Brian Cooke Commits to College of the Holy Cross
NAHL Minot Minotauros

Brian Cooke Commits to College of the Holy Cross

Published on October 30, 2025 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minot Minotauros News Release


Edward Nieman, www.minotauroshockey.com

The Minotauros are excited and proud to announce that goaltender Brian Cooke has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Holy Cross in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) conference.

Cooke, an '08 St. Louis native, recently set Tauros' history, making an organization record 73 saves in a game just a few weekends ago.

Upon his commitment, Cooke said, "It definitely feels good. It's a validation of a lot of hard work, a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices from other people, and a lot of hard work from other people, teammates, and coaches."

Cooke continued, "It feels good, but obviously it doesn't mean anything until you step up on campus in a number of years."

Through just three games with Minot, Cooke holds a 1-1-1 record along with a 3.611 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. Cooke was in net for the Tauros' first win of the season against the Anchorage Wolverines at the NAHL Showcase back in September.

Prior to his time in the Magic City, Cooke spent time with the St. Louis Jr. Blues AAA program, along with being drafted to the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. Before that, Cooke also played for St. Louis University High.

When talking about Cooke, Minotauros' General Manager Cody Campbell said, "We are excited for Brian and his family. Brian is a very young player in this league, and over the course of the early part of the season, he has made massive strides in his game and been a great example of what happens when preparation and opportunity meet."

Campbell continued, "We are looking forward to being a part of Brian's continued development, and we couldn't be happier for him about his commitment to Holy Cross."

As for his time thus far in Minot, Cooke said, "This team is just a great group of guys and I'm really fortunate to have come here because I don't think I'd be where I'm at right now if it wasn't for the way every one of my teammates battled for me and competed for me when I was on the ice. I'm really grateful to be here."

When speaking about the organization as a whole, Cooke praised the Tauros, saying, "This is one of the best organizations in junior hockey, not just the NAHL. The culture here is we want to win and we want to develop our players to get to the next level. We also want great guys."

According to Cooke, the appeal to Holy Cross runs deeper than just the game of hockey. Holy Cross was the right fit all around for Cooke and his whole family.

Cooke said, "My twin sister is actually applying early decision there as well. I visited during the end of the summer and absolutely loved the campus. My sister loves it, my mom loves it, my dad loves it. It's a Jesuit school, and I went to a Jesuit high school, and my faith is an important part of my life, and a university that upholds those same values is pretty important."

Holy Cross, which has been a program on the rise as of late, seemed just right to Cooke to continue his athletic career at the next level.

"Their commitment to building a winning program is also really strong and a really big appeal, but I just think it was a perfect fit," said Cooke.

As Cooke reflects on his short time so far with the Tauros, he said, "I'm just really fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to play here but every single one of the guys I play with if I could say not just Brian Cooke, but Owen Dawson and Jax Warren and Cap Priem and every single guy who blocks shots for me I would because those guys are the ones who have put me in this position."

For Cooke, despite the commitment, the work doesn't stop here.

Cooke said, "It's a validation of the hard work, but all it means is that hard work pays off so you might as well work a little harder."

Check out the Minot Minotauros Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Hockey League Stories from October 30, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central