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MANKATO, Minn. – Whether as a member of the North Iowa Bulls or his future team in college, it’s “Horns Up” for North Iowa alumnus Campbell Cichosz.
The former Bulls defenseman has announced his commitment to NCAA Division I Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota, barely an hour northwest of his home town of Albert Lea. He becomes the 11th player to make it to the Division I ranks after playing for North Iowa during its 10-year run in the North American 3 Hockey League, and second player to do so this season. Current Lincoln Star Lucas Wahlin announced his commitment to the University of St. Thomas earlier this season.
Cichosz first made waves on the blue line as a member of the Albert Lea High School program, landing all-Big 9 Conference honors both during his junior season in 2018-19 and his senior campaign in 2019-20. With 28 points, he led the Tigers in scoring as a junior, and his 24 points the following season ranked atop the team’s defensive corps.
He made his first appearance with the Bulls early in that 2019-20 season, scoring seven points in 15 games before returning to Albert Lea to begin his final season at the high school level. He stepped right in and made an impact for the Bulls, scoring a goal and an assist at the Peoria Mustangs in only his second junior contest. He was back full-time with North Iowa the following year, notching three goals and 14 assists during a run to the West Division title before adding two more assists in the postseason and helping the Bulls win their fourth Fraser Cup championship in team history.
This season, he heads to the holiday break with three goals and 12 assists in 24 games as a member of the North American Hockey League’s Anchorage Wolverines, with two of the three goals coming on special teams. The Wolverines are coached by Rochester, Minnesota native Mike Aikens, whose last game before taking on the head-coaching position with the Wolverines was with the Rochester Grizzlies, the team that North Iowa defeated in last season’s Fraser Cup Final.
Cichosz is used to playing up to high standards, and the standards for his new college team are about as high as they come – going into Christmas, Minnesota State stands atop both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Division I college hockey polls. The Mavericks won or shared six of the last seven regular-season titles in the WCHA before moving to the new-look CCHA this season. Last year’s Minnesota State team made its first national semifinal of any kind since 1991, and qualified for its first-ever Division I Frozen Four.
The North Iowa Bulls congratulate Campbell Cichosz on his NCAA Division I commitment to Minnesota State University, and wish him further success as he continues his final season of junior hockey.