Feature Story
Ice Hawks begin second-half push
By Brian McDonough
With a 6-0 record to start the New Year,
the Minnesota Ice Hawks are rolling on all cylinders as the chase for their
fifth straight MJHL championship hits full swing.
The Ice Hawks sit in second place in the
standings with 58 points, two behind the front-running Granite City Lumberjacks
with
Danny Grady recorded a hat trick,
including the game-winning goal, and an assist as the Ice Hawks blitzed the
Hudson Crusaders in its only game of the weekend on Saturday, 8-1. Tyler Groth chipped in two goals in the triumph, and goaltender
Alex Bjerk turned aside 16 shots.
Offensively, the Ice Hawks have been led
by Bryce Stevens, Adam Wiesner and Robby Dahl, all of
whom are among the league leaders in scoring.
At the other end of the ice, Bjerk has seen the lion’s share of the minutes in goal and
has been phenomenal, picking up 15 of the team’s 29 wins.
In other games around the league, Kyle Romanchuk tallied two goals, including the game-winner, and
an assist as the Crusaders downed the Minnesota Flying Aces on Friday, 4-1.
Keegan Blehm added a goal and an assist in the
victory, and goaltender Corey Mogren turned back 28
shots.
The Crusaders picked up another win on
Sunday, downing the St. Paul Lakers, 8-2. Bradley Lukasz
recorded a hat trick in the win, with Sean Stewart notching two goals of his
own, including the game-winner. In goal, Keith MacDonald turned aside 24 shots.
The Minnesota Owls picked up a win over
the Wisconsin Mustangs on Friday, 7-5. Jakub Simicek struck for two goals in the triumph, with Shaun Borre notching the game-winner. Between the pipes, Aaron
Corey made 41 saves.
The next night, Patrick Olsen potted a
pair of goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in the Owls’ 5-3
victory over the Twin Cities Northern Lights. John Orrico
recorded two assists for
The Mustangs picked up a win on Sunday,
dropping the Flying Aces, 7-1. Jake Olson rang up two goals and an assist for
On Monday, the Granite City Lumberjacks
bested the Crusaders, 6-4. Shane Doerfler netted two
goals in the victory, and Alex Naujokas added three
assists. Between the pipes, Justin Lochner turned
aside 17 shots.
Garrett Windle
struck for two goals and four assists as the Northern Lights blitzed the
Minnesota Wildcats on Monday, 10-1. Erik Ordahl
connected for two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist, and netminder Drew Chaney stopped 19 shots.
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