Icedogs look to chip away at division rival's lead
January 6, 2005 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bozeman Icedogs News Release
Earlier this season, ICEDOGS' head coach John LaFontaine explained that if his team is going to move up in the standings, they have to win the majority of their conference games. As LaFontaine rolls his calendar over to 2005, he is welcomed by nothing but conference games for the rest of the season. A majority of those games are against the ICEDOGS' biggest rivals, Billings and Helena. Those games, LaFontaine says, are vital to preparing the ICEDOGS for the playoffs.
"We have to consistently win against Helena and Billings if we're going to be successful this year," LaFontaine said in December. "We play them more than any other teams, and if we're able to get a winning record against them, we'll have a successful season."
The team will start chipping away at the Bulls' ten point lead in the standings this Friday in Billings as they kick off the second half of the season. The ICEOGS have not played since December 18, when they lost 3-1 to the Helena Bighorns.
The Bulls, who are not as rested, beat the Bismarck Bobcats 3-1 on New Year's Day. So far this season, the Bulls have a 5-2 record against the ICEDOGS.
The ICEOGS return home on Saturday to play the Fargo-Moorhead Jets for the first time this season. The Jets sit in first place in the Western Conference with 45 points, 16 ahead of the ICEDOGS.
"The Jets are on a roll." LaFontaine said. "They recently increased their margin by beating Helena twice last weekend. They are one of the most tenacious, aggressive teams at not giving you much time in the mid-zone. They're very quick on defense. They gap up quickly not giving teams much time. In order to beat them you have to use indirect passing -- chip the puck off the boards and get it deep in their zone."
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North American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2005
- Blizzard-Jets game rescheduled - NAHL
- U.S. National Team finishes fifth at 2005 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - U.S. National Team
- Bulls split weekend series with Bismarck - Billings Bulls
- Bobcats hope new blood means wins - Bismarck Bobcats
- Phantoms focus on Soo, announce first college signing - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Wildcats go 1-1, Teddy Bear Toss a success - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Spirit win pair on road, then drop New Year's tilt - Alaska Avalanche
- Icedogs look to chip away at division rival's lead - Bozeman Icedogs
- Tornado win third straight Newmarket Showcase - Texas Tornado
- Jets reclaim first in NAHL West - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- First Blizzard game of 2005 this Friday - Alexandria Blizzard
- Wins over Texarkana earn Hatch co-winner of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - NAHL
- Spirit's Erickson leads from blueline to grab share of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - NAHL
- New Bobcat Fulton's five-point week captures Sher-wood NAHL Offensive Player of the Week award - NAHL
- NAHL announces All-Star team, coaches and staff who will face Tornado - NAHL
- Blizzard player commits to Division I Hockey program - Alexandria Blizzard
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