Havre hits the ice for the state tournament

It has been a season full of ups and downs for the Havre Ice Hawks high school hockey team.

The Ice Hawks have pulled off some incredible wins on the road, at home, in overtime and in shoot outs throughout the year. But next up, Havre will face its biggest challenge yet.

Starting Friday and going through Sunday, the Ice Hawks will be competing in the 2020 MAHA High School Varsity State Championships at the Haynes Pavillion and Ressler Motors Ice Rink in Bozeman.

The tourney is the greatest challenge Havre goes up against this weekend, where many teams across Montana will look to claim the prize of first place in the tournament. For the Ice Hawks, it all comes down to this weekend and they will have ambitions to rise to the top.

The Ice Hawks will face off against fiery opponents this weekend, but Havre has some big bonuses on its squad, too.

Senior leadership from Bridger Staples, Donovan McLain, Dexter Beck and Rhoda Peterson help bring about the best from everybody on the team. The four players make sure that their presence is felt on the court but provide the extra boost the Ice Hawks may need at dire times.

On top of that, other key contributors like Jocelyn Staples, Kaine Black, Tavish McLean, Trennis Riley and Stephen Preputin provide excellent support on both ends of the puck. Riley is one of the top goalies in the state, while Preputin has also been outstanding between the pipes for the Ice Hawks this season.

Meanwhile, the MAHA has a lot of tough teams at the high school level. The Billings Bulls and Helena Bighorns are two tough teams that can potentially stand in Havre's way throughout the tournament, while others like the Flathead Fusion can disrupt the Ice Hawks if left unchecked. Meanwhile, teams like the Great Falls Americans and the Copper City (Butte) Kings aim to get revenge on Havre after the Ice Hawks beat them previously.

Needless to say, there will be no easy way around the competition down in Bozeman. Havre will be on its toes every second the puck is on the ice. Even so, the Ice Hawks have been through and have overcome obstacles put in front of them. In the end, counting Havre out will not be so easy.

The Havre Ice Hawks look to make some noise at the 2020 MAHA High School Varsity State Championships at the Haynes Pavilion and Ressler Motors Ice Rink in Bozeman Friday through Sunday, where the Ice Hawks aim to take home some hardware. The Ice Hawks begin pool play Friday and go through Saturday. The championship and consolation games are set for Sunday.