Home Ice: Ice Hawks win four in a row

The Havre Ice Hawks high school hockey team is on a roll right now. And that roll ran right through the Havre Ice Dome this weekