The Long Island presence within the Georgia Hockey program remains strong with the addition of freshman forward Zach Noll to the roster. Hailing from Syosset, Noll has played ice hockey his entire life, first hitting the ice at 3-years-old and picking up a stick just two years later.
But even at Noll’s young age, hockey wasn’t anything new.
Noll comes from a hockey family. Both of his older brothers, Matt and Josh, grew up playing the sport, as well. Today, Matt works for the Division I team at Arizona State University, while Josh plays for the club team at Indiana University.
Josh’s experience at Indiana officially put collegiate club hockey on Noll’s radar.
“It kind of showed, like, you can play club and still be in a frat and still do well in school and have a lot of fun with it,” he said. “So, it just made me aware that you could play club hockey.”
When it was finally his turn to pick a college, Noll knew he wanted to attend a large school in the south—preferably one with a top-notch football team. Those criteria, combined with the success of UGA’s club hockey program, made the decision a no-brainer.
“On, like, a Monday night, I met Coach Camp—Declan [Conway], introduced me to him—and then I went on a tour the next day,” Noll said. “I came back in April, hung out with [James] Hedquist for a whole night, went home the next day and committed to Georgia.”
Because of his Long Island roots, Noll knew a handful of the guys before he even tried out for the team. However, since coming to Athens and officially becoming an Ice Dawg himself, Noll has curated a special friend group with his fellow rookies: Andrew Goldstein, Brandon Ng and Wyatt McAvoy.
“The four of us kind of hanging out all the time,” he said. “We do everything together, like, we eat together and whenever we go to practice, the four of us will go in a car together.”
The bunch even make weekly Target runs to buy snacks and, of course, to stop and smell the candles.
“Whenever we go we always stop by the candle section,” said Noll. “Me and Brandon love candles.”
According to Noll, this instant connection he felt with his teammates was something that really stood out about Georgia Hockey’s culture and it continues to set the Ice Dawg experience apart from that of other teams he’s been on in the past.
“It was nice to come in somewhere and just, like, be welcomed right away,” said Noll. “I remember during tryouts and before tryouts, [Evan] Parente was super nice to me. Georgia’s definitely been my first team in a few years where it’s, like, we have a real chance, and everyone wants to really win.”
When it comes to securing those wins on the ice, Noll draws on inspirations from precise, offensive players like three-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane. He’s determined to quickly get pucks in deep and get goals on the board.
“I definitely have a faster side of play,” he said. “I like to pass the puck, but also if I see there’s a chance for me to take it to the net or get a shot—and maybe not pass—and be a little bit more selfish, if I think there’s a better chance that I could score, I’m gonna take it.”
Outside of hockey, Noll is a finance major within the Terry College of Business. His future plans include a career in consulting and possibly a fifth year Master’s in Accounting. He is also an active member of the Sales and Trading Club.
Right now though, the rookie is looking forward to hopefully bringing the AAU National Championship title to the Classic City. However, and perhaps more importantly, Noll is eager to have a good time while doing it.
“I’ve won counties and states, and I’ve won my league for my travel team, but I’ve never made it to nationals, per se,” he said. “So, it’d be really cool to win that. But I’m just here to have fun and enjoy my last three, four, years—however long it takes.”