Ice Hawks stretch winning streak to four

Posted: Feb 25, 2012, 9:10 am

The Rochester Ice Hawks have rebounded well from a late-season five-game losing streak. Their hot play couldn't come at a better time. With just one game remaining before the start of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League playoffs begin, Rochester is riding a four-game winning streak. The latest victory in that streak came Friday night, in the team's final home game of the regular season, when the Ice Hawks topped the Minnesota Owls, 5-2. "I thought we got really solid goaltending from Michael Hynes; we got him at the trade deadline and he stepped in and did fine," said Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis. Hynes had 26 saves and the Ice Hawks never trailed, building a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Chris Williford, Rob Turner and Austin Rust. The Owls (26-18-0-3) climbed back into the game early in the second period, when Jerid Adamson and Kyle Johnson scored in a span of 2 minutes, 31 seconds, to pull within 3-2. Rochester regained the momentum for good, though, at 16:13 of the second period, when league scoring leader Tyler Beasley tallied an unassisted power-play goal for a 4-2 lead. Jake Zarzycki added an insurance goal for the Hawks at 8:29 of the third. Antonio Baccari had two assists for Rochester, while Beasley, Miles Johnson, Matt Reno, Andrew Sherwood, Brandt Soukup and Cody Barra had one assist apiece. "It was a good primer for the playoffs, because it's looking like the Owls are the team we'll be facing (in the first round)," Fatis said. Rochester (35-10-0-2) closes out its regular season on Sunday when it faces the league champion Twin Cities Northern Lights (40-5-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna.

Ice Hawks streaking in right direction

Posted: Feb 20, 2012, 6:39 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN After struggling through a six-game losing streak, now the Rochester Ice Hawks are streaking in the right direction. The Ice Hawks won their third consecutive game Sunday, blasting the Maple Grove Energy 14-1 at the Rochester Recreation Center. In the past three games, the Ice Hawks have put 38 goals on the board. Two of those games have come against the worst team in the MInnesota Junior Hockey League — the Energy — but one was against the league-champion Twin Cities Northern Lights. The Ice Hawks played Sunday's game without head coach Nick Fatis, who was suspended due to MnJHL rules after his ejection from a game last weekend. Fatis will be back on the bench this Friday, when the Ice Hawks host the Minnesota Owls during their final regular-season home game of the year. They wrap up the regular season Sunday against the Northern Lights in Owatonna. Despite playing without several of their top players, Rochester dominated the entire game Sunday, outshooting the Energy 70-23. The Ice Hawks put three goals on the board in the first. Rob Turner, Austin Rust and Chris Williford all lit the lamp. Jake Zarzycki assisted on all three goals, while Alex Haygood had a pair of helpers and T.J. Sneath added one assist. The Ice Hawks exploded in the second period, scoring eight times to put the game away. Williford, Cody Barra, Justin Dungey, Matt Reno, Nick Gorino, Antonio Baccari, Haygood and Miles Johnson all scored for the Ice Hawks. Barra, Gorino, Reno, Zarzycki (two), Rust, Sherwood, Johnson, Williford, Turner, Sneath and Ryan Skalski all had assists. Rochester added three goals in the third, with Sneath, Williford and C.J. Clark all scoring. Haygood, Turner, Rust and Brett Menton all earned assists. Zarzycki led the team with a whopping five assists. Williford and Haygood had four-point nights, while Sneath, Turner and Rust had three points apiece. Michael Hynes picked up the win in goal for the Ice Hawks. Hynes recorded 22 saves on 23 shots. The Ice Hawks improved to 34-10-0-2 in MnJHL play.

Ice Hawks knock off league champions

Posted: Feb 17, 2012, 10:40 pm

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks are officially back. After suffering through a six-game losing streak, the Ice Hawks snapped their skid last weekend in a 14-0 blasting of the last-place Maple Grove Energy. The win over the Energy was nice, but Friday night the Ice Hawks received the real test as they hosted the Twin Cities Northern Lights, who already have locked up the Minnesota Junior Hockey League regular-season title. The Ice Hawks passed with flying colors, earning a 10-6 victory over the league-champion Northern Lights at the Rochester Recreation Center. Rochester held a 7-3 lead in the third period, but the Northern Lights rallied to make it 7-6 with plenty of time to play. The Ice Hawks woke up over the final five minutes, scoring three times to pull away. "We made it real interesting," said Ice Hawks assistant coach Corey DuBois, who was filling in for the suspended Nick Fatis. "We came out in the third and kind of hit cruise control. They're a good team, so they were able to come back. We had a few key players out of the game at that point, but we came back around and ended up pulling it off." Fatis returned to the team last weekend after missing six games due to a concussion he suffered from a fall in late January. The Ice Hawks' bench boss was ejected from Sunday's game against the Energy, though, and he was suspended by the MnJHL for two games due to it being his second ejection of the season. The Ice Hawks scored the game's first two goals Friday night, slipping a pair past Northern Lights netminder Nick Heimer, who played high school hockey at Rochester Lourdes. Rob Turner started the scoring, finishing passes from Tyler Beasley and Derek Rahme 7:26 into the game. Turner scored again — this time on the power play — six minutes later, with assists going to Beasley and Brock Stahlke. The Northern Lights took control of the game for a brief spell after the Ice Hawks' early lead. The Lights scored before the end of the first and then opened the second with a pair of goals to take a 3-2 lead. But the Ice Hawks dominated the remainder of the second period, putting five goals on the board to take a 7-3 lead heading into the final period. T.J. Sneath, Miles Johnson, Austin Rust, Rahme and Matt Reno all scored for the Ice Hawks. After the Lights scored the first three goals of the third to make it 7-6, the Ice Hawks again took over, scoring the game's final three goals to pull away. Rust, Turner and Haygood all scored in the third. Turner had a four-point night with three goals and an assist. Beasley also had a four-point night, finishing with four assists. Rahme and Rust added three points apiece. Karel Popper started the game in net for the Ice Hawks. He had 11 saves on 14 shots. Michael Hynes earned the win, recording 25 saves on 28 shots. Heimer had nine saves on 14 shots for the Lights. Will Schluneger took the loss, allowing three goals on 13 shots. "We played pretty well from the get-got, though we had a few letdowns at times," DuBois said. "We got up early, they came back, but they we bounced back a couple of times, showing good resiliency. It's a big win for us. I think we knew we could play with them, but we wanted to show them that we're here and they're not going to just run away with that playoff title." The Ice Hawks improved to 33-10-0-2 overall. They return to action at 5:35 p.m. Sunday at home against the Energy.

