PeeWee Ice Dawgs Claim Third at State

The Glasgow Pee Wee Ice Dawgs hosted the Montana Amateur Hockey Association State Tournament this past weekend. Hockey teams from across the state descended on the Valley Event Center in an attempt to take home top honors. After suffering two setbacks on their quest for a banner, the Ice Dawgs fought back to end their season with a win and a third-place finish.

Coach Del Hansen was bursting with pride for the Glasgow crew. "This team's will to win is unexplainable," he said, before adding, "Every one of those kids make me proud and I treat them all like my own. We're not just a team, we're a family."

The Ice Dawgs tied their first game of the tournament against the Copper City Kings, 4-4. Game two saw the Dawgs down 5-0 at the end of the first against the Bozeman Icedogs, but anyone who counted the Dawgs down and out was sorely mistaken. A third period scoring surge led to the W with 0.3 seconds left on the clock, 6-5. Glasgow lost a tight game Saturday morning, going down 3-2 against the Great Falls Americans, sending the Dawgs to the consolation game where they shut out the Helena Bighorns, winning 3-0.

In their game against the Copper City Kings on March 5, goalie Jacob Potter registered an 88.2 save percentage, turning away 30 of 34 shots while his teammate put 15 shots on the Kings' netminder, successfully converting on four shots.

Copper City scored first in the game, but Jack Miller netted a shortie to tie the game and Landon Honey, assist Halle Hunter, gave the home team a one-point advantage just over 11 minutes into the game. The Kings tied the game on a power play goal to start the second period 2-2. Copper City added two more goals in the second, giving them the 4-2 advantage going into the final period.

Brock Ciarfardone, assist JP Cornwell, brought the Dawgs within a goal on a power play. Brody Hansen netted an even strength goal to tie the game at 4 a piece, a score that held for the remainder of the game. Glasgow served time for seven penalties in the game and Copper City was called for 12 infractions.

Back on the ice that evening against the Bozeman Icedogs, the home team went down by five goals in the first period. Hansen scored the only goal of the second period, putting Glasgow on the scoreboard 8:52 before intermission.

Coming out on a fresh sheet of ice, Glasgow continued firing shots on the Bozeman net, but the Icedogs netminder was standing on his head. Hansen added his second goal of the gam with 6:48 remaining. A dust-up led to two Icedgos getting ejected and a final momentum shift to Glasgow. The Dawgs seized the shift and took over the remaining 3 minutes 40 seconds of the game, converting four times on power plays.

Hansen scored his third goal with 2:04 left in the game with an assist from Hunter. With 1:22 left on the clock, he started a run for his second natural hat trick of the game. JP Cornwell assisted on Hansen's game-tying goal at 18 seconds. The game winner came from Hansen with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. "That Bozeman game hasta take the cake," exclaimed Coach Hansen. "That will be a game that those kids will never forget. I guarantee you as a coach and a dad, I never will. WOW!"

Glasgow faced off against the Great Falls Americans Saturday morning, but fell in a 3-2 tight contest. Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, but both teams scored once in the second, putting them at one goal a piece going into the third. Hansen with an assist from JP Cornwell registered the second period goal for the Dawgs on a power play. Landon Honey scored first in the third and gave Glasgow the goal advantage but Great Falls scored twice more to win the game 3-2.

The Ice Dawgs hit the ice against the Helena Bighorns Sunday in a game for third place. After a scoreless first, Hansen put Glasgow on the big board just over three minutes in to the second period, scoring a short-handed goal with an assist from Honey. He added the insurance goal on a power play with 4:20 to go before intermission. After the break, Hansen netted his third, and the game's final, goal with 12:10 left to play. Potter turned away all 25 attempts in the crease for the shut out in the team's third-place finish.

Coach Hansen praised his team for never giving up and putting in the work this season. "The older kids lead very well and the younger ones take it in and learn," he said of his "very coachable and respectful" players.