Ice Hawks home for the final time: Havre to honor four special seniors

There have been a lot of special nights on the ice inside the Havre Ice Dome, but this weekend, there will be more of them for the Havre Ice Hawks high school hockey team.

Tonight and Saturday will be a big series for Havre. The Ice Hawks will be up against the Flathead Fusion tonight at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Havre Ice Dome.

Not only is it the final two home games of the season for the Ice Hawks, but the series will involve the senior night for Havre, too.

The Ice Hawks will be recognizing four seniors who have made some noise on the ice under Havre head coach Barry Brownlee. Havre's seniors this year are Donovan McLain, Dexter Beck, Bridger Staples and Rhoda Peterson.

McLain, Beck and Staples have been a major part of the Ice Hawks' success in the season, while Peterson has been making her mark with both the high school team and the 19U girls Lady Ice Hawks.

Staples has had his fair share of goals, adding quite a few points for Havre in home games. McLain has been known to play passionately and aggressive - which is exactly what many look for in a great hockey player. Beck has been a consistent force on the ice for the Ice Hawks and keeps his head in the game every second, while Peterson has done a lot to make sure her team knows she has their back.

Overall, the four seniors are looking forward to putting on a show against the Fusion and adding some more wins to the year. There will be a lot of emotion and physicality in the series. Brownlee and the Ice Hawks will look to keep Flathead at bay on the ice at home.

But Havre has had a bit of an unlucky streak at home in quite a few series. Losses to the Bulls and Bighorns at home have been unfortunate for the Ice Hawks, but Havre has had better luck on the road, beating teams like Great Falls away from home. Overall, the Ice Hawks will look to change the narrative in the Havre Ice Dome to a positive one.

With a lot of season left, more wins to pick up and a state tournament in the future, Havre will have the drive and goals to put their name out there on the ice across Montana. The last two series on the radar are against Glasgow and a rematch with the Fusion, so to set the tone now at home versus Flathead is on the mind for Havre, as well.

The coming weekend means so much to the team, fans and the seniors who are looking to make their last year on the ice their best. It will be a fired up series on the ice when the Ice Hawks take on the Flathead Fusion tonight at 7:30 and Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Havre Ice Dome.

It's a big weekend for Havre hockey, too, as the Havre Ice Dome also hosts the game between the Montana State University Bobcats and University of Providence Argos Saturday night. That game will be a fundraiser for the MSU-Northern hockey club, which plans on competing starting next fall.