News you can use
News you can use
Havre's Bridger Staples clears the puck during Saturday night's high school hockey game between the Ice Hawks and the Helena Big Horns at the Havre Ice Dome. The Ice Hawks fell to the Big Horns twice.
Havre's Dexter Beck handles the puck during Saturday night's game at the Havre Ice Dome.
Havre's Donoven McLain battles on the ice during Saturday night's game at the Havre Ice Dome.
Havre goalie Trennis Riley tends the net during Saturday night's game at the Havre Ice Dome.
High school hockey is back in action and the Havre Ice Dome drew in quite the crowd for the Havre Ice Hawk's first home series on the ice.
Unfortunately, the series was rough for the Ice Hawks when they played the Helena Big Horns Saturday and Sunday.
The Big Horns came into the Havre Ice Dome and beat Havre 9-2 in Game One and 8-1 in Game Two.
Helena is a fiery competitor and did not hold back against the Ice Hawks. On top of that, the Big Horns took advantage of many mistakes the Ice Hawks made.
Havre head coach Barry Brownlee knows his team can do better when it came to Game One.
"In the first and second period the guys had no idea what they were doing," said Brownlee. "They didn't play as a team, started watching the puck more than watching the play."
The first period Saturday was indeed a doozy for the Ice Hawks, as they allowed three goals, the third from Johnathan Schoof. In the second period, the Big Horns scored five more goals, two of the five being back-to-back scores be Quin Nichols. Havre scored one goal in the second, courtesy of Donovan McLain.
The third period faired much better for the Ice Hawks. Bridger Staples scored a goal, but the Big Horns followed with a score of their own. The first match ended with a sour taste in Havre's mouth.
Despite the loss, Brownlee gave his team credit where it was due.
"In a positive note, the third period was a one-one game," said Brownlee. "They pulled it together in the third."
Sunday's game started out a lot more consistent for the Ice Hawks' defense, but the result still ended up similar to Saturday night. Helena handled much of the game and refused to let up, no matter the score.
Havre played more aggressively and attentively than the previous day, as well. But, at the same time, it was not enough to pull away with the victory, especially considering the number of penalties that came Havre's way. Things started off well for the Ice Hawks, but the Big Horns kept ahead.
Once again, Brownlee was looking for improvement after the Saturday loss, but it did not meet with his expectations.
"We had too many penalties," said Brownlee. "They were making bad hits and not skating. When they're not skating, you get lazy and what do you do? Make a penalty."
Helena pulled ahead in the first and second quarters 5-0, with goals from William Nese, Dylan Cummings, Nichols and Schoof. Havre found its first goal on a shorthand from Tavish McLean, but Kyle Markovics kept the Big Horns ahead with a score, making it 6-1 at the end of the second.
From there, Nese and Nichols both scored once more to cap off another big victory over the Ice Hawks. Despite another loss to Helena, there was still a positive throughout the games. Goalie Trennis Riley managed to stay relatively consistent at his position and made some clean saves multiple times.
Brownlee said he is glad to have Riley's skill on his team and its clear having him makes a difference.
"He's a great goalie," said Brownlee. "Without him, the score would have been a whole-of-a-lot different."
Back-to-back tough losses leaves the Ice Hawks at 2-2 in the early season. The team will look to recuperate and find a pair of wins against Missoula this Saturday and Sunday down in Missoula.
Reader Comments(0)