Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary
January 24, 2005 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Alexandria Blizzard News Release
(Alexandria, MN) The Minnesota Blizzard Junior "A" Hockey team is aiming to work out of its first prolonged slump, of the 2004-05 regular season. In a weekend where six points in the standings were up for grabs, the Blizzard failed to get any reward for their efforts. Fargo-Moorhead posted three wins over the Blizzard, which included the completion of the suspended game from November 27th. Minnesota now stands in fourth place in the Western Division of the North American Hockey League, having lost four games in a row.
The weekend action actually started in Fargo rather than Alexandria. Friday's game was postponed. Severe winter weather across the region, with up to nine inches of new snow being whipped around by fierce North winds, created white-out conditions, and hazards for motorists. The Friday game was pushed back to Sunday night, at the Runestone Community Center. The Saturday action in Fargo began with the completion of a Jets-Blizzard match-up in November, which was stopped by bad ice in Wahpeton's Stern Arena. Minnesota fell behind 3-0 in the second period, then showed some energy, in mounting a comeback. The Blizzard capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity. Forward Dan Swanson (Menomonie, WI) buried the biscuit in the basket, getting assists from Ryan Hawkins (Eden Prairie, MN) and Sam Windsor (Plymouth, MN). Early in the final stanza, with F-M still holding a 3-1 lead, the Blizzard went on another power play, but disaster would ensue. Minnesota turned the puck over in its own end. The Jets' Tom Dickhudt stole the puck away, skated in, and flicked a shot past Blizzard Goalie Marcus Paulson (Eden Prairie, MN) for his fifth short-handed goal of the year. Any momentum that the Blizzard possessed vanished at that point. Paulson came up with more than 40 saves in the game, but the Jets prevailed, 5-1.
The Blizzard squad ended up humming the 5-1 blues later that night. Fargo-Moorhead triumphed in the regularly-scheduled game Saturday night by a 5-1 score. The Blizzard got a break, in taking a 1-0 lead in the opening period. In the Fargo-Moorhead zone, Tony Selvog (Warroad, MN) sent a centering pass toward the net, which was deflected in by a Jets' player. Selvog was credited with his sixth goal of the season, with an assist from Karl Larsen (Princeton, MN). The Jets would tie the game later in the opening canto, then add two goals in each of the final two periods. Two of the five Fargo-Moorhead goals came on the power play. Both teams had nine chances with the man advantage, but the Blizzard was unable to score a power play goal. 81 minutes in penalties were doled out, between the two teams.
Sunday night, it was Act 3, of the Jets-Blizzard miniseries (or could it be miseries?). Both goalies shined in this defensive encounter....Marcus Paulson for the Blizzard, and Andy Stricker for Fargo-Moorhead. Paulson turned aside 33 of 34 shots, but was out-dueled by Stricker, who beat the Blizzard for the second straight game, on a 22-save shutout. Fargo-Moorhead tallied a power-play goal in the middle period, for the only scoring. The 1-0 Blizzard loss was their first blemish, on an otherwise spectacular record in one-goal games (now 14-1-2). After going nearly two-thirds of the season with a losing streak no longer than two games, Minnesota has now dropped four straight, to fall into fourth place, in the Western Division of the North American Hockey League. Still, the Blizzard own a respectable 21-15-2 mark, with 18 games remaining in the regular season.
Ahead for the Blizzard: Two games this coming weekend at the Runestone Community Center in Alexandria, with the Bismarck Bobcats providing the opposition. The Bobcats 4-2 win over Minnesota January 15th was the first game, in this four-game Blizzard skid. The games this weekend will be Friday and Saturday, with start times of 7:00 both nights.
On a happier note....light some candles on the cake for: Minnesota Blizzard Assistant Coach Jeff Crouse, whose birthday is January 24th. Belated January birthday wishes go out to Blizzard players Tim Manthey (Anoka, MN) and Marcus Paulson, who were born 19 days apart. Tim is the elder statesman, ringing in the New Year with his 20th birthday on New Year's Day. Marcus joined the "twentysomething" crowd, with a "golden" birthday on Thursday, January 20th. Ironically, Marcus became the third player on the Blizzard roster, to celebrate his "golden" birthday (where your age and birth date are the same) during the hockey season. Dan Swanson turned 19 on November 19th, while Brian Baker (Brooklyn Park, MN) had his 19th birthday on December 19th....a day which produced an exciting Blizzard overtime victory against Bismarck. Two other players, Jake Nelson (Superior, WI) and Clay Nestor (Glenwood, MN) celebrated their "golden" birthdays during calendar year 2004.
Thanks for reading the summary! Have a good week, and enjoy the new snow that has graced the Midwest and Northeast U.S.!
North American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2005
- Jets Sweep Minnesota, Prewitt Extends Streak - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary - Alexandria Blizzard
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