. Cloud State during its second trip to the Frozen Four in school history and first-ever appearance in the National Championship Game.
“Those boys, they really had it on their minds to be all in and be in the Frozen Four. This year, we weren’t even ranked to start the year, but here we are,” Sally said. “Just to be here after going through what they had to go through in the last year, it’s a dream come true for all of them. This experience has been awesome.”
