Ice Hawks go 1-2 at state

The Havre Ice Hawks high school hockey team got its 2015 Montana state high school hockey tournament off to a great start. But then the Ice Hawks ran into a Bozeman team they simply didn't have an answer for.

Havre opened the state tournament, which was held this past weekend in Missoula, with a 7-2 victory over Glasgow in pool play. But the Ice Hawks then dropped to straight games to the Bozeman #1 team, and the second loss eliminated them from the tournament.

In the win over Glasgow Friday, Havre had 32 shots on goal, while the Ice Hawk's defense allowed just 20 shots on goalie Josh Emge, who saved 18 of them.

Offensively, Havre started fast scoring four goals in the first period. Blake Hanson found the net on an assist from Kyle Konesky, while Alex Hanson also scored on an assist from Konesky. Nick Stump and Caleb McLain added unassisted goals in the period.

Havre's scoring barrage would continue as Alex Hanson scored on an assist from Gavin Gunderson and, then he assisted on a Konesky goal. Kade Friede scored Havre's final goal in the blowout win on an asset from Clifford Lenhardt.

Riding high after the opening win, Havre had to turnaround and play Bozeman Friday night, and the Ice Hawks were shut out 5-0. Emge played well between the pipes, stopping 33 Bozeman shots, but the Havre offense was stymied, and only managed to get nine shots on goal the entire game.

Following pool play, Havre would again face Bozeman on Saturday, and things didn't get any better for the Ice Hawks, who were shut out 12-0. Emge stood tall against a relentless Bozeman attack, as he was peppered with 52 shots, stopping 40 of them in his final game as an Ice Hawk.

And though the state tourney ended tough for the Ice Hawks, they still had a strong season, and will be back next winter to do it all over again.