Feature Story
Ice Hawks make it 10 straight
After opening the season with a 3-4
record, the Minnesota Ice Hawks are now riding a 10-game winning streak, thanks
in part to three more convincing victories last weekend.
“Anytime you can pick up a six-point
weekend it’s huge, but I’m more pleased by how we
picked up the points,” said Ice Hawks head coach Nick Fatis.
“We played three pretty solid games and we feel if we put out 100 percent
effort, we should come out on top more often than not.”
The Ice Hawks opened their weekend with a
7-3 triumph over the Minnesota Owls on Friday. Adam Wiesner
struck for two goals for the Hawks, including the game-winner, and Bryce
Stevens added three assists. Between the pipes, goaltender Brady Sand turned
aside 32 shots.
Stevens and Robby Dahl both recorded hat
tricks the next night as the Ice Hawks skated to an 11-2 win over the St. Paul
Lakers. Evan Balcom chipped in three assists for
On Sunday, goaltender Alex Bjerk stopped all 20 shots he faced as the Ice Hawks
blanked the Twin Cities Northern Lights, 5-0. Dahl rang up his second hat trick
in as many days, with Ricky Litchfield notching a goal and an assist.
“We played one heck of a team game all
weekend, picking up for one another and making sure we took care of our own
end,” said Fatis, whose team improved to 13-4 on the
season. “Teamwork is going to be huge with this squad, just like any team that
strives for championships, and now we’re starting to see the boys buy into Ice
Hawks Hockey.”
A number of Ice Hawks contributed
offensively last weekend, but nobody was more dangerous with the puck than
Dahl. The 20-year-old veteran defenseman from Sauk Rapids,
“Rob is one heck of a player,” said Fatis. “His talent is just a teaser to what kind of player
he can become. His vision, poise, speed, strength and puck play make him one of
the most dangerous players in the MJ.
“He’s so smooth with the puck it’s almost
hypnotic at times. He’s produced more than his fair share of highlight-reel
goals for us over the past few years.”
Bjerk has been in his own zone at the other end of the ice. The
20-year-old from
“Alex is a lunchbox-type player,” said Fatis. “His approach to hockey is the same everyday: Punch
the clock and work as hard as you can.
“No one ever wonders how Alex will play;
he’s always solid and always giving 110 percent. Alex is what Roseau Hockey is
all about.”
Few complaints to be had with his team’s
perfect record over the last month, Fatis recognizes
there’s still a lot of hockey left as the Ice Hawks hunt down their fifth
straight MJHL championship.
“Everyone knows it’s not how you play in
September that counts; it’s how you play in April that
people remember,” said the coach. “We’re pretty focused right now on getting
better everyday and if that keeps us in the win column, that’s great. As long
as we keep getting better everyday, we’ll get what we want at the end of the
season.”
And once again, the Ice Hawks boast a
group of players with an unwavering desire to improve for the betterment of the
team.
“We’re starting to turn the corner as a
whole,” said Fatis. “Everyone is working hard and
developing into the players they’ve always wanted to be.
“Everyone in our dressing room is
striving to become complete players, and when that’s the goal you’re going to
get positive results.”
But it will be no easy skate to the
finish line. A number of teams around the league have shaped themselves into
contenders this season – a fact not lost on Fatis.
“The league keeps getting better every
year, and this year is no exception,” he said. “The top-end talent in this
league is better than anyone would have ever dreamed of 10 years ago.”
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