Dog Pound Weekly

Published on March 9, 2004 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bozeman Icedogs News Release


What a difference a day makes...that is how the ICEDOGS feel today after a huge win last night over the Helena Bighorns. The 'DOGS are now in sole posession of third place in the standings--two points ahead of Bismarck and Helena and four points behind Fargo-Moorhead.

This weekend, the USA Under-18 Development Team comes to Bozeman for games on Friday and Saturday. Friday's game will be sponsored by Harrington Pepsi and will be the winners-only puck toss for a trip to Denver to see a Colorado Avalanche game! Saturday's game will have the final post-game skate with the 'DOGS of the season...and is sponsored by Bozeman MRI. Gallatin Valley Golf will also be on hand both nights--so get your golf swing analyzed and a few tips for FREE!

Team Update

Everything that can possibly be said about this season's playoff race can be summarized in one word: unpredictable. Over the past several weeks, teams have switched places in the standings countless times...and every week the need to win grows exponentially.

If the ICEDOGS are going to maintain their spot in the playoffs, they must continue to win games. It will also help if Helena, Bismarck, and Fargo-Moorhead lose to teams like Billings (who has a pretty solid lock on first place) and non-playoff contenders Fernie and Minnesota. The final playoff positions may not be determined until the final games are played on March 20th.

Here is a rundown of games for the next two weeks that are of vital importance to the ICEDOGS. This Friday, Bismarck plays in Fargo-Moorhead and Helena plays in Fernie. Saturday, Minnesota plays at Bismarck, and Bilings travels to Fargo-Moorhead. Next Wednesday, Bismarck hosts Minnesota, and your hometown huskies travel to Helena. Next Friday, Fargo- Moorhead players in Minnesota, Fernie plays in Bozeman, and Bismarck plays in Helena. Next Saturday, Fargo-Moorhead plays in Minnesota, Bismarck plays in Helena, and the ICEDOGS play in Billings.

The 'DOGS can really be helped by Fernie beating Helena, and Minnesota taking care of business in two games each against Bismarck and Fargo-Moorhead. Billings can do their part by beating the Jets. From this point forward, anything can happen!

Upcoming Events

Coaches Corner is tonight from 5:30-7:30 at Bennigan's Restaurant. ICEDOGS players will also be helping to serve tables to raise money for the For One Another Cancer Family Network in their annual Tip-A-Dog event. Come talk hockey with ICEDOGS players and coaches and enjoy a great meal!

Saturday night will be our final post-game skate with the ICEDOGS this season! Even though the season is far from over, come thank retiring 'DOGS Zak McClellan, Garrett Gruenke, Brett Kistner, Matt Frank, and Yoakim Eklov for building a tradition of excellence for ICEDOGS Hockey. These outstanding young men have made a tremendous contribution to our organization, and will be missed.

The annual ICEDOGS Booster Club End of the Year Banquet will be held on March 21, 2004 at the Bozeman GranTree Inn. A no-host coctail hour will start at 5:00 pm and buffet dinner will be served at 6:00 pm. There will be live and silent auctions, raffles, and speeches by the coaches. Who knows, even Berno Inferno might step up to the microphon and give an infamous impromptu presentation. Please call Marlene Montgomery at 388- 1473 by March 13th with your reservation.

Get ready for one of the coolest promotions ever at the Valley Ice Garden. The ICEDOGS would like our fans to wear white to the final regular season home game March 19th. If you forget your white shirt, the Booster Club will be selling plain white shirts from Hands On for $3 each. Please plan to participate in our White Out promotion.

Miscellaneous News

The ICEDOGS are very excited about having their first local player start this weekend! 2003 Bozeman High Graduate Nick Boddy #29 will be in goal on Friday and Saturday! He played this season for the Tri City Titans (Junior B) and has been added to the ICEDOGS roster due to a family emergency of goalie Blake Yanics. Nick will be invited to tryout with the 'DOGS this summer, along with Bozeman resident Dane Fletcher!!!

ICEDOGS Sponsor Moonlight Basin is having another $10 day this Friday, March 12th! Take 4 people in one vehicle and one person gets their lift ticket free. Be sure to come to the ICEDOGS game Friday night after a great day of skiing on the slopes.

Season tickets are on sale now! Get a $50 credit/refund for every new season ticket holder you recruit! $20 holds your seat, with payments made when you want in amounts you want until August 1, 2004. There are also some new ticket options if you are not quite ready for season tickets.

Did you or your business miss out on your chance for an event night / Beer Garden party? Call Shoni Whiteside at 585-1415 if you would like to have an event night at a playoff game this spring! Event nights include use of the Beer Garden, game tickets, advertising, T-shirts, and a whole lot more! Reserve your chance for a playoff game event night today!

Spotlight on Terry Metro

ICEDOGS Assistant Coach Terry Metro started his hockey career at age four, at the pre-school skate. This all happened at 6:00 am at the Pullar Stadium...the same stadium that ICEDOGS Team Consultant Marty Pavelich had his tryout with the Detroit Redwings in. His earliest memory is pushing chairs around the ice wearing a red, white, and blue Montreal Canadiens jersey and using shoelaces to hold his shin pads in place. Early in his career, Terry played Defense but then was moved to Goalie as a second year squirt (age 10).

As a goalie, Terry admits his actions were "weird" and repetition was a huge part of his routine. When arriving at the rink, his nervousness was eased by a constant rocking back and forth in his stall. He would always put everything on starting with the left. Before every face off, he would bang his stick on the ice prior to every face off, starting with the left. He would also skate in a figure 8 right after every save. Terry believes the source of this type of strange behavior results from being alone, and the high pressure situations goalies face. Getting into a routine helps ease this tension, much like professional golfers go through the same routine before hitting each shot.

Terry's main responsibilities with the ICEDOGS include working with the forwards and goalies. Off the ice, he is the Billet Coordinator and is heavily involved in recruiting. He attends games and tournaments across the US and Canada in search of next year's ICEDOGS stars. Terry is excited about the players returning for the 2004-05 campaign, and the potential for a dominating team that exists.

Eventually, Terry would like to coach in the NHL...and believes his experiences here in the Juniors are a positive step in that direction. But for now, he is happy to be in Bozeman with his wife Tawney and kids Asia and Cree.

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North American Hockey League Stories from March 9, 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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