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Lindstrom's Nicole Grossmann finished off her college hockey career at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in style during the 2008-2009 season.

She was voted the National Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) player of the year, was named Stevens Point's Women's Team Sport Athlete of the Year and was selected as a First Team All-American for the second year in a row. Grossmann is a 2005 graduate of Chisago Lakes High School and is the daughter of Doug and Kathy Grossmann of Lindstrom.

During all four of her years at Stevens Point, the speedy forward led her team in scoring and earned first-team all-NCHA honors. Here are a few of her career highlights: As a freshman, Grossmann assisted on both goals of the Pointer's NCAA 2-0 quarterfinal win over UW-Superior. During her sophomore season, she set a school single-season record with five shorthanded goals and clinched third place for the Pointers with a shorthanded goal in overtime vs. Amherst at the NCAA Frozen Four. As a junior, she ranked second in the conference in goals with 20 and second in points with 37. During Grossmann's senior season, she was twice named the NCHA player of the week and scored a goal and an assist in the Pointers' 4-3 semifinal win over UW-Superior in the conference tournament.

Grossmann is tied for first all-time in the Stevens Point record books for goals scored with 72. She is also the school's all-time leader in power-play goals, recording 20 over her years with the Pointers women's hockey program and sits atop the record books for most shorthanded goals in a career with 13.

Stevens Point reached the NCAA Division III Final Four during Grossmann's freshman and sophomore years. They had a good shot at making it this past season, as well, but fell just short. Said Grossmann "While we had some pretty good upperclassmen, overall our team was a little young this year. We shot ourselves in the foot by finishing second in the conference tournament, ending any chance we had of going. We still had a lot of fun, though."

Grossmann will graduate from Stevens Point in December 2009 with a major in business and a minor in coaching. She hopes to move back to Minnesota to get a job, preferably in the human resources area. She would also like to start coaching. "I would like to get my feet wet right away," said Grossmann. "I might see if I can volunteer at Chisago Lakes High School to get some experience."

It looks like Grossmann's playing days are over, but she doesn't have any regrets. She said, "I'm okay with hanging up my skates. I've had a lot of fun playing hockey and met a lot of great people. I learned a lot about life, responsibility and time management through hockey. I'll be able to use what I learned to carry on to the next chapter in my life. I've had a great support group of family, friends and old teammates from high school throughout my college career. I couldn't have done it without them. It was really great to have them there through the highs and the lows."

Just because she's finished playing hockey doesn't mean Grossmann is done with sports, however. She has taken up triathlons. She competed in the Chisago Lakes Sprint Triathlon last summer and plans to enter it again this year. The triathlon is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, starting in Paradise Park. "Competing in triathlons really tests your athletic ability," she said. "It's fun and I'm used to working out hard from all the dryland training for hockey in college."

Grossmann is back in Lindstrom for the summer working full-time for Custom Remodelers, using her outgoing personality to promote the company at trade shows and other events.

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