TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for Matt Pohlkamp.
One weekend he's playing the WCHA Championships for the Bowling Green Falcons, and the next he's scoring his first pro goal as a member of the Toledo Walleye.
While his schedule is pretty chaotic balancing class and playing with the Walleye, he says he couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity.
"Being able to play for a team and continue my season a little longer, definitely appreciating the experience. And [it's] great getting to know a lot of the guys and how they play hockey," Pohlkamp said. "It's a good experience and I like it."
Pohlkamp's first goal came in Saturday's 8 to 2 win over Florida in front of a large home crowd.
"It's pretty exciting. I actually had a lot of my teammates from BG at the game, so they were all cheering and excited. So it was good to get a goal in front of them. And it's a different game," Pohlkamp said. "And to get a goal right away, not to worry five, six, seven games down the road waiting for that first goal. It's nice to get it out of the way and just play hockey."
Pohlkamp's still in school, taking 15 credit hours at BG so he can graduate on time in May with his degree in business and supply chain management. He says he goes to class at 8 a.m., practices after his morning classes and then takes a nap before going to night classes.
And while it's a lot to balance, Walleye Head Coach Dan Watson is confident in where Pohlkamp came from.
"Players from Bowling Green, I trust the coaching staff there that they get their players ready for pro hockey," Watson said. "So when Matt became available, great conversation with him. He was excited about Toledo. We were excited about him and the program he came from, so it was just a natural fit. You can see the work ethic, the detail that he's been well-coached over the past four years."
As the Walleye get ready for their last six regular season games before the playoffs, Pohlkamp says he looks to keep contributing one game at a time.