Fatis returns to bench as Ice Hawks snap skid

Posted: Feb 13, 2012, 6:26 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks welcomed head coach Nick Fatis back to the bench in grand fashion Sunday night at the Rochester Recreation Center. Fatis had been away from the team for three weeks while recovering from a concussion he suffered during a fall in late January. With Fatis finally back in their corner, the Ice Hawks snapped out of their recent funk, breaking a six-game losing streak with a blowout 14-0 victory over the last-place Minnesota Energy. Though the Energy aren’t one of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League’s elite teams, the victory was significant for a team that has struggled with confidence over the past few weeks. “That win means the world to us,” forward Rob Turner said. “It didn’t matter who the opponent was, we needed that more than anything. The guys were down, and we needed a big win. We got a shutout and scored 14 goals, and we haven’t done that all year, so it’s huge.” Turner also said getting coach Fatis back on the bench provided an emotional lift for the team. “Yeah, that was big,” Turner said. “Coach is always in your ear, paying attention to everything you do. We needed that back.” It’s unfortunate, but Fatis’ return was short-lived. The game got chippy early, and it spilled over into the second period. Fatis was eventually ejected from the game after exchanging heated words with referee Shean Macfarlane. But by that point, the Ice Hawks were so far ahead, it didn’t seem to matter. Despite the final score, the game didn’t start well for the home team. The Ice Hawks struggled to generate much offense through the first 10 minutes. The turning point may have actually been a fight. Forward C.J. Clark dropped the gloves after what the Ice Hawks perceived as a cheap shot on the MnJHL’s leading scorer, Tyler Beasley. Clark dropped Energy big man Bannon Lynott with a serious of vicious left uppercuts. The fight seemed to put extra wind under the Ice Hawks’ sails, and they dominated in every phase for the rest of the game. And when the flood gates opened, the Ice Hawks didn’t let up. They scored six times over the final 6:11 of the first period. Brock Stahlke, Derek Rahme, Charles Gallagher, Chris Williford, Beasley and Nick Gorino all scored in the opening period. The second was more of the same. Rochester scored four times to make it a 10-goal game heading into the final period. They tacked on four more in the third. “We needed a win,” Ice Hawks assistant coach Corey DuBois said. “You can say it’s just the Energy, but they just beat the Lakers and took the Owls to within a minute of a tie. They’re not a bad team over there. It was a much better effort out of our guys. The guys came to work. They brought their lunch-pails today and decided we weren’t going to let this happen again.” Newcomer Matt Reno, Austin Rust, Alex Haygood and Turner all scored in the second, while Shaun Lymer, Turner, Reno and Antonio Baccari completed the scoring in the third. Turner and Stahlke both had huge games, finishing with five points apiece. Turner had two goals and three assists, while Stahlke had a goal and four assists. Haygood, Reno, Gallagher and Beasley all had four-point nights, while Rahme and Williford had three points apiece. While the victory was important, the shutout might have meant even more to the team. The Ice Hawks goalies have struggled lately. But Karel Popper stopped 20 shots to preserve the shutout. “That’s huge for Popper’s confidence,” DuBois said. “We definitely saw those guys fighting it a little, but that win and shutout should go a long way.” Turner said keeping the shutout was a point of emphasis for the Ice Hawks heading into the third. “The goalies were down a bit, but for Popper to come out and get that shutout, it’s beyond words,” Turner said. “Popper is phenomenally skilled. He can bounce back if he keeps his confidence.” The Ice Hawks, who improved to 32-10-0-2, finished with a 60-20 edge in shots on goal. Saturday night didn’t go as well for Rochester. The Ice Hawks extended their losing streak to six games with a 5-4 loss to the Edina Lakers. The Ice Hawks led 2-0 after the first and 3-0 at one point in the second. But the Lakers scored five of the game’s last six goals to earn the win. Rust, Haygood, Beasley and Rahme scored for the Ice Hawks. Michael Hynes took the loss in goal. He had 22 saves on 27 shots.

Ice hawks losing streak reaches five games

Posted: Feb 10, 2012, 11:20 pm

OWATONNA — Despite a furious late-game rally, a disastrous first two periods was too much to overcome for the Rochester Ice Hawks on Friday night. The Ice Hawks trailed 6-2 in the third period to the Edina Lakers. Rochester scored three late goals during a blistering rally, but it wasn't enough as the Ice Hawks suffered a 6-5 setback. The Ice Hawks lost a non-league game Thursday night to the junior varsity team from St. Mary's University in Winona, which means Friday's loss to the Lakers was their fifth consecutive setback. Rochester scored first Friday with T.J Sneath lighting the lamp early in the first. Shaun Lymer earned the assist. The Lakers came back with two goals in the first period. They added three more and led 5-2 heading into the final period. Captain Charles Gallagher scored Rochester's second-period goal. He finished off a pass from Tyler Beasley on the power play. Derek Rahme also had an assist on the tally. The Lakers made it 6-2 9:12 into the third period. The Ice Hawks scored three goals in the final five minutes of the game, but they came up just short. Chris Williford started the barrage with a power-play goal at the 14:53 mark. Miles Johnson and Rob Tuner earned the helpers. Lymer scored at the 18:09 mark, with an assist going to Gallagher. Finally, Beasley lit the lamp with less than a minute remaining. Williford had the lone assist. The Ice Hawks finished with a 45-38 edge in shots on goal, including 16-6 in the final period. Goalie Karel Popper surrendered all six Lakers goals. He finished with 32 stops on 38 shots. The Ice Hawks, who dropped to 31-9-0-2 in Minnesota Junior Hockey League play, return to action at 7:05 tonight at the Rochester Recreation Center again against the Lakers.

Losing skid hits three for Ice Hawks

Posted: Feb 04, 2012, 8:16 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN ISANTI, Minn. — The Rochester Ice Hawks extended their season-long losing streak to three games after Friday night's 5-3 setback to the Minnesota Owls. The Ice Hawks have been off for two weeks since suffering loss back-to-back losses to the Twin Cities Northern Lights on Jan. 21-22. Rochester trailed 2-1 heading into the final period Friday night. The Owls struck first in the final frame, with Robert Erickson's second goal of the game. The Ice Hawks attempted to rally, but each time they scored, the Owls answered back. The Ice Hawks cut it to 4-3 late in the game, but the Owls finished the game off with an empty netter. In the opening period, Erickson put the Owls on the board with his tally at the :49 mark. Austin Rush tied it for Rochester, scoring nine minutes later. Jake Zarzycki and Miles Johnson earned the helpers on the power-play tally. The Owls went back in front to start the second and held that lead into the final frame. Shaun Lymer and Zarzycki scored in the third for Rochester. Charles Gallagher, Rust and Antonio Baccari earned the assists. Newcomer Michael Hynes saw his first-ever action in net for the Ice Hawks. He finished with 19 saves on 23 shots before being replaced by Karel Popper in the third. Popper had two saves as the Ice Hawks were outshot 42-25. Rochester, which dropped to 31-8-0-2 in Minnesota Junior Hockey League play, is off for the rest of the weekend. The Ice Hawks return to action at 8 p.m. Thursday with a non-league game against the St. Mary's University junior varsity team. They return to MnJHL action Friday, Feb. 10 at home against the Edina Lakers.

Ice Hawks league-title hopes take a hit

Posted: Jan 23, 2012, 8:10 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN BLOOMINGTON — The Rochester Ice Hawks' hopes for another Minnesota Junior Hockey League title took a major hit over the weekend. Trailing only the league-leading Twin Cities Northern Lights heading into the weekend, the Ice Hawks had the opportunity to make up ground with a pair of games against on the MnJHL's top team. Instead the Ice Hawks suffered two losses — one in overtime — and sank further behind the Lights in the league standings. On Saturday, the Ice Hawks rallied from a 4-2 third-period deficit to force overtime. But shortly into the extra session, Eric Shand scored to give the Northern Lights a 5-4 victory. The Ice Hawks opened the game with a 1-0 lead when Jake Zarzycki, who had an outstanding weekend, netted an even-strength goal at the 5:19 mark of the first period. Rob Turner and Tyler Beasley earned the assists. But the Northern Lights scored goals just 30 seconds apart starting at the 13:21 mark, giving them a 2-1 edge heading into the second. The Lights made it 3-1 on Eric Shand's power-play goal 8:08 into the second. The Ice Hawks were able to cut into that lead a little more than three minutes later when defenseman Brock Stahlke lit the lamp. Nick Gorino and Cody Barra had the helpers. The Lights came right back three minutes later with another goal to make it 4-2 heading into the third. But the Ice Hawks weren't done. Zarzycki started the comeback with his goal 8:40 in, and Rob Turner tied it up with just 2:30 left. Austin Rust, Beasley and Stahlke all had assists on the third-period tallies. In overtime, Shand gave the Northern Lights the win with his goal a little more than two minutes in. The Lights finished with a 46-43 edge in shots on goal. It was a relatively clean game, with the Northern Lights going 1-for-4 on the power play. The Ice Hawks did not have a power play as the Lights took just 14 minutes worth of penalties, with 10 of those minutes coming via fighting majors. Zak Kemble took the loss for the Ice Hawks in goal. He came on in relief of Karel Popper, who started and played into the second period. Popper had 20 saves on 23 shots, while Kemble finished with 21 saves on 23 shots. Sunday's tilt up in Bloomington also was another close, back-and-forth game. The teams were tied at 3-all heading into the final frame, but the Northern Lights scored with 2:54 remaining and held on for a 4-3 victory. The Ice Hawks went up 2-0 in the first behind goals from Zarzycki and Stahlke. Captain Charles Gallagher assisted on Stahlke's tally, while Stahlke picked up the helper on Zarzycki's goal. The Northern Lights scored late in the first to cut the Ice Hawks' lead in half and then tied it up early in the second. Rochester went back in front on Beasley's power-play goal at the 7:05 mark of the second, with Gallagher and Chris Williford recording the assists. But again the Lights came back, tying it a little over a minute later. At the 17:06 mark of the third, Gleb Kulikov gave the Lights their first lead, and it held up. The Ice Hawks finished with a 26-24 edge in shots on goal. This time it was Popper taking the loss in relief of Kemble, who played into the second period. The Ice Hawks dropped to 31-7-0-2 in MnJHL play, while the Lights improved to 34-4-0-1. The Lights have 69 points, while the Ice Hawks are five back at 64. Rochester returns to action Feb. 3 at the Minnesota Owls in Isanti.

