Mattfeldt Seeks Competition Hat Trick

Wyatt Mattfeldt has been playing hockey since he was three years old. Ultimately, he'd like to go on to play at the college level, and he's already two-thirds of the way to his goal.

Although Mattfeldt is primarily skating on the high school team for the Ice Dawgs in Glasgow, he is also currently rostered with the Glacier Nationals, a junior league hockey team that has established their home ice in Havre, Mont.

The Nationals (Natties) compete in the Frontier Division along with the Helena Bighorns, the Yellowstone Quake, the Bozeman Icedogs, the Great Falls Americans, the Billings Bulls, and the Gillette Wild. Skaters' ages range from 17 to 21.

To secure a spot on the team, Mattfeldt took the initiative by contacting the Natties' coach, Butch Kowalka, and requested an opportunity to try out for the team. According to Mattfeldt's dad, Duane, Coach Kowalka was enthusiastic about having Mattfeldt try out and has been hosting him in his Havre home.

Despite minimal ice time with the Natties, Mattfeldt has already seen plenty of improvement with his skills, which is what he wants to focus on. "I want to be a better skater and eventually move on to play at the college level," said Mattfeldt.

The elder Mattfeldt, who has some years of coaching on his resume as well, is excited for the opportunity his son has. "For him to be able to have that level of coaching is amazing," he said.

Unfortunately, Mattfeldt will only be able to play for the Natties until Dec. 31. "It has to do with USA Hockey regulations," explained the elder Mattfeldt. "If he were to continue playing for the Nationals after that date, he would be restricted from playing high school hockey."

The good thing is, Mattfeldt is on the road to achieving his goal of playing at the college level. He's just got one more step to go to before he nets the hat trick of playing three different levels of hockey.