Dog Pound Weekly

Published on January 7, 2004 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bozeman Icedogs News Release


The ICEDOGS are at home against the Fargo-Moorhead Jets this Friday and then travel to Helena for a battle with the Bighorns on Saturday. Both games begin at 7:05 pm. Friday's game is sponsored by Bozeman MRI and will feature Termites Hockey during the first intermission. You can listen live to voice of the ICEDOGS Mark Martello on 95.1-FM The Moose if you are unable to catch the action in person.

Zak McClellan Commits To Michigan State

Third year ICEDOG Zak McClellan recently gave a commitment to play Division I Hockey at the prominant program of Michigan State. Zak started playing hockey when he was 5 years old. His first goal celebration landed him flat on his back after he tried to do a fist pump while skating on one leg. Those of you who have watched Zak over the years know that he has a mellow temper, and does not get involved in altercations. Because of that, the story of his first fight was quite a shock.

He was playing in a tournament at the age of 16, and one of his teammates, (and best friend), left him on defense during a breakaway by the other team so he could go after the other team's goalie unobstructed. To this day, Zak does not know what prompted such an odd timing for this. After seeing their goalie being attacked, the other team halted their advance and went after Zak's friend and teammate. Zak was one of the first ones to come to his friend's rescue, and was quickly caught up in the madness. After getting in a good shot on the goalie, his helmet was ripped off from behind and he was turned around to receive a punch that broke his nose. His nose swelled to the size of an orange, and his dad congratulated him on not going down...his mom was just glad to have the fight over.

ICEDOGS Head Coach John LaFontaine added Zak to the ICEDOGS roster after seeing him in a prospects tournament in Toronto in 2001. The highlight of his career in Bozeman was winning the Borne Cup in 2002, although building the tradition of ICEDOGS Hockey is pretty exciting. He believes the first class coaching staff, fans, management and facility will continue to be an asset as the 'DOGS make their mark on Junior A hockey. He firmly believes that his leadership abilities began as a rookie, and following the example of the veterans on the 2001-02 squad. He use to be scared when Coach LaFontaine would say to him, "Zak I need to talk to you" but now initiates those conversations himself. He has appreciated Coach LaFontaine's approach to life and hockey, and his honest evaluation in both praise and criticism...and adds that having a coach who is truly honest with his players is unusual at this level. Congratulations on advancing your career, Zak! Best of luck at Michigan State in your personal, educational, and hockey pursuits!

Team Update

What is it about the Billings Bulls? The ICEDOGS have been able to beat every other team in the league at least once, but the Bulls are causing all kinds of problems for the third-place 'DOGS. Coach LaFontaine's team had two chances last weekend to pick up that elusive first win from the Bulls. The first opportunity was Friday night in Billings, and after the first 20 minutes, things were looking pretty good for Bozeman. With a 1-0 lead heading into the locker room, the 'DOGS knew they needed to have a strong second period to avoid another letdown. In what LaFontaine called a "ten-minute letdown," Billings scored five goals. Obviously the difference in a 5-2 contest, the ICEDOGS won the rest of the game 2- 0, but it was that all-too-familiar lapse that cost the 'DOGS the game. Coach LaFontaine explains what went wrong: "I don't think we played strong enough defensively, and offensively we didn't generate enough. We didn't fight through checks, we let them have three breakaways, and we didn't commit on D quick enough. The first and third (periods) were pretty even." Saturday night's game in Bozeman was somewhat of a different story. In a game of streaks by both teams, Billings got out to the first lead, 2-0, halfway through the first period. A collective sigh of "here we go again" seemed to run throughout the Valley Ice Garden's 2,083 fans, but Mike Parks breathed life into the ICEDOGS and their fans with a power-play goal late in the period.

A.J. Balaze scored his first career goal early in the second to tie the score at two, then Tom Flikeid scored less than two minutes later, giving the ICEDOGS their first lead of the game. Then came the Billings streak. They scored four- straight goals to give themselves a seemingly insurmountable 6-3 lead. Just before disgruntled ICEDOGS fans had a chance to get up and leave, Matt Frank scored a power-play goal. Josh Heidinger scored on another power-play, and Bozeman's streak was on. Steve Cunningham scored a game-tying goal, and the ICEDOGS were clearly dominating the game. After several more excellent chances on the goal and some solid saves by Billings goalie John Anderson, regulation ended in a 6-6 deadlock.

In the overtime period, each team managed two chances at the net, but couldn't connect. In the ensuing shootout, Anderson carried the Bulls, stopping all four Bozeman shooters, while Billings was able to score twice on Josh Kassel. Coach LaFontaine says his team's performance away from the puck both offensively and defensively was one of the main reasons for the improved performance on Saturday. "We still had breakdowns though," he said, speaking mostly of the 5-on-3 power play goal they gave up early in the third period. "Our power-play was much better, and we forechecked well, so we were able to get more quality shots." The ICEDOGS edged the Bulls in shots, 36-35, but the Bulls were 3-for-6 on the power play, while the 'DOGS were a still-impressive 3- for-7 with the man-advantage. "I thought we got outworked Friday; I didn't think we got outworked Saturday," says LaFontaine. "Their goaltender came up with bigger saves." With an always-improving offense, things are looking up for the ICEDOGS. "We're starting to score more goals, and it's coming from all lines," says LaFontaine. "We had three lines score two goals each on Saturday." "The offense was there," he continued. "We've got to continue to tighten up defensively; we gave up too many shots."

Dave Creamer Announces Resignation

Bozeman ICEDOGS Director of Media Relations and Game Operations Dave Creamer has announced his resignation effective January 16th. Fortunately, he will continue to assist on game nights for the next several weeks.

Dave graduated from MSU and joined the Valley Ice Garden staff in the summer of 2001 as a part-time assistant in game operations, media relations, and group sales. In 2002, he was promoted to his current full-time position and has worked hard to improve many aspects of our organization. We will miss Dave's dedication to the ICEDOGS, and his sense of humor. His responsibilities are being distributed among remaining management.

Roster Moves

#3 John Paulson was recently traded to the St. Louis Eagles of the USHL. The ICEDOGS will not receive a player in return. The St. Louis Eagles of the USHL had been expressing an interest in obtaining John from the ICEDOGS for the past few weeks. He didn't dress the last two games-- and requested the trade in order to join the Eagles.

#19 Justin Bodine has been traded to the Youngstown Phantoms. The ICEDOGS will not receive a player in return.

The trading deadline is January 10th, but players may be added to the squad until February 10th as long as they have not been on another Junior A roster.

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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