Ice Hawks survive slow start, roll to victory

Posted: Jan 21, 2012, 10:26 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks stumbled out of the gates again Friday night at the Rochester Recreation Center. It wasn't the speedy start Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis desired. But when the final horn sounded, the Ice Hawks were ahead on the scoreboard, and with two of the biggest games of the season looming, that was more than enough for Fatis. After a rough first period, Rochester blew the doors open in the second, scoring five goals and rolling to an 8-1 win over the struggling Edina Lakers. The Ice Hawks put just one shot on goal in the game's first eight minutes. The slow starts are becoming epidemic, but Fatis said there's not much more that can be done. "Everyone's aware of it, and everyone knows we can't start games like that," Fatis said. "It's just a matter of doing it. I don't know what we can do differently at this point." Ice Hawks forward Austin Rust thinks it may simply require a change of the team's pre-game routine. "I don't know, maybe we need to kick a soccer ball around before the game, or just do anything different really," he said. A slow start in the Ice Hawks' next two games likely will spell disaster. They're set to host the league-leading Twin Cities Northern Lights at 7:05 tonight, and they travel to Bloomington to take on those same Northern Lights on Sunday. "Yeah, we can't do that against a great team like them," Rust said. "I think there was some danger of us overlooking (Friday's) game, but we got the win, and now we can focus on (the Lights)." The Ice Hawks' big second period was more than enough Friday. They set a franchise record by scoring four goals in a span of just 1:32. Rust, the team's newest edition, turned in an excellent effort along with linemates Jake Zarzycki and Antonio Baccari. Rust started the season playing Tier II hockey in Canada, but he joined the Ice Hawks — and a couple of former high school teammates — a few weeks ago. He played on a high school line with current Ice Hawks Chris Williford and Zarzycki. Zarzycki, Rust and Baccari were buzzing Friday; that line accounted for 10 points. "I have to give (assistant coach Todd McIlrath) credit for that line; I had a different idea for how that line would look, but he came up with the combination," Fatis said. "They're so fast. When they are playing well, they're tough to stick with." Zarzycki's passing was slick; the speedy forward finished with a game-high four assists. Rust and Baccari both had a goal and two assists. The Ice Hawks fell behind just 57 second into the game, but they bounced back with a couple of late first-period goals. Rob Turner and T.J. Sneath gave the Ice Hawks a 2-1 lead heading into the second. Rust scored early in the second, and then the flood gates opened. Baccari scored at 16:23, followed by Derek Rahme just 17 seconds later. Brad Nolan jumped in the mix 13 seconds after that, and Nick Gorino finished the flurry with a tally 52 seconds later. "It's huge to be able to score back-to-back like that," Rust said. Sneath added a third-period goal and finished the night with three points. Zak Kemble earned the win in goal, recording 24 saves. The Ice Hawks (31-6-0-1) finished with a 54-25 edge in shots on goal. "It's a good win, especially knowing what we have coming up the next two nights," Fatis said. "Obviously, it's a huge weekend, and this was the first step."

Ice Hawks take two from Ducks

Posted: Jan 16, 2012, 8:11 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN After dropping a tough game at home Friday night, the Rochester Ice Hawks bounced back with a pair of wins Saturday and Sunday over the Dells Ducks at the Rochester Recreation Center. The Ice Hawks blew Saturday's game open early, scoring three first-period goals and rolling to an 8-2 victory. T.J. Sneath, Tyler Beasley and Antonio Baccari all scored in the first, with Shaun Lymer, Brock Stahlke, Derek Rahme, Rob Turner, Jake Zarzycki and Andrew Sherwood all collecting assists. Rahme added a tally 9:52 into the second. Goalie Karel Popper was credited with the assist on Rahme's goal. Chris Williford, Turner, Stahlke and Charles Gallagher all scored in the third period for the Ice Hawks. Beasley (two), Turner (two), Williford, Rahme, Austin Rust and Baccari all had assists. The Ice Hawks finished with a 54-31 edge in shots on goal. Popper earned the win between the pipes. He had 29 saves on 31 shots. The Ice Hawks closed the weekend with another convincing victory, blasting the Ducks 8-3 on Sunday. Rochester led 2-1 after a period, but it pulled away in the second thanks to five goals. Beasley netted a power-play tally 3:23 into the opening period, with Rahme and Williford earning assists. Former Ice Hawks Tommy Bennett, now skating for the Ducks, tied the game at 1-all a minute later. But the Ice Hawks took the lead back at the 18:25 mark when Turner scored off a pass from Sneath. Cody Barra, Zarzycki, Turner (two) and Williford all scored in the second. Jake Sikkema, Gallagher, Baccari, Barra, Lymer, Rahme and Beasley, who leads the Minnesota Junior Hockey League with 68 points, all had assists. Sneath added an insurance goal in the third, with Brett Menton and Lymer earning the assists. Popper again earned the win in goal, stopping 21 shots. Zak Kemble played for most of the third period and stopped all eight shots sent his way. The Ice Hawks, who improved to 30-6-0-1 in MnJHL play, return to action at 7:05 p.m. Friday at home against the Edina Lakers. They're also home at 7:05 p.m. Saturday against the MnJHL-leading Twin Cities Northern Lights.

Owls snap Ice Hawks' winning streak

Posted: Jan 14, 2012, 12:55 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks' 13-game winning streak came to an end Friday night at the Rochester Recreation Center. The Minnesota Owls scored three first-period goals and then held off the hard-charging Ice Hawks for a 5-4 Minnesota Junior Hockey League victory. The Ice Hawks held a huge edge in shots on goal in all three periods. They finished with a 57-33 advantage. But the Ice Hawks were 0-for-6 on the power play. The Owls scored first, but at the 5:30 mark captain Charles Gallagher tied the game, with Rob Turner and Tyler Beasley earning the assists. The Owls scored the next two goals to take a 3-1 lead into the second period. The teams scored two goals apiece in the second. The Owls scored first, with the Ice Hawks answering back. The newest Ice Hawk, Austin Rust, netted the tally, while Antonio Baccari and Brock Stahlke picked up the assists. The Owls scored again with eight seconds remaining in the period, but the Ice Hawks scored with one second left, when Derek Rahme lit the lamp. Baccari and Beasley had assists. The Ice Hawks made it a one-goal game 7:03 into the third, when Stahlke finished off passes from Gallagher and Beasley. Karel Popper suffered the loss for the Ice Hawks. He was lifted after allowing three goals on just four shots in the first period. Zak Kemble played the final 50 minutes, recording 27 saves on 29 shots. The Ice Hawks dropped to 28-6-0-1 in MnJHL play. They return to action at 7:05 tonight at home against the Dells Ducks.

Ice Hawks rally, earn road win

Posted: Jan 09, 2012, 6:41 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN ISANTI, Minn. —The Rochester Ice Hawks scored a pair of third-period goals to rally for a 3-2 Minnesota Junior Hockey League victory over the Minnesota Owls on Saturday night. The Ice Hawks have now won 12 consecutive games, improving to 28-5-0-1 in MnJHL play. Rochester scored first Saturday night, receiving a first-period tally from veteran defenseman Brock Stahlke just 56 seconds into the game. Nick Gorino picked up the assist. The Owls took control in the second period, scoring two times and earning a 2-1 advantage heading into the final period. Early in the third, Cody Barra tied it up with a short-handed goal for the Ice Hawks. Chris Williford earned the assist. The game-winner came from Gorino, who scored at the 13:02 mark. Alex Haygood set up the difference-maker. The Ice Hawks finished with a 33-26 edge in shots on goal. Karel Popper picked up the win in goal, recording 24 saves. Next up for the Ice Hawks is a three-game weekend, starting with a 7:05 p.m. tilt Friday at the Rochester Recreation Center against the Owls. The Ice Hawks host the Dells Ducks on both Saturday and Sunday.

