Havre Ice Hawks ready to compete against tough competition

As winter rolls across northern Montana, many will huddle inside to stay warm. One of those places will be the Havre Ice Dome where local hockey fans will gather to watch the Havre Ice Hawks high school hockey team play this season. Heading into this season, head coach Chase Hanson hopes that the Hawks can show what they are made of this season.

"I'm hoping that this team sets the tone, rewrites a lot of what we've been doing with Havre youth hockey and gets ready to compete at the highest level," Hanson said. "It's going to take a little getting used to with the play at this higher level but we've got a team that can do it. So hoping to bring back that championship mentality here to Havre youth hockey." The Hawks will open the season this weekend when they host the Bozeman Ice Dogs at Havre Ice Dome this Saturday and Sunday. While it is their season opener, Hanson expects the games this weeked to be some of their toughest outings this season.

"Bozeman always has a well-disciplined team. They have some snipers in the offensive zone so they are going to be a challenge here to start the year," Hanson said.

Over the rest of 2021, the Hawks will play a few more doubleheaders. Next weekend, the Hawks will head to Great Falls to play the Great Falls Americans. In December, the Hawks will host the Flathead Fusion and Helena Big Horns at the Havre Ice Dome.

The Hawks will then head to Flathead to play the Fusion to begin 2022. That same weekend, the Hawks will play another tough opponent on the road in the Missoula Bruins.

"They're always well disciplined," Hanson said about Missoula. "They do have some shooters and some good puck movement."

The Hawks will finish the regular season with several more games against Great Falls, Missoula and Helena. They then end the regular season on the road against the Billings Bulls in February.

Heading into such a tough schedule, Hanson expects his seniors to be an anchor this season. The Hawks' senior class consists of Tavish McLean, Theron Peterson, Kaine Black, Juston Rosgaard and Jared Rosgaard. Along with their juniors and sophomores, the Hawks added freshmen Decker Hanson, Trayden Riley, Austin Boyce and Tanya Ralph to fill out the roster this season. As they begin the season this weekend, Chase Hanson believes the Hawks' roster will have a speed advantage over their opponents this season.

"We're going to have some pretty good speed and skating," Hanson said. "We're going to really push the kids to use their advantages in their legs and their speed. We got some quick ones out here."

However, the Hawks still have to work on their defense heading into the season but Hanson believes they are trending in the right direction on that front.

"That's something that the kids are right in the grasp of - going good to great with our defensive zone positioning and our discipline," Hanson said.

Most of the Hawks' opponents this season will be made up of seniors and juniors. The Hawks meanwhile are made up of players from every grade level, so they will be younger on average then most of their opponents. But Hanson believes that if they can stick together, they can compete this winter.

"Trusting each other, believing in each other," Hanson said, will be the keys to success this season. "Really going to push the teamwork aspect and that's where it's going to be; believing in each other, supporting each other and moving that puck around."

The Hawks will begin the season against Bozeman at the Havre Ice Dome Saturday at 7 p.m.