George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
The Havre Ice Hawks have some new players this year, some younger players who are just now finding what Montana high school hockey is all about. But when the Ice Hawks traveled to Great Falls this past weekend to renew their rivalry with the Great Falls Americans, it was business as usual for both teams. Friday night's game was the grand opening for Great Falls' new Ice Plex, and the Americans christened the new building in style, beating the Ice Hawks 8-2. Despite stopping 26 shots in the game, the Americans got to Havre goalie Will DeVries early and often in a game that Havre was never able to get under control. Kyle Miller got what would become a huge weekend for the junior, off to a good start on Friday night. Miller scored Havre's only two goals of the night, and Mason Sheppard assisted on both scores. Paul Turner also registered an assist on Miller's second goal. Friday night's game was lopsided, but like Havre has done to the Americans so many times before, the Ice Hawks bounced back in a big way. On Saturday morning, Havre skated to a 7-4 victory over Great Falls. The win was sparked by a pair hat tricks from Miller and Sheppard. Each forward scored three times to push the Ice Hawks to victory, and a road split with their conference rivals. Shane Kemmer also found the net for the Ice Hawks, and Sheppard added to his huge game with three assists, for a total of six points. Two of Sheppard's goals were of the unassisted variety. Cam schilling also had an assist as did Kemmer, and DeVries was stellar between the pipes, stopping 33 Great Falls shots to earn his second win of the season. The Ice Hawks (2-4) will have a week of rest before returning to the ice Dec. 12-13. The Ice Hawks will play to home games against Bozeman at the Havre Ice Dome.
