When Tom Palkowski was asked to help the University of St. Thomas women's hockey team as an assistant coach, he turned it down. But persistence paid off for Kevin Gorg, who was the program's first varsity head coach.

Palkowski agreed to be an assistant coach in 1998. He spent nine seasons as an assistant coach and is about to begin his 14th season as the Tommies head coach and could not be happier he decided to leave life as a boys hockey coach.

Palkowski, a former St. Thomas standout in the 1980s, talks about his coaching and playing career and some of the challenges that moving up to the NCAA Division I level from Division III will post. St. Thomas moves up to Division I in 2021 and the Tommies women's team will play in the WCHA.