Ice Dawgs Look Forward To Season

Red and white. Black and blue. Those are the colors one might normally associate with a Glasgow Ice Dawgs hockey game. In this case, rather than bruises (though there were probably a fair amount of those also) the colors were for the jerseys worn by the four different lines who were on the ice Nov. 24 for a scrimmage.

The scrimmage gave head coach Pat Braaten a chance to see his players in action. In a normal year, the high school boys team would begin their season at the Sidney tournament. But, this not being a normal year due to the coronavirus pandemic, that annual tournament was canceled after North Dakota canceled their season in light of surging case numbers. Braaten told the Courier it was a disappointment to lose the tournament since it serves as an excellent non-conference warm-up for the boys.

The scrimmage at the Valley Event Center pitted Braaten's lines against each other, line 1 against line 2, and line 3 against line 4. Del Hansen coached lines 2 and 4. The final score was 7 to 3, with lines 1 and 3 taking the win. Braaten said afterwards that his first two lines are strong with some drop off after that, as is typical for Glasgow. The lines for the scrimmage were bolstered with some veteran Ice Dawgs, Ike Braaten, Koby Regalado and Bridger Barnett, as well as some Bantam players.

The mood on the ice was jovial yet competitive with some chirps flying alongside the puck. The team appears determined to enjoy their season as best they can under the circumstances. Braaten said he plans to take the season as it comes, knowing that players will most likely drop in and out of the lineup due to quarantine requirements and/or COVID-19 diagnoses. He stressed the team and coaches are doing all they can to stay healthy and safe while providing a season for the team.

In fact, Braaten pointed out that goalie Aidin Wilkoswki has only had a couple of practices under his belt this season due to being out. Wilkowski and Brayden Hansen look to be sharing time between the posts this year and Braaten returns a number of players to the lineup while also welcoming a number of stand out former Bantam players who took their team to a banner.

The Ice Dawgs will begin their official season next weekend, Dec. 11-13, at the Flathead tournament. Braaten predicts that the tournament will prove a more formidable start to the season than the Sidney Tournament. "That will be a tough one," he said. The Ice Dawgs are scheduled to play Flathead Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. They will face Butte at 8 p.m. Saturday evening and at 10 a.m. on Sunday Dec. 13.