Icehawks handle Lakers

Posted: Jan 06, 2012, 10:56 pm

The Rochester Ice Hawks put 49 shots on goal — 20 in the third period — and easily beat the Edina Lakers 6-1 in a Minnesota Junior Hockey League game Friday night at the Rec Center. Ironically, the Hawks got only one of those 20 shots into the net in the third period, but by then they had a 5-0 lead, thanks to three first-period goals and two in the second period. Austin Rust scored three of those five goals, including the first two of the game, at 13:17 and 19:00 of the first period. Tyler Beasley got one with one second left in the period, and Brett Menton scored at the 8:44 mark of the second period. Rob Turner capped the scoring for the Ice Hawks with a goal at 16:15 of the third period. Charles Gallagher and Shaun Lymer had two assists each and Turner, Jake Zarzycki, Andrew Sherwood, Nick Gorino, Antonio Baccari and Beasley had one each. In goal, Zak Kemble turned aside 29 of the 30 shots the Lakers put on goal. The Ice Hawks successfully killed seven Lakers power plays. Rochester was 0-for-3 on the power play. The Ice Hawks are 27-5-0-1 and trail the Northern Lights by four points in the standings. They play the third-place Owls tonight at 7:05 p.m. in Isanti, Minn.

Ice Hawks home tonight, away Saturday

Posted: Jan 06, 2012, 8:34 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks have a home game tonight and then hit the road Saturday. A press release issued by the team incorrectly had the Ice Hawks playing at home Saturday, however they're in Isanti for a 7:30 p.m. game against the Minnesota Owls. At 7:05 tonight, the Ice Hawks host the Edina Lakers (11-22-0-1) at the Rochester Recreation Center. The Ice Hawks (26-5-0-1) recently completed a perfect December, going 8-0-0. They have won 10 consecutive games. Hawks hosting MLK Day camp For the second consecutive season, the Ice Hawks are hosting a "Day With The Hawks," a camp dedicated to boys and girls hockey players ages 9-14. The camp will take place On Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 16). The second-annual event gives young hockey players the chance to skate with and learn from their favorite Ice Hawks players and the team's coaching staff. Camp activities begin at 7:30 a.m. Participants will have breakfast with the Ice Hawks and then receive a tour of the team locker room, followed by on- and off-ice training. After lunch, the campers will participate in a scrimmage with the Ice Hawks. Camp is scheduled to end at about 5 p.m. The cost is $50. For a registration form, contact Nicky Fatis at (507) 358-4806 or by email at nicky@mnicehawks.com. Registration must be postmarked no later than Jan. 9.

Ice Hawks getting healthy, hosting youth camp

Posted: Jan 05, 2012, 7:34 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks return to action at the Rochester Recreation Center on Friday and Saturday, looking to extend their winning streak. The team recently wrapped up a perfect December, going 8-0-0. The Ice Hawks' winning streak is at 10 games, dating back to a Nov. 25 setback against the Twin Cities Northern Lights, who still sit atop the Minnesota Junior Hockey League standings with 57 points. The Ice Hawks (26-5-0-1) are second with 53 points. Rochester hosts the Dells Ducks at 7:05 p.m. Friday. It's another Charter Communication Night, and the first 250 fans will receive an Ice Hawks notebook and pen. On Saturday, the Ice Hawks are set to host the Edina Lakers at 7:05 p.m. Friday's tilt marks the first time the Ducks have played in Rochester since their 4-2 win over the Hawks on Nov. 11. The teams have split four games this season. The Ice Hawks finally are getting healthy after struggling through injuries for much of the season. The team suffered no new injuries in its games last weekend. Defenseman Brad Nolan returns to the team after missing significant time with an injury, and Shaun Lymer has rejoined the Ice Hawks after attending a funeral in Canada. Alex Haygood is still working his way back to health after suffering a lower-body injury. Several Ice Hawks are among the MnJHL stats leaders. Goalie Karel Popper is first in the league with 12 victories and is third with a .913 saves percentage. Captain Charles Gallagher is tied for fourth in goals scored with 16, while Rob Turner is tied for fifth with 15. Forward Tyler Beasley is tied for third in points with 39 points, while Turner is fifth at 36. Beasley also is second in the league with 26 assists. Hawks hosting MLK Day camp For the second consecutive season, the Ice Hawks are hosting "A Day With The Hawks," a camp dedicated to boys and girls hockey players ages 9-14. The camp will take place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 16). The second-annual event provides young hockey players a chance to skate with and learn from their favorite Ice Hawks players and the team's coaching staff. It's also a chance to keep players active during a day away from school. Camp activities begin at 7:30 a.m. Participants will have breakfast with Ice Hawks players and then receive a tour of the team locker room, followed by on- and off-ice training. After having lunch with the players and other tournament staff, the campers will participate in a scrimmage with the Ice Hawks. Camp is scheduled to end at about 5 p.m. The coast of the camp is $50. For a registration form, contact Nicky Fatis at (507) 358-4806 or by email at nicky@mnicehawks.com Registration must be postmarked no later than Jan. 9.

Amateur Update: Ice Hawks are a strong partner

Posted: Dec 22, 2011, 7:20 am

By John Larsen Upcoming events Dec. 30-31: Clash 10: National High School Wrestling Duals Jan. 13-15: All-American Softball Camp Jan. 14-15: Frostbite Volleyball Festival As the Rochester Amateur Sports Commission looks ahead to 2012, we are again thankful for the strong partnerships we have with so many local organizations. One I’d like to highlight today is the Rochester Ice Hawks led by president Michael Fatis and coach Nick Fatis. This organization is always open to working with us to bring exciting events to town such as the 2011 and 2012 USA Hockey Tier III Junior A National Championships. This tournament was extremely well-received when held in Rochester last April and we’re looking forward to its return on March 29-April 2, 2012. Michael Fatis had attended the USA Hockey Annual Meetings last January and met with Bob Black, director and commissioner of the National Junior Prospects Hockey League (NJPHL). The NJPHL is a prestigious showcase hockey league which was created and designed by and for coaches to develop high school age hockey players and help them advance their careers. They focus on enhancing player skills so they can be prepared for the next level of hockey including prep school, Junior A and NCAA Division I and Division 3. Five showcase events are held each year and this year in Blaine, a Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MNJHL) composite team included several Ice Hawks players. They competed against U-18AAA NJPHL teams and had a great overall experience at this first-class tournament. Nick Fatis and I met with Bob Black and his team this fall and were very impressed with the NJPHL and their mission to help high school age players further their hockey careers. We saw a great potential partnership and are happy to report that Rochester was chosen to host a showcase event next Oct. 19-21 at the Recreation Center. Twenty-eight teams are expected to participate from all over the United States, including clubs from states as far away as Florida, Washington, Virginia and Massachusetts. Black stated, “In first meeting Michael Fatis at the Junior Council meeting in Florida last January, we began learning about our own philosophies regarding developing players in the sport of Ice Hockey.  I instantly realized that the MNJHL and the NJPHL had a lot in common and both leagues could benefit from working with each other.  I have a lot of respect for the long successful history of the MNJHL and after announcing to our teams that we would be working with the MNJHL, the players, parents and coaches were very excited to have that relationship and exposure.” The Ice Hawks are also pleased that the NJPHL will be in Rochester in 2012 and all parties involved hope that we can make this event an annual tradition. The Ice Hawks are planning to have home games on both Friday and Saturday night so that the players can watch some excellent hockey in a league that many of them aspire to one day join. Michael Fatis commented, “The MNJHL and NJPHL have similar values in regards to hockey as we both emphasize respect for kids and for the game. We’re also really excited to have the players and families visit the Rochester area and experience everything our city has to offer.” We look forward to an excellent event next October and urge all local hockey players and fans to come out and see these great young players in action!

