Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Jeffrey Ralph, Havre Ice Hawks

Havre Ice Hawk Jeffrey Ralph has grown into a true blue hockey player

There are a lot of great sports traditions in Havre and one of the best if the Havre Ice Hawks high school hockey team.

Not everyone loves hockey, but in Havre there are more people who play and follow the game than in most places. Jeffrey Ralph is someone who didn’t really know much about hockey, until he started playing it and fell in love with the sport.

Now Ralph, who is a junior at Havre High, has been by his estimation, playing the sport for seven or eight years, the last three of which, he has spent playing for the Havre Ice Hawks.

Yet Ralph does more than just play hockey. He said he’s a fan of the sport and watches it from time to time. But more than that, Ralph is also a two-sport athlete, spending the last two seasons playing tennis for the Blue Ponies, something he said he plans to do this spring as well.

Being stuck in the middle of winter, Ralph said his focus is on hockey and, in particular, the remainder of the Ice Hawks 2015-16 season.

The Ice Hawks just returned to the ice this past weekend after a short break for the holidays. Havre took on Billings and lost both games. Even in defeat, though, the Ice Hawks competed hard, and even though they have won only once so far this season, there is plenty of time to improve before the state tournament at the end of the season.

For Ralph, individually, the season has gone well. Last year, he was a forward for the Ice Hawks and finished the 2014-15 campaign with eight goals. In his first year playing for the team he scored once. This year, as a defenseman, he has played well and has occasionally, even found the net, doing so three times so far, including once in Saturday’s loss to Billings.

Ralph, who said hockey is more exciting to him than sports like football and basketball, and his teammates are excited for the stretch run of their season. That run will continue this weekend with two games in Great Falls against the Americans.

But, before the Ice Hawks travel to Great Falls, the Havre Daily News caught up with Ralph for five questions.

HDN: How did you get involved in hockey to start with?

Ralph: “I went to school with Kyle Kirkpatrick, who I play hockey with now, and one day he told me to come check it out and I ended up liking it.”

HDN: What is it that you like about hockey compared to other sports?

Ralph: “I think that other sports like football and basketball have a lot more scoring. In hockey, there isn’t as much scoring, so I think that makes the games closer and more exciting to watch.”

HDN: Are you a fan of the NHL, do you have a favorite team?

Ralph: “’I watch every now and then. I like the Chicago Blackhawks. My dad came from Chicago and that was the team that he grew up watching.”

HDN: Which do you prefer, delivering a big hit or scoring a goal?

Ralph: “I like getting a big hit. It’s fun and it’s a competitive game, and it really helps out your team.”

HDN: What do you think you guys need to improve before the seasons over?

Ralph: “I think we really need to work on playing together and also work on having better endurance.”