HS Ice Dawgs Beat Butte

They may not have had the season they were hoping for, but the high school Glasgow Ice Dawgs still found positives in their state tournament appearance. The Dawgs dished a loss to noted rival Butte and according to Colter Barnett, "...for the first time in many years, we left state in a higher ranking than before we went in!"

"I feel like we had a pretty good state considering the year we have had. I was really happy that everyone showed up to the tournament in a good mood," Gage Siefert told the Courier. "Everyone had a good weekend and we were able to pull off a win against Butte which was a big goal for everyone."

Glasgow first faced the Flathead Fusion, a skilled team who won 7-1. The Fusion put up two goals in the first, three in the second period and two in the third before Tatum Hansen put Glasgow on the scoreboard, netting a shortie on an assist from Colter Barnett.

Brayden Hansen faced 63 shots on his net, registering an 88.9 save percentage. The Glasgow offense put 16 pucks on Flathead's net. Both teams kept it clean, getting only two penalties each. For Glasgow, Randall Lasar served two minutes for tripping in the first and Siefert served two minutes for interference in the second.

Glasgow hit the ice against Helena later in the day, and fell to the Bighorns, 8-1. Aidin Wilkowski saw 34 shots between the pipes in the first period, with Helena getting five pucks past him. B. Hansen would step into the crease and finish out the game for the Dawgs, facing 28 shots over his two periods of play. Helena put three shots past the relief goalie in the second period but they were shut out in the third.

Peyton Hubbard, on an assist from T. Hansen, put Glasgow's lone goal in net early in the second period. Michael Hoyer was called for the only penalty in the game, serving two minutes for hooking in the first period.

Saturday, the Dawgs hit the ice against the Copper City Kings. Fueled by rivalry and a strong desire to win, Glasgow came out on top 5-3 in an action-packed contest. Colter Barnett found the back of the net first, netting a power-play goal in the first of many man-advantages in the game. The Kings would tie the game before the first buzzer sounded, but Glasgow retook the lead in the second when Hoyer found the back of the net on a Barnett assist during a power play.

Hoyer put an insurance goal early in the third, but Copper City answered soon after, bringing them back within a one-goal margin. Barnett and Hoyer teamed up again when Barnett scored a PPG with four minutes left in the game. One minute, 16 seconds later, Barnett put in a shortie, giving the Dawgs a three-goal lead. Copper City found their way past B. Hansen one last time, scoring their own power play goal, but Glasgow held on to their lead for the remainder of the game.

Barnett said, "There have been many ups and downs to this year's hockey season, but one of my favorites is beating Butte! We have had a rivalry with them for a few years now and we are usually pretty close competition." Hoyer echoed his teammate, "My highlight of the season was probably beating Butte twice this season. I hate Butte and it's good to show them what we got."

The win came with a cost as both teams racked up penalties, including an elbow with head shot and a game misconduct call in the second period against T. Hansen, leading to a suspension for Glasgow's final game. Lex Fairclough served an interference call in the first and third periods, and a roughing call in the second. Ian Peterson was called for slashing in the first and Barnett sat for elbowing. Glasgow had a too many players bench call in the third, while Siefert was called for checking from behind and a game misconduct and Hubbard was called for elbowing in the third.

Glasgow's final game came agains the Billings Bulls, another tough team. Billings took a decisive win, 13-2 after leaping out to a 5-1 lead in the first period. Barnett connected for Glasgow's goal with assists from Wilkowski and Fairclough. Billings put in another four pucks in the second period, gaining an insurmountable lead. Hoyer scored a goal early in the third period with help from Bailey Hansen and Barnett, but the Bulls had four more goals in them.

Wilkowski faced 53 shots between the posts before Brayden Hansen took over netminding in the third, allowing the senior Ice Dawg to finish his high school career on the ice. Glasgow put 17 total shots on net on the other end of the ice. Kaden Kummerfeldt led Glasgow in penalties with calls for elbowing, head butt and game misconduct. Zevin Kummerfeldt had a holding call in the second and Peterson was called for tripping.

Barnett, the Ice Dawgs captain, was named to the MAHA 2021 All-State Team for his performance in the tournament. Barnett will return next year to again lead the Glasgow team. He and other returning players are now looking at the lessons of this year and how they will apply changes for next season. Hoyer said he is looking forward to seeing if the team will move from the A league to the B league, where the team might find themselves on more even ground. Siefert said with the kids coming up and the team maturing, he believes the Dawgs can prove to be a good team next year. Barnett is also looking forward to welcoming the players moving up next season, noting it will bring together the team members who won a Bantam state title.