Ice Hawks enter break with winning streak alive

Posted: Dec 19, 2011, 6:27 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN HUDSON, Wis. — The Rochester Ice Hawks completed another weekend sweep on Sunday and will enter the holiday break riding an eight-game winning streak. The Ice Hawks scored four first-period goals Sunday and rolled to a 9-4 victory over the Hudson Crusaders in Minnesota Junior Hockey League action. "The kids are playing well," Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis said. "It was good to see us jump on them right away in the first period and put four goals on the board. "Everyone is excited to be getting a little time off and to spend some time with their families over the break." The Ice Hawks are now off until Dec. 31. They'll host their annual New Year's Eve game at 7:05 p.m. at the Rochester Recreation Center against the rival Minnesota Owls. "We always love that New Year's Eve game; it's a nice entertainment option for the whole family," Fatis said. Brett Menton opened the Ice Hawks scoring 2:15 into the first period. C.J. Clark and Antonio Baccari earned the assists. Tyler Beasley made it 2-0 at the 4:20 mark, finishing off passes from Shaun Lymer and Justin Dungey. Nick Gorino scored a short time later, and Baccari made it 4-0 just 7:18 into the opening period. Derek Rahme, Jake Zarzycki and Beasley all had assists. The Ice Hawks made it 5-0 in the second when defenseman Brock Stahlke converted passes from Nick Gorino and Zarzycki. Hudson scored the next two goals, but the Ice Hawks finished the period with another tally, this time from Rob Turner. Captain Charles Gallagher picked up the assist. T.J. Sneath, Jake Sikkema and Turner all added third-period goals to cap the Ice Hawks scoring. Turner's goal came on the power play. Sikkema, Nick Haase, Menton, Andrew Sherwood, Beasley and Stahlke all had assists in the third. Karel Popper earned the win in goal. He finished with 20 saves on 25 shots. The Ice Hawks, who improved to 24-5-0-1 in MnJHL play, outshot the Crusaders 51-25.

Ice Hawks grab another win

Posted: Dec 17, 2011, 7:41 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks continued their red-hot play Friday night, earning a 4-1 Minnesota Junior Hockey victory over the Hudson Crusaders at the Rochester Recreation Center. The Ice Hawks have now won seven straight games since a 12-3 blowout loss to the Twin Cities Northern Lights on Nov. 25. Coach Nick Fatis said his team got off to a solid start Friday night, slowed in the second period and then turned it up in the third. "We played OK in that first period," Fatis said. "We had some great scoring opportunities. Then we had a little lag in the second, and a really solid third period. There were still some breakdowns here and there, and we had some more injuries. So I'd say this is a perfect time for us to be getting a break." After Sunday's game — at the Hudson Crusaders — the Ice Hawks are off for 10 days. The Ice Hawks put three goals on the board in a strong opening period in which they outshot the Crusaders 21-3. Charles Gallagher put the Ice Hawks on the board at the 9:09 mark. Gallagher converted on passes from Tyler Beasley and Rob Turner. Defensiveman Miles Johnson made it 2-0 with his power-play tally at the 10:24 mark. Antonio Baccari and Brock Stahlke earned assists on the play. Gallagher netted his second goal eight minutes later, with Beasley and Andrew Sherwood getting the helpers. Hudson pulled within 3-1 in the second period, but the Ice Hawks put the game away with T.J. Sneath's goal eight minutes into the third. Brett Menton and Brad Nolan had the assists. Goalie Karel Popper had another great game for the Ice Hawks. He finished with 25 saves on 26 shots. "Popper did what he's been doing a lot lately, and that's stopping the puck," Fatis said. The Ice Hawks, who improved to 23-5-0-1 in MnJHL play, finished with a 46-26 edge in shots on goal.

Junior hockey | Ice Hawks skate paste Edina Lakers, 10-1

Posted: Dec 10, 2011, 10:42 pm

The Rochester Ice Hawks got goals from eight different players and whipped the Edina Lakers 10-1 in a Minnesota Junior Hockey League game Saturday at the Recreation Center. The Ice Hawks took a 3-0 lead in the first period, led 6-1 after two periods, and scored four goals in the third period. Rochester improved to 21-5 with its fifth straight win. Rob Turner and Charles Gallagher scored two goals each for Rochester, and Turner added two assists. Tyler Beasley had a big game also with four assists and one goal. Ice Hawks goalies Karel Popper and Zak Kemble combined to make 20 saves, with Popper getting the win. The Ice Hawks' next game is against the Dells Ducks at noon Thursday at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena.

Balanced Ice Hawks win

Posted: Dec 09, 2011, 10:50 pm

Four different players scored goals as the Rochester Ice Hawks defeated the Dells Ducks 4-2 in Minnesota Junior Hockey League action on Friday. "It was a very physcial game," Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis said. "There were a couple of scuffles that broke out, but it was good hockey up and down the ice.'' T.J. Sneath had a goal and as assist for the Ice Hawks. Nick Gorino, Jake Zarzycki and Antonio Baccari also scored goals. The game was tied 1-1 before the Ice Hawks scored three times in the third period. Zarzycki had an empty net goal with 45 seconds left to seal the victory. "We put in a couple of goals in the third," Fatis said. "It was a good building block." Karel Popper, who was the league's goalie of the month in October had suffered through a rough "He's rebounded well from a rough November," Fatis said. The Ice Hawks (34-9) will host the Edina Lakers today at 7:05 p.m. It will be KTTC Night and first 200 fans receive a free gift.

Ice Hawks skate past the Lakers

Posted: Dec 03, 2011, 10:08 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN Now that's how you bounce back from a loss. Last weekend, the Rochester Ice Hawks were embarrassed on their home ice, losing to the Twin Cities Northern Lights 12-3. They responded in grand fashion Friday night back at the Rochester Recreation Center. The Ice Hawks pumped in four first-period goals and never looked back, blasting the Edina Lakers 11-3 in Minnesota Junior Hockey League action. While Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis said it wasn't his team's best game, he said it was nice to see his players bounce back after last weekend's tough loss. "Yeah, coming off a big loss, it's nice to get a couple of wins in a row over two teams that are battling for third place in the league," Fatis said. "We played pretty good, but not great. The good news is the puck started falling our way a little, and that's always good to see." The Ice Hawks received a big first period from the Cody Barra-Nick Gorino-Ryan Skalski line. Barra had the team's second goal, while Skalski scored the next two. Skalski had one assist, while Barra and Gorino had two apiece. Nick Haase had the Ice Hawks' other first period tally. The Ice Hawks had two second-period goals from Chris Williford and Antonio Baccari. They blew the game open in the final frame, scoring five times. Charles Gallagher, Derek Rahme, Brandt Soukup, C.J. Clark and Baccari all scored in the final period. Tyler Beasley, Williford (two), Jake Zarzycki (two), T.J. Sneath and Jake Sikkema added assists. "It was nice to see Rahme score in his first game back from injury," Fatis said. "He scored on a nice shot from that point, a play that was set up by Williford. ... That Barra, Gorino, Skalski line is one of our hardest working lines, so it's nice to see them put the puck in the net, too." Zak Kemble earned the win in goal for the Ice Hawks. He finished with 41 saves on 44 shots. The Ice Hawks held a 51-44 edge in shots on goal. While Fatis said Friday's performance was solid, he said the Ice Hawks will have to play much better to win tonight. They're hosting the league-leading Twin Cities Northern Lights at 7 p.m. at the Rec Center. The Lights are the team that handed the Ice Hawks their most lopsided loss of the season. "Yeah, we'll need to be much, much better," Fatis said. "They're a very talented team. We felt tonight we were at about a seven; we'll need to crank it up a few notches if we're going to beat the Lights." The Ice Hawks improved to 18-5-0-1 in MnJHL play.

