Natalie Domagala

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Outstanding Achievers, G:
Natalie Domagala, Forward, Luverne

A Perspective

The town of Luverne is small,
     as are the towns of Roseau and Warroad.
Luverne High School has a small enrollment,
     as does Roseau and Warroad.

The similarities end there.

Roseau and Warroad [Northern Minnesota] are rich in hockey tradition.
     Luverne [SW Minnesota] is in the area of the state least known for any
     hockey tradition.

Natalie has accumulated 357 career points. As a junior, she scored 99 points (3.67 pts/gm). As a senior, she scored 103 points (3.81 pts/gm). Her achievements are not known outside southwestern Minnesota. She deserves to be recognized.
John of MNPuck

How She Got Started

Playing hockey with the boys was something that came natural to Natalie, 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."

Natalie 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 in elementary school. She always was the leading scorer and top player on the team.

But the challenge of competing against boys became greater when Natalie 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."

Natalie 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.

When Natalie was little she got a pair of figure skates for Christmas. She cried because they weren't black like her brothers. So they had to take them back for hockey skates.

Her High School Stats

Season	All-State Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pts/Gm
2000-01	- - -	(67)	28	9	37
2001-02	- - -		41	9	50
2002-03	Honorable M		53	15	68
2003-04	Honorable M	27	74	25	99	3.67
2004-05	Honorable M	27	76	27	103	3.81
Totals		121	272	85	357

Natalie Domagala
Senior, Luverne
Controls the puck, Nov 2004

Natalie, Soph, No.16
Skating for South Dakota State

Natalie Domagala
Junior
South Dakota State

A Final Tribute

"She [Natalie] is very smooth. 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." Coach Dave Siebenahler

"I did play against Natalie for a couple years and I actually played with her on a summer team for 2 or 3 years. We're friends and still talk. She is a very, very smooth player. Her skills as an individual are beyond impressive. She is very fast, good at stick handling, and has a great shot. She was the biggest threat for Luverne and you could instantly tell that she was who you needed to watch."
Jill Jacobs, Marshall Tigers, Class of 2008

A final comment from Natalie: She would give away all of her career statistics for one section championship, and a trip to the State.