A brief history of the Ice Hawks
The Ice Hawks were awarded membership in May of 1996 and began league play with the 1996-97 season with Mankato, MN (LeSueur, MN) as their ‘home’. The Ice Hawks were incorporated as a Minnesota Non Profit Organization with Federal 501 c (4) status. As a nonprofit organization, their sole mission was to focus on player development.
The team struggled through the first few years of its existence. The city of LeSueur proved to be a major difficulty in recruiting and for fan support. The LeSueur Community Center was about a 30 min drive from Mankato where coaches and players lived, worked or attended school. Attendance ranged from about 50 to 75 fans per game. At that time, typical league attendance was less than 125 per game.
The Ice Hawks appointed Mike Cole from New York State as their first coach. Mike led the team to their first league victory vs the Lakers in October of 1996. Victories were rare for the rag tag bunch who often skated with 15 or fewer players. Cole was replaced by Josh Leal, a graduate student at Minnesota State- Mankato and a former Gustavus Adolphus College player and Assistant Coach. The Hawks finished the season with only a handful of wins. None the less several players moved on to College or advanced Jr. League. One player suffered an season ending injury in early February of that first season. That player is current head coach Nick Fatis. Nick was the enforcer on that 1sr squad and racked up big penalty minutes as well as few goals/assists. Like Fatis several other players from that first team moved into careers in coaching and/or sports management. Another notable player on that team Jeff Crouse is currently an Assistant Coach with the Alexandria Blizzard and has had a long career as a coach/general manager for several NAHL teams. Following his injury, Fatis finished the season as an Assistant to Coach Leal and began his coaching career
The next few seasons resulted in incremental improvement as the Hawks were often out manned by the Twin Cities teams. Josh Leal served as head coach and did an admirable job with the available talent. Still the Ice Hawks produced about 5-8 players per year who moved on to college or Jr. A programs. Leal was named ‘Coach of the Year’ in his final two seasons with the Ice Hawks. He left to join the Rochester Mustangs (USHL) as an assistant coach for the 2000-01 season.
Nick Fatis assumed the head coaching position for the 2000-01 season. The Ice Hawks showed an significant improvement as recruiting efforts were increased and as the organization and its staff matured. During the early months of the 2000-01 season, The Ice Hawks had their first 5 game winning streak and were in second place. However, several high school players, who were among the most talented, returned to their high school teams (including two who were named to the MJHL All Star team); others were lost to advancement. The team stumbled through the remainder of the season but remained competitive.
With gradual on ice improvement, the Ice Hawks recognized the need to move from LeSueur to an area with greater opportunities. The Ice Hawks obtained league approval to move to Rochester if and when the rumored demise of the Mustangs occurred. By the spring of 2002 the Ice Hawks considered Owatonna as a possible temporary home. Later that spring, with the completion of the Mustangs USHL season. The Ice Hawks received word that the Mustangs had folded and that the Rochester area was available. The Ice Hawks took over the USHL caliber facilities vacated by the Mustangs.
The move to Rochester brought on a mixture of enthusiasm from some local Jr. Hockey fans and a wait and see attitude from others. Businesses in the community were much more skeptical. ‘ What exactly was the MJHL and why could this team succeed when the USHL couldn’t. Sponsorships and support from businesses were minimal. Many thought that the Ice Hawks were just one of the many teams who moved in then soon fold.
By the second half of that first season, fans found the Hawks. Features like ‘Skate with the Hawks’, the ‘Air Show’ and modest ticket prices made it affordable and fun for families and for former Mustangs fans. As well, several Rochester area players on the roster increased Ice Hawks visibility among the former Mustangs fans. The most often heard comment at the REC was that the MJHL and the Ice Hawks provided entertaining hockey and a fun time for families. Junior Hockey began making a ‘comeback’ in an area with a great hockey tradition.
The Hawks began to improve dramatically in their 2nd season in Rochester. They earned a berth to the National Tournament in Syracuse, NY and returned home as bronze medalists. Since then the Hawks have appeared at Nationals seven consecutive seasons and earned two additional bronze medals. In recent years attendance improved dramatically and Rochester became the ‘hot’ place to play and the attendance continued to grow. Public Address Announcer Jeff Boehmer added to the atmosphere as dance contests, sled races and other activities during breaks in the action and intermissions. Currently, the Ice Hawks have enjoyed success on the ice and developed a loyal fan base that is the best in all of Jr. A Tier III. Every home game feels like a party.
Recently, the MHL was awarded the Jr. A National Tournament to be contested in Rochester in 2011 and 2012. Hopefully, the Ice Hawks will earn a bid to the tournament to be played on their home ice. Regardless, the Ice Hawks, and the MJHL are pleased to once again help designate Rochester as Jr. Hockey country to a national audience!
Coaches-
Head Coach Assistant(s)
1996-97 Mike Cole (to Jan. 97)
Josh Leal Nick Fatis
1997-98 Josh Leal Nick Fatis
1998-99 Josh Leal Nick Fatis, Karsten Backlund
1999-00 Josh Leal Nick Fatis
2000-01 Nick Fatis Corey DuBois, Justin Bowder
2001-02 Nick Fatis Corey DuBois
2002-03 Nick Fatis Jimmy Borden/Tom McDermott
2003-04 Nick Fatis/Tom McDermott Jimmy Borden
2004-05 Nick Fatis/Tom McDermott Jimmy Borden
2005-06 Nick Fatis/Tom McDermott Jimmy Borden
2006-07 Nick Fatis Cory Dubois
2007-08 Nick Fatis Cory Dubois
2008-09 Nick Fatis Cory Dubois, Bob Montrose
2009-10 Nick Fatis Cory Dubois, Bob Montrose, Erik Hofmann
2010-11 Nick Fatis Cory Dubois, Bob Montrose, Jayson Peterson
GM/President
1996-present Michael Fatis
Home Arena-
1996-97 to 2001-02
LeSueur Community Center,
LeSueur, MN
2002-03 to present
Rochester Olmsted Recreation Center
Rochester, MN
Team Highlights
September,1996 !st Game vs Iowa State University, at Ames, IA
October, 1996 1st League win vs. Lakers
1999 Spring 1st Playoff game win vs. Minneapolis Kodiaks
2001 Spring 1st Playoff series win vs reigning National Champion Lakers
2002 Fall 1st Game in Rochester
2004 Spring 2nd Place in MJHL, 1st Nat. Tournament- Bronze Medalists
2005 Spring 1st MHJL Title, 1st Bush Cup Champions, 2nd Nat. Tournament
2006 Spring 2nd MJHL Title, 2nd Bush Cup Champions, 3rd Nat. Tournament- Bronze Medalists
2007 Spring 3rd MJHL Title, 3rd Bush Cup Champions, 4th Nat. Tournament
2008 Spring 4th MJHL Title, 4th Bush Cup Champions, 5th Nat. Tournament
2009 Spring 2nd place MJHL, 5th Bush Cup Champions, 6th Nat. Tournament
2010 Winter MJHL Showcase Tournament Champions
2010 Spring 5th MJHL Title, 6th Bush Cup Champions, 7th Nat. Tournatment- Bronze Medalists