Ice Hawks bounce back

Posted: Nov 28, 2011, 6:27 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN OWATONNA — After a disappointing blowout loss at home to the league-leading Twin Cities Northern Lights on Friday night, the Rochester Ice Hawks needed something positive to happen Saturday. And that's exactly what they received. The Ice Hawks scored three second-period goals and then got the game-winning tally late in the third for a 4-3 Minnesota Junior Hockey League victory over the Hudson Crusaders at Four Seasons Arena. It was the second game the Ice Hawks have played this season in Owatonna; the MnJHL is showcasing its product to what will be the league's newest market during the 2012-13 season. After the disappointing performance Friday night at the Rochester Recreation Center, the Ice Hawks turned in a much better effort Saturday. They did not allow the Crusaders to score a power-play goal. And the Ice Hawks converted their only two power-play opportunities. The teams were scoreless after the first period, but just 14 seconds into the second, Charles Gallagher put the Ice Hawks on the board, finishing a pass from Tyler Beasley. The Crusaders tied the game just seconds later when the league's top scorer, Nick Townes, beat Ice Hawks netminder Karel Popper. T.J. Sneath put the Ice Hawks back in front with his power-play tally at the 5:39 mark. Nick Haase earned the assist. Jake Sikkema gave the Ice Hawks a 3-1 lead heading into the third period. He scored off a pass from Antonio Baccari at the 8:37 mark of the second period. The Crusaders rallied with two goals to start the third, tying the game at 3-all. But Beasley played the hero's role, scoring the game-winner with just :32 remaining. Beasley's tally came on the power play, with Rob Turner and Jake Zarzycki earning the assists. The Ice Hawks improved to 17-5-0-1 in the MnJHL. They return to action at 7:05 p.m. Friday at home against the Edina Lakers.

Short-handed Ice Hawks blasted on home ice

Posted: Nov 26, 2011, 6:49 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN Rochester Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis knew his team faced an uphill battle Friday night at the Rochester Recreation Center. Taking on the Minnesota Junior Hockey League's top team — the Twin Cities Northern Lights — and with only a handful of healthy defenseman, the Ice Hawks were forced to move several forwards back to the blue line just to fill out a lineup card. That didn't work out well Friday night. The ultra-talented Northern Lights exploited every Ice Hawks miscue and rolled to an eye-popping 12-3 MnJHL victory. The Lights scored three goals in the first period and then blew the game open with six tallies in the second. Penalties were the biggest problem for the Ice Hawks. They allowed nine power-play chances, and the Northern Lights capitalized with six power-play tallies. "They've got a good power play," Fatis said. "They have the most offensively talented team in the league, and honestly, I'd like to see any team in the country match what they have up front. I really felt like we played a similar, physical game to when we beat them over in Owatonna. It was just called a little differently. And when you give a team that talented a power play, they're going to score." Fatis said the banged-up blue line played about as expected. "We had one healthy defensemen and two guys playing hurt, so we had to move three forwards back there who had never played a full game on defense," Fatis said. "So, yeah, it went about how we thought back there. They were playing against the top forwardsi n the league, and it didn't work out well. They beat us wide when they wanted to. We made some ill-advised steps and turnovers. Really, if you play the perfect game against them, they're going to get maybe eight very good scoring chances. And we were far from perfect" The Ice Hawks could have their top three defensemen — Brock Stahlke, Derek Rahme and Miles Johnson — back in the lineup soon. Fatis said that will make a major difference. "We don't feel like we're nine goals worse than that team," he said. "Obviously, the guys were upset and embarrassed. But we just didn't execute the game plan. It went the other direction on us in a hurry, but we'll bounce back." The Northern Lights finished with a 62-40 edge in shots on goal. Tyler Beasley scored two of the three Ice Hawks goals, including one on a penalty shot. Jake Sikkema had the other Ice Hawks tally. Karel Popper took the loss in goal. He stopped 24 of 29 shots. Zak Kemble saw the final 33 shots, stopping 26. The Ice Hawks (16-5-0-1) return to action at 7 tonight in Owatonna against the Edina Lakers.

Ice Hawks pick up four points

Posted: Nov 21, 2011, 6:39 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN The Rochester Ice Hawks picked up four points in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League standings with a pair of victories over the weekend. On Saturday night, the Ice Hawks exploded for four first-period goals on their way to an easy 7-2 victory over the Hudson Crusaders at the Rochester Recreation Center. Antonio Baccari scored twice, while Shaun Lymer and Derek Rahme added a goal apiece in the Ice Hawks' big first period. Tyler Beasley, Rob Turner, Charles Gallagher, Chris Williford, goalie Karel Popper and Brandt Soukup added assists in the first 20 minutes. The Ice Hawks added a pair of insurance goals in the second period to make it 6-0. Jake Zarzycki and T.J. Sneath had the tallies, while Williford (two) and Rahme earned the helpers. Zarzycki had the final Ice Hawks' tally on the power play in the third period. Beasley and Cody Barra picked up the assists. The Ice Hawks finished with a 53-32 edge in shots on goal. Popper picked up the victory, stopping 30 Hudson shots. On Sunday, the Ice Hawks hit the road to take on the Maple Grove Energy. It was rough sledding early, but the Ice Hawks pulled away with three goals in the second period and eventually rolled to an 8-2 victory. Late in the first period, the Ice Hawks were tied 2-all with the winless Energy. But a late power-play goal by Rahme gave the Ice Hawks a lead heading into the second frame. In the second, the Ice Hawks ripped off three more tallies to pull away. Gallagher started the Ice Hawks scoring six minutes into the game. He converted a pass from Beasley, with Nick Haase also picking up an assist. Turner scored Rochester's second goal on the power play nine minutes later. Williford and Beasley had the assists. Turner, Barra and Baccari all scored in the second. Baccary (two), Jake Sikkema, Beasley and Lymer earned assists. Turner completed his hat trick in the third period, and then five minutes later scored his fourth goal. Beasley (two), Gallagher and Barra all had assists. Zak Kemble picked up the win in goal. He stopped 15 of 17 shots as the Ice Hawks held a whopping 65-17 edge in shots on goal. With the weekend wins, the Ice Hawks improved to 16-4-0-1 in MnJHL play. They're currently in second place, five points behind the Twin Cities Northern Lights (19-3-0-0). Rochester returns to action at 7:05 p.m. Friday at home against the league-leading Lights.

Ice Hawks suffer setback to Ducks

Posted: Nov 12, 2011, 8:23 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN In the past two games, the Rochester Ice Hawks have run the gambit of emotions. Last Sunday, the Ice Hawks earned a big win over the Twin Cities Northern Lights to take over first place in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League. And Friday night on their home ice at the Rochester Recreation Center, the Ice Hawks found out what it feels like to throw a game away, falling to the expansion Wisconsin Dells Ducks 4-2. Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis said it wasn't a cheerful locker room after his team felt it generated more scoring opportunities. "This game was very reminiscent of our second game out in the Dells," Fatis said. "We had a lot of very good opportunities early that we didn't convert on. At some point when those chances don't go in, you start losing momentum, and that's what happened. "It was definitely not a jolly locker room after the game. The guys know what it's like to throw one away now, one they felt they should have won. But we'll take these next two days off, and I have no doubt these guys will come back ready to work on Monday morning." Fatis was quick to praise the play of the Ducks, too. "I love that they're in this league," he said. "They're a good hockey team, and a good partner to have in the MnJHL. They're doing all the right things over there with that program." The Ice Hawks dominated the first half of the opening period. Fatis said they were outshooting the Ducks 12-2 at one point, but the shots just weren't going in. The Ducks took control over the final 10 minutes, and they converted on their chances. They put three goals on the board and the Hawks never were able to rally. "When you go down three in the first, it makes it a whole different game," Fatis said. "We ended up with more scoring chances than them. But their goalie played very well." The Ice Hawks cut into the lead with captain Charles Gallagher's goal 2:51 into the second. Rob Turner and Tyler Beasley picked up the assists. But the Ducks added a big goal late in the frame to take a 4-1 lead into the final period. Chris Williford made it 4-2 with less than three minutes remaining in the game, but the Ice Hawks weren't able to get closer. Beasley and Turner again earned the helpers. Both teams put 45 shots on goal. Karel Popper suffered the loss in goal for the Ice Hawks. He made 25 saves on 29 shots. The Ice Hawks dropped to 14-4-0-1 overall. They return to action Saturday, Nov. 19 at home against the Hudson Crusaders.

Six-point weekend has Ice Hawks back on top

11/08/2011, 9:17am (CST)

By Nick Clark/MnJHL Director of Media Relations

Hudson's Townes takes over lead in scoring race

The Rochester Ice Hawks climbed into first place of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League with a 5-2 win over Twin Cities Nov. 6. Photo courtesy of Russ Eastburn/ESP1000.com

His line-up decimated by injuries, and facing the ever-mounting expectations of a fan base demanding a winner, Rochester Ice Hawks head coach Nick Fatis has found a way to deliver one once again.

At least it appears that way.

