BILLINGS Paced by stellar defense and Eric McLain's 113 total saves, the Havre Ice Hawks won four straight games to claim the championship of the Montana state hockey tournament last weekend.
Cody McLain scored two goals, Garrett Drake added two assists and Eric McLain stopped 35 shots to lead Havre to a 3-2 win over Butte in the tournament's championship contest.
Also for the Ice Hawks, J.R. Morse scored a goal and Chad Hanson chipped in with an assist.
Havre, led by defensemen Jared Boyce, Mark Benjamin, Tyler Sheppard and Andy Myers, gave up just seven goals throughout the entire tournament.
Benjamin recorded a goal and an assist, and Sheppard and Boyce each punched in a goal to help the Ice Hawks defeat Billings 3-1 and advance to the title game.
Tim Healy, Brett Patrick and Jason Johnstone each had an assist for Havre against Billings.
Benjamin and Boyce both notched two goals and two assists to lead Havre to a 7-1 victory over Miles City.
Johnstone and Cody McLain each had a goal and two assists, and Brett Patrick had a goal and an assist for Havre.
Havre opened its tournament run with a 4-3 win over Gillette.
Drake had a goal and two assists, and Johnstone, Tyson Roe and Boyce each had a goal and an assist for the Ice Hawks.
The tournament, which is not officially sponsored by the Montana High School Association, is for high school-aged athletes.
