Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary
December 20, 2004 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Alexandria Blizzard News Release
(Alexandria, MN) The Minnesota Blizzard Junior "A" Hockey team reached its holiday break, with a busy stretch of four games in as many days over the weekend. Two Blizzard defeats were sandwiched in between a couple of Minnesota wins over the Bismarck Bobcats.
Thursday night, December 16th, the Blizzard made a road trip to North Dakota's Capital City, and came back home with a 5-2 win over Bismarck. The two teams traded goals in the opening canto, with Minnesota's Ryan Hawkins (Eden Prairie, MN) scoring on the power play, with Tim Manthey (Anoka, MN) and Tony Selvog (Warroad, MN) earning assists. A three-goal flurry in the middle period gave the Blizzard a 4-2 advantage. Dan Swanson (Menomonie, WI) continued his emergence as one of the team's scoring leaders, with his 12th and 13th goals. Sam Windsor (Plymouth, MN) assisted on both of Swanson's scores, and Hawkins picked up an assist. The third goal of the period was Hawkins' second power play tally of the night, which was assisted by Selvog and Karl Larsen (Princeton, MN). Windsor fed Hawkins late in the game, for an empty net goal, to ice the Minnesota win. The hat trick by Hawkins, Minnesota's leading scorer, was the first ever for a Blizzard player, in club history. Marcus Paulson (Eden Prairie, MN) won his 14th game in goal this season, turning aside 32 Bismarck shots.
The next night, the Blizzard came under attack, by a host of stuffed teddy bears, as well as a fired up squad from Fargo-Moorhead. The Jets came out with a high level of intensity, that the Blizzard was not able to match on this night. Fargo-Moorhead rolled to a 6-2 win, on "Air the Bear" night, at the John Carlson Coliseum in Fargo. After the first Fargo-Moorhead goal at 3:19 in the first period, some 250 teddy bears and other related stuffed toys were thrown onto the ice, from the stands. The Jets players collected the cuddly objects, for donation to local charities in the Red River Valley, to brighten the holiday season of children not as fortunate as many others. The game marked the return of Goalie Clay Nestor (Glenwood, MN), who performed quite well, in spite of the final score. Nestor stopped 45 Fargo-Moorhead shots on the night. Nestor had been out of the lineup for nearly six weeks, recovering from mononucleosis. The Blizzard scored twice in the third period, to spoil the shutout. Andrew Olson (Alexandria, MN) scored his fourth goal of the year at 12:44, with assists from Shawn Bitzan (Alexandria, MN) and Bobby Kuehl (St. Paul, MN). Just over a minute later, Tony Selvog buried his third goal, on assists from Jake Nelson (Superior, WI) and Sean Fish (Ramsey, MN).
The Saturday game found the Blizzard back on home ice at the Runestone Community Center. The "home cooking" did not help, as the Billings Bulls shut out Minnesota, 2-0, for their first win against the Blizzard this season, in four tries. Jon Anderson was the magician between the pipes for Billings, saving 23 for his shutout. The Blizzard was hampered by an ineffective power play, going 0-for-7 with the man advantage.
In the final Blizzard game before Christmas, Ryan Hawkins netted the game-winning goal at 2:53 of overtime, to give Minnesota a 3-2 victory over the Bismarck Bobcats. Hawkins' 16th goal of the season, to end the game, was assisted by Dan Swanson. In regulation, Josh Frider (Moorhead, MN) and Sean Fish scored the Blizzard goals, with Sam Windsor and Aaron Castle (Roseau, MN) each collecting assists. Marcus Paulson performed well in the nets again for the Blizzard, with 36 saves on the night. The Sunday victory leaves the Blizzard all alone in second place, in the North American Hockey League's Western Division, with 38 points, on an 18-10-2 record. As of December 20th, the top four teams in the West are separated by a mere two points. The race for first place has been jumbled for several weeks, and all indications are that the Division will remain hotly contested, for the second half of the regular season.
The Blizzard will be home for the holidays....we invite you to our house, at Alexandria's Runestone Community Center. The Blizzard and the Helena Bighorns will play three times in five days, starting Sunday, December 26th. The game will commence at 5:00 PM. Minnesota and Helena will play twice more, on December 27th and 30th, with 7:00 starts both nights. Check out the fastest game around, between two top teams in the NAHL, when Helena visits Minnesota, to challenge the Blizzard.
New from the Blizzard: Gift tickets, as well as gift certificates. Gift tickets are just eight dollars each, and can be used, for any remaining Minnesota Blizzard home game, in the 2004-05 season. Gift certificates are available in any amount, and may be redeemed for Minnesota Blizzard merchandise or tickets. Gift tickets and Blizzard gift certificates make perfect stocking stuffers, for the sports fan. Contact the Blizzard, at (320) 763-1413, to find out more.
Tis the season to be jolly: Hopefully, you know the rest of the lyrics (trust me: you don't want the Media guy to sing them for you....Ha Ha!). May the holidays find you in the presence of friends and family. If you have significant others overseas, serving with the U.S. Armed Forces, we pass along our prayers and best wishes, in hopes that your loved ones will be safe. We, in Minnesota, are hoping that a White Christmas will not be just a dream this year. Lately, the landscape has resembled a hazy shade of winter, in West-Central Minnesota. The Minnesota Blizzard players, coaches, staff, and families pass along Season's Greetings to you and yours. Merry Christmas! Good tidings to you!
North American Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2004
- Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary - Alexandria Blizzard
- Blizzard end skid with OT win - 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.
