When it comes to closing out a playing career, one would be hard-pressed to top what Jackson Krock just contributed to.

The 2019 Mars Area High School graduate, a senior forward for the Hamilton College (N.Y.) men’s hockey team, helped the Continentals win the NCAA Division III championship March 29 with a 2-1 victory against Hobart.

Teammate Curtiss Sturgeon scored in overtime to clinch the crown for Hamilton.

“When that puck went in, the atmosphere was surreal,” Krock said. “It was chaos, but in a good way. There were 4,000 fans in the stands … It was the best celebration I’ve ever been a part of.”

Krock scored eight goals and added 14 assists this season. He scored the overtime winner against Norwich in the quarterfinals and assisted on a goal in a semifinal win over Aurora.

Hamilton (23-5-2) lost to Williams College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinal March 7, then had to wait to find out whether it would be included in the NCAA bracket.

“We had a good idea that we’d make it, but were not certain,” Krock said. “We had a really good year, and honestly, I think losing in the conference tournament was the best thing for us. I’m not sure we win a national championship if we had won the conference. It was a big motivator for us and we were fortunate enough to get a second chance.”

Hamilton men’s hockey roster includes players from 10 different states and five Canadian provinces.

“That’s a unique aspect of our team,” Krock said. “Our college has an enrollment of just 2,000 people, but our team includes players from all over the place.”

The journey to becoming a national champion began two decades ago for Krock.

“Originally, I was obsessed with football,” he said. “The Steelers had a lot of success when I was a kid and I really loved the sport. But my dad played club hockey when he was at Penn State and I ended up gravitating toward it.”

And he proved to be very good, playing at the youth level for Pens Elite for several years. As he drew closer to high school graduation, he did not want to hang up his skates, and ended up playing three years of junior hockey for the South Shore Kings in Massachusetts and in Alaska for Anchorage of the North American Hockey League.

“Anchorage was an expansion team that year and there were a ton of fans at our home games,” Krock said. “I stayed with a great host family. I knew that was my last year of junior hockey and it was an incredible experience.

“There was an intense level of travel playing hockey as a kid, but my parents never said no to any of it. They were always there to support me, and made so many of my games this year. It was great to share our success with them.”

Hamilton, located in upstate New York, was an easy choice for Krock to continue his playing career.

“I visited there and was amazed with the campus,” he said. “I wanted to play hockey and receive a world-class education. The head coach, Rob Haberbusch, remained consistent in his message to me. Hamilton checked all the boxes.”

In four seasons with the Continentals, Krock totaled 39 goals and 42 assists, and was named all-conference twice.

Krock will graduate next month after working on a double-major in economics and government. He already has a job lined up in New York City with William Blair’s Capital Advisory Division.

“I’ve played hockey for 20 years. It has introduced me to so many different places and incredible people,” Krock said. “It’s going to be so tough to leave hockey behind. I haven’t really wrapped my head around it.”