By John RittenhouseNatalie Domagala has scored more than her share of goals during her three-year stint as a member of the Luverne girls? hockey program, but none were more important than one she netted last February.The Cardinals were facing Mankato East in the opening round of the Section 3A Playoffs, and Luverne desperately wanted to snap a two-year streak of losing its playoff opener to a Mankato-based team.Eleventh-seeded Luverne opened a 2-0 lead early in the game before the fifth-seeded Cougars countered with three consecutive goals to take a one-goal advantage in the third period.With the momentum clearly favoring ME at the time, Luverne needed a spark to get back into the game.Domagala accepted the challenge.Luverne?s all-time leading scorer made the first of two big plays when she tied the game at three with less than three minutes remaining in regulation play.When the game went into overtime, Domagala settled the issue with what she claims is her most memorable goal of her career to this point."I remember it wasn?t too far into overtime, and that Stephanie Morgan got an assist. I just shot the puck and scored, and that was the game-winner," Domagala recalled.The goal came near the 4:00 mark of the overtime period, and it gave the Luverne girls their first postseason victory in the history of the hockey program.More than that, the goal proved something on a regional basis that Luverne hockey fans have known for years: Natalie Domagala is a big-time player who can deliver in the clutch.Dave Siebenahler, Luverne?s girls? hockey coach, has been watching Domagala develop her talents for years.Siebenahler was surprised when she drew All-State recognition at the end of her sophomore season last winter. But, when it comes to Domagala?s ability to put the puck into the net on a regular basis, Siebenahler has seen her do it a number of times at many different levels of competition."I?ve coached Natalie all three years she?s been on the varsity team, and also back in the days when she was a squirt and a mite," Siebenahler said. "I knew she was a special player back then. She always was the leading scorer and top player on the team, and she was playing with the boys."Playing hockey with the boys was something that came natural to Domagala, who developed an interest in the sport watching her older brothers, Nicholas and Nathan, play when she was a child.Hockey has always been a common interest shared by every member of the Larry and Merecie Domagala family, and it wasn?t any different for Natalie."I learned to skate when I was 2 years old, and I started playing hockey when I was three," she said. "I just like everything about hockey. It?s one of those sports that you can play when you are little. It grows on you, and you grow to love it."There was no curbing Domagala?s passion for the game as a child.Domagala spent a good share of her grade school years playing hockey with boys? teams in the winter.She did more than hold her own against the boys when she was in elementary school, but the challenge of competing against boys became a greater task when Domagala reached the seventh grade."It got a little rough," she said. "Once I got to the Peewee level, where checking is allowed, it got pretty tough because some of the boys were a lot bigger than me."Domagala joined the girls? hockey program as an eighth-grader in the 2000-01 season, which was the year Luverne scrubbed its club program to become an official member of Minnesota State High School League ranks.Checking is not allowed in the high school girls? game, and Domagala has been able to use her talents with the help of that rule to emerge as one of Southwest Minnesota?s premier players.Domagala?s career numbers back her status as a dominant player.In three seasons as a member of the girls? team, she has scored 122 goals, 33 assists and 155 total points in 67 games. When those numbers are crunched, they reveal that Domagala averages 1.82 goals and 2.31 points per game."She is very smooth," Siebenahler said about Domagala?s style on the ice. "She has a good shot, and she sees the ice really well. She has great hands, and she is a very good puck-handler. The one thing that sticks out in my mind when I think of Natalie is that I?ve never seen her sweat. She?s so smooth on the ice, and she makes everything look easy."Siebenahler points to last season?s second playoff game against Austin as the defining moment of Domagala?s career to this point.Luverne entered the quarterfinal-round clash as a clear underdog against the fourth-seeded Packers, but Domagala kept the Cardinals in the game with a five-goal performance."That game against Austin is one that stands out," Siebenahler said. "She scored all five of our goals in that game. Natalie wanted to win that game bad. She was working harder than normal because she wanted to go on to the next level of the tournament."Scoring goals, however, is not on the top of Domagala?s priority list.When she gains control of the puck, Domagala is looking to set up the players who have helped her record 122 career goals."When I get the puck, I?m don?t automatically look to score. I?m looking to pass to my teammates. If they are not there, I just go (to the net)," she said. "My teammates help me a lot out on the ice, I couldn?t have done it (scored 122 goals) without them."Domagala said she would give away all of her career statistics for one section championship, which is something that is on the line at the end of every season.Winning a section title, even with a player of Domagala?s caliber, may be out of reach for a Luverne team that will be playing high school hockey for the fourth time this season. But Domagala said making some noise in the Section 1 Tournament always is a possibility."I would like to see us get past that second round," she said. "We got past the first round last year. Now we want to get past the second. We feel that we have to do something this year because we?re going to lose four seniors (Stephanie Morgan, Jenny Braa, Taylor Nelson and Onnie Drost) next year that will affect our team big time next season."