Rochester is back in first place of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League standings after a six-point weekend that the Ice Hawks put a stamp on with a 5-2 victory over Twin Cities Nov. 6.

Charles Gallagher (Albany, N.Y.) had a goal and two assists, and Karel Popper (Maineville, Ohio) 30 saves as Rochester leapfrogged the Northern Lights and grabbed the league lead 17 games into the MnJHL season.

“It’s been quite a first third of the season,” said Fatis, whose team also beat Maple Grove twice by a combined score of 21-4 over the weekend.

“We had people writing us off after the first two weeks, but we’ve proved them wrong. It’s been fun. There’s a lot of pressure playing for our fans. They expect a lot out of us, and we love it that way. It’s been nice to see us produce for them.”

What should be obvious to those filling the Rochester Recreation Center on a weekly basis is the lack of Ice Hawks sitting at their side.

When healthy, the team is in a position to use as many as nine healthy scratches. Most nights, that number has been two, and it wasn’t even that Sunday when the Ice Hawks met up with Twin Cities at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna.

“We had one,” Fatis said. “It’s been that type of year. For whatever the reason, it’s been a struggle to keep guys on the ice. That will have to change, because I’m not sure we can keep up this pace if we don’t get healthy.”

That pace was set after a pair of losses in Rochester’s first six games. Since then, however, the Ice Hawks have won 10 of 11, including six straight.

And while their depth up front and on the blueline has taken a hit, the goaltending has been consistent.

Popper is off to a 9-1 start, Jordan Potosky (Fogelsville, Pa.) has three victories and a goals against average of 2.92, and Zak Kemble (Locust Grove, Va.) is a perfect 2-0.

“We didn’t even know if Zak would play, but then he comes in and is MVP of our tryout camp,” Fatis said. “I can complain about some of our other guys not being able to stay in the lineup, but I can’t complain about any of our goaltenders. We have three really good ones.”

The addition of Tyler Beasley (Indianapolis, Ind.) up front has also helped, as he’s already recorded 23 points in just 12 games. He’s also helped turn Gallagher into a scoring machine.

Gallagher’s dressed every night, scoring 12 goals and setting up 15 more for 27 points, which is already six more than he recorded all of last year.

“He’s a good example on why people play that last year of junior hockey,” Fatis said of his leading scorer. “With the right work ethic, you can get a lot accomplished. With the points he’s putting up now, and with what the scouts are seeing, he’s going to play college hockey. There is not really a debate there.”

The other debate that appears to have ended is Rochester’s place in the community it plays.

The Ice Hawks standards are like few others. They’ve qualified for seven straight USA Hockey National Tournaments, and played in eight consecutive MnJHL Bush Cup finals.

Along the way, the expectations of the fan base continue to rise. The fun part, Fatis said, is living up to them.

“We have the best fans in the country,” he said. “We owe it to them to go out and try and win every game. That’s the very least we can do.”

Last weekend in the MnJHL –

Dells Ducks: The Ducks split a pair of home games with Hudson. Billy Warren (Montgomery, Ill.) had a hat trick and Matt Rowe 44 saves in a 6-3 win on Friday. Aidan Verbeke (Elmwood Park, Ill.) scored twice in the Ducks 7-5 loss Saturday.

Edina Lakers: Edina dropped a pair of games to Twin Cities this past weekend. Brandon Zurick (Apple Valley, Minn.) scored the Lakers’ lone goal in a 5-1 loss Saturday.

Hudson Crusaders: Hudson split a road series with the Dells Ducks last weekend, but without Nick Townes (Crown Point, Ind.) taking over the MnJHL scoring lead. Townes had a goal and two assists in a 6-3 loss Friday, before coming back with a six-point night (3 goals, 3 assists) in a 7-5 win Saturday. For the season, Townes has an MnJHL-best 32 points.

Maple Grove Energy: Maple Grove was swept in a two games against Rochester last weekend. T.J. Marquardt scored in both games. The Victoria, Minn. native had a goal Friday and a goal and assist Saturday.

Minnesota Owls: The Owls were off this past weekend, but will play three this weekend. Minnesota will sandwich a home game with Twin Cities Saturday into a pair of road trips to Maple Grove Friday and Sunday.

Rochester Ice Hawks: Rochester climbed into first place with a three-win weekend. T.J. Sneath (Chino, Calif.), Tyler Beasley (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Rob Turner (Georgetown, Ontario) each had a hat trick in a pair of victories over Maple Grove, and Charles Gallagher (Albany, N.Y.) had three points in a victory over Twin Cities Sunday.

Twin Cities Northern Lights: The Northern Lights won their 13^th and 14^th games of the season after sweeping the Edina Lakers last weekend. Ben Henne (Fairbanks, Alaska) had four points and Dylan Blankenship (Fairbanks, Alaska) three in a 10-0 shutout of Edina Friday. Gordon Wells (Novi, Mich.) and Nick Kunes (Melrose, Wis.) had three points each in a 5-1 win Saturday.

Games scheduled for this weekend –

Friday, Nov. 11

Dells Ducks at Rochester Ice Hawks, 7:05 p.m.

Edina Lakers at Hudson Crusaders, 7:10 p.m.

Minnesota Owls at Maple Grove Energy, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 12

Maple Grove Energy at Hudson Crusaders, 7:10 p.m.

Dells Ducks at Edina Lakers, 7:30 p.m.

Twin Cities Northern Lights at Minnesota Owls, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 13

Edina Lakers at Twin Cities Northern Lights, 5:45 p.m.

Dells Ducks at Hudson Crusaders, 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota Owls at Maple Grove Energy, 7:05 p.m.

Ice Hawks take over first place in MnJHL

Posted: Nov 07, 2011, 6:24 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN OWATONNA — The rest of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League is looking up at the Rochester Ice Hawks. The Ice Hawks completed another weekend sweep, including Sunday's 5-2 win over the now second-place Twin Cities Northern Lights, gained six points in the MnJHL standings and now stand in first place alone for the first time this season. Sunday's game against the Northern Lights was played at Four Seasons Arena in Owatonna; the MnJHL is showcasing its product in Owatonna, which will have a team in the league next season. A healthy Ice Hawks crowd watched its season play arguably its most complete game of the season. Rochester trailed 2-1 after the opening period, but the Ice Hawks took control in the second and put the game away early in the third. After falling behind 1-0, Ice Hawks defenseman Derek Rahme tied it up with his power-play tally at 15:13 of the first period. Captain Charles Gallagher and Nick Gorino collected the assists. The Northern Lights answered back with a power-play goal of their own three minutes later to end the first frame with a lead. Just 3:55 into the second, Gallagher tied it up again, finishing off a pass from Tyler Beasley. The Ice Hawks claimed their first lead of the game 13:49 into the second when Nick Haase netted a tally, with assists going to Gallagher and Beasley. Chris Williford made it a two-goal game early in the third. Williford scored with assists from Jake Zarzycki and Antonio Baccari just 26 seconds into the final period. Brett Menton added an insurance goal at the 7:39 mark. T.J. Sneath and C.J. Clark added the assists. Karel Popper earned the win in goal. He recorded 30 saves on 32 shots. The Ice Hawks, who improved to 14-3-0-1, finished with a 35-32 edge in shots on goal. With six consecutive wins, Rochester now has 29 points in the MnJHL standings; the Northern Lights (14-3-0-0) are second with 28 points. On Saturday night, the Ice Hawks once again blasted the Maple Grove Energy, 10-2. They defeated the Energy 11-2 on Friday night in Maple Grove. During Saturday's win, Beasley and Rob Turner turned in monstrous efforts. The standout forwards finished with six points apiece, each finishing with three goals and three assists. Gallagher had four assists, while Shaun Lymer, Menton and Nick Haase added two points apiece. Popper and Jordan Potosky split time in goal. Popper earned the win, recording six saves on seven shots. Potosky had 13 saves on 14 shots. The Ice Hawks return to action at 7:05 p.m. Friday at the Rochester Recreation Center against the Wisconsin Dells Ducks.

