Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary
November 2, 2004 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Alexandria Blizzard News Release
(Alexandria, MN) In their only game of the weekend, the Minnesota Blizzard skated into North Dakota's Capital City, and came away with a victory over the Bobcats. The win kept Minnesota in second place in the North American Hockey League's Western Division, and gave the Blizzard an opportunity to grab a share of first place in the standings this coming Friday night.
Saturday, 10/30/04: The Blizzard wrapped up their most successful month in franchise history, with a 4-2 victory at Bismarck. In the first two periods, Minnesota grabbed one-goal leads, only to see the Bobcats come back. It took less than three minutes for the Blizzard to get on the board. Aaron Castle (Roseau, MN) tallied first for Minnesota, against his former mates (he spent the first part of 2003-04 with Bismarck). Paul Henderson (Menomonie, WI) had the lone assist on Castle's goal, which came with 2:30 elapsed. Dan McCauley (Blaine, MN) snapped a 1-1 tie in the middle period, with his fourth goal, which was assisted by Rylan Galiardi (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and Jake Nelson (Superior, WI). The Bobcats seemed to get the momentum heading into the final canto. Robert Huna tied the game with just nine seconds left in the second period. The Bobcats then riddled Minnesota Goalie Marcus Paulson (Eden Prairie, MN) with several shots, from various spots on the ice. Paulson and his defenders in front of him teamed up to keep Bismarck off the board in the final 20 minutes of the hockey game. Meanwhile, Minnesota took advantage of a power-play opportunity, to take the lead almost midway through the third period. Ryan Hawkins (Eden Prairie, MN) netted his team-leading seventh goal at 8:02, assisted by Andrew Olson (Alexandria, MN) and Tony Selvog (Warroad, MN). Minnesota wrapped up the scoring for the night, as Josh Frider (Moorhead, MN) found the back of the Bismarck net for his fifth goal of the year at 17:05, with assists going to a pair of Shawns (Seans?), Shawn Bitzan (Alexandria, MN) and Sean Fish (Ramsey, MN). Paulson stopped all 18 shots that came his way in the final period, and finished with 39 saves overall, to raise his record in the nets to 7-2 on the season. The Blizzard completed the month on a high note, compiling a 8-1-1 mark in October.
A showdown of Division leaders this Friday in Alexandria....get caught up in the storm! Friday evening, November 5th, the Blizzard play just their third home game of the 2004-05 campaign, hosting the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. Fargo-Moorhead, which made the NAHL Western Division playoffs during in inaugural season of 2003-04, has been "flying" at the top of the Division so far, leading the way with a 10-2-1 record. They will be trying to bounce back, following a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Bismarck on October 29th. This will be the second, of 12 regular season meetings between the Jets and the Blizzard. Hope to see you at the Runestone Center in Alexandria this Friday, for this on-ice clash of Division leaders! Game time is 7:00. The ticket windows will open one hour prior to game time. Advance tickets can be purchased, by calling the Minnesota Blizzard, at (320) 763-1413.
Saturday's game will be in "Otter Tail Country": No, this is not a new nation that has been created. We refer to Fergus Falls, MN, which is where the Blizzard and the Bismarck Bobcats will engage, in a regular-season contest Saturday, November 6th. The Blizzard appearance in Fergus Falls will be presented, in part, by the Fergus Falls Hockey Association. Game time Saturday night is 7:00, at the Fergus Falls Fairgrounds Arena. Even though the contest will be at a neutral site, it will be classified as a "home" game for the Blizzard. The Blizzard invites you to take in the "fastest game around"....Junior "A" Hockey, at the Fergus Falls Fairgrounds Arena Saturday night!
Thanks for checking out the Blizzard weekly summary! While here, feel free to browse other links on the club web site. If you are not already at the web site for the Minnesota Blizzard, log onto www.minnesotablizzard.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from November 2, 2004
- Blizzard organization announces its Player of the Week - Alexandria Blizzard
- Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary - Alexandria Blizzard
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.