Ice Hawks smother Energy once again

Posted: Nov 05, 2011, 1:01 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN MAPLE GROVE — The Rochester Ice Hawks blasted the expansion Maple Grove Energy 11-2 in Minnesota Junior Hockey League action Friday night. The Energy (0-17-0-1) still have yet to win a game in franchise history. The Ice Hawks improved to 12-3-0-1 in MnJHL play. Rochester put four goals on the board in the first period and added four more in the second. They finished with a three-goal third period. T.J. Sneath led the Ice Hawks with a hat trick. Shaun Lymer (two goals, assist), Antonio Baccari (three assists) and Charles Gallagher (goal, two assists) had three points apiece. Andrew Sherwood (two assists), Rob Turner (goal, assist), Cody Barra (goal, assist) and Tyler Beasley (two goals) added two points each. Zak Kemble started and earned the victory in goal for the Ice Hawks. Kemble finished with 27 saves on 29 shots. The Ice Hawks finished with 55-29 edge in shots on goal. The two teams meet again at 7:05 tonight at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Ice Hawks take two of three from Ducks

Posted: Oct 24, 2011, 9:22 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN LAKE DELTON, Wis. — In its first trip to Wisconsin Dells, the Rochester Ice Hawks took two of three games from the expansion Dells Ducks over the weekend. The Ice Hawks won a high-scoring tilt 7-6 Friday night before dropping a 3-1 decision on Saturday. But they bounced back and played well Sunday, downing the Ducks 5-2. During Saturday's setback, the Ice Hawks controlled much of the action. However, they failed to capitalize on their myriad chances. The Ice Hawks outshot the Ducks 39-24 and many more chances sailed wide of the net. The Ducks scored one goal in each period and took a 3-0 lead before the Ice Hawks finally got on the scoreboard with their goalie pulled in the third period. Rob Turner scored the lone Rochester tally, netting a power-play goal late in the game, with assists going to Tyler Beasley and Chris Williford. Jordan Potosky took the loss in goal for the Ice Hawks. He stopped 21 of 24 shots. Potosky suffered an injury during the game and was unavailable for Sunday's matchup. That left Karel Popper in goal in the final game of the series, and Popper was on point. He stopped 27 of 29 shots in Sunday's 5-2 victory, including several big stops during a second period that saw the Ice Hawks a man down for much of the 20 minutes. The entire game was slowed by penalties, including a line brawl. The teams combined for 160 minutes worth of penalties. A huge first period carried the Ice Hawks as they put three goals on the board less than six minutes into the game. Beasley kicked things off with a power-play goal 2:04 in, and Ryan Skalski followed with the next two goals. Turner, Jake Zarzycki, Brandt Soukup, Nick Gorino and Cody Barra all had assists during the opening frame. The Ducks cut into the Ice Hawks lead with a tally 4:38 into the second, but Turner made it 4-1 with his goal at the 7:40 mark. Captain Charles Gallagher and Beasley earned the assists. Gallagher put the game away with a goal 14:02 into the third. Turner and Beasley grabbed the assists. The Ice Hawks finished with a 53-29 edge in shots on goal. With Sunday's victory, the Ice Hawks improved to 9-3-0-1 overall. They sit in second place in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League standings, one point behind the Twin Cities Northern Lights. Rochester returns to action Friday night in Isanti, Minn., against the Minnesota Owls. The Ice Hawks' next home game is at 7:05 p.m. Saturday against the Maple Grove Energy.

Baccari lifts Ice Hawks in OT

Posted: Oct 21, 2011, 11:00 pm

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — Antonio Baccari scored 2 minutes, 59 seconds into overtime on Friday to lift the Rochester Ice Hawks to a wild 7-6 Minnesota Junior Hockey League victory against the Dells Ducks. The Ice Hawks twice led by three goals in regulation, only to see the Ducks score three times in the second period and three times in the third to force overtime. All three of the Ducks’ third-period goals came on power plays, including Tyler Pecka’s second goal of the period and the game. It came with 1:36 to go in regulation. Tyler Beasley scored the first of his two goals to put the Hawks in the first, for a 1-0 lead. Cody Barra, T.J. Sneath, Beasley and Justin Dungey scored in the second for Rochester, which led 5-3 going into the third period. The Ducks’ Aidan Verbeke scored a short-handed goal at 8:51 of the third, but Nick Gorino answered five minutes later for a 6-4 Hawks lead. Karel Popper stopped 39 shots to earn the win for the Hawks (8-2-0-1). The Hawks and Ducks meet again tonight and Sunday at Wisconsin Dells.

Ice Hawks figure out the power play

Posted: Oct 17, 2011, 6:24 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN MAPLE GROVE — After weeks of struggling to solve their issues on the power play, the Rochester Ice Hawks broke through this weekend. And they did it in a huge way. The Ice Hawks completed a perfect three-game weekend with a pair of wins Saturday and Sunday, and the team's power play was dominant for the first time this season. On Saturday, the Ice Hawks scored five power-play goals and rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Hudson Crusaders at the Rochester Recreation Center. And on Sunday, the Ice Hawks completed the weekend sweep with three more power-play goals in a 7-3 win over the Maple Grove Energy. The Ice Hawks scored at a 50-percent clip with the man advantage on Saturday and Sunday. Against the Crusaders on Sunday, the Ice Hawks' first five goals all came with the man advantage. Defenseman Miles Johnson gave the Ice Hawks a 2-1 lead after the opening period, scoring both power-play goals. Tyler Beasley assisted on both tallies, and Jake Zarzycki added a helper as well. Zarzycki added a power-play tally of his own early in the second, with Johnson and Beasley earning the assists. But the Crusaders kept it close, scoring a late goal to cut the lead to 3-2 heading into the final period. The Ice Hawks exploded in the third, though, scoring three goals. Antonio Baccari started the scoring barrage. netting a power-play tally 4:17 into the period. Beasley and Chris Williford grabbed the assists. Justin Dungey scored four minutes later on the power play, with Andrew Sherwood and goalie Karel Popper adding the assists. Williford scored the final goal with eight minutes remaining. Zarzycki and Johnson had the assists. Johnson and Beasley finished with four points apiece, while Zarzycki had three. Popper earned the win in goal, making 25 saves on 27 shots. • On Sunday, the Ice Hawks received another big game from Zarzycki. He scored a goal and added two assists in the team's 7-3 victory. Williford, T.J. Sneath and Rob Turner had two points apiece. The Ice Hawks' seven goals came from seven different players — Derek Rahme, Williford, Sneath, Zarzycki, Turner, Ryan Skalski and C.J. Clark. Jordan Potosky earned the victory in net. He recorded 18 saves. Backup Zak Kemble earned his first playing time as an Ice Hawk. He relieved Potosky in the third and stopped two shots. The Ice Hawks, who improved to 7-2-0-1 in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League, will hit the road this weekend for the first-ever trip to take on the expansion Dells Ducks in Wisconsin Dells. The opening game of the series is at 7 p.m. Friday. The teams also will play Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.)

Ice Hawks blank Crusaders

Posted: Oct 03, 2011, 6:18 am

By Ben Pherson The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN Rochester Ice Hawks netminder Karel Popper recorded his first shutout of the season, captain Charles Gallagher had two points and the Ice Hawks rolled to a 4-0 victory over the Hudson Crusaders on Saturday at the Rochester Recreation Center. Since dropping the season-opener, the Ice Hawks are 4-0-0-1 for an overall Minnesota Junior Hockey League record of 4-1-0-1. Popper has been splitting time in net with Jordan Potosky, but he earned the start Saturday and recorded 22 saves for the win. The Ice Hawks held a 38-22 edge in shots on goal. The Ice Hawks had shown improvement on the power play in recent games, however they went 0-for-9 with the man advantage Saturday. Chris Williford kicked off the scoring for the Ice Hawks, finishing a pass from defenseman Brock Stahlke at 3:25 of the first period. The score remained 1-0 until the second, when the Ice Hawks erupted for three goals to put the game out of reach. Trevar Seibert started the second-period barrage with a tally at the 6:59 mark. Gallagher earned the assist. Gallagher scored an unassisted goal a short time later, and T.J. Sneath wrapped up the scoring. Antonio Baccari and Rob Turner assisted on Sneath's tally. The Ice Hawks return to action Saturday on the road against the Edina Lakers at Minnesota Made Arena.

Talking hockey and other sports with Post-Bulletin sports reporters Jason Feldman and Ben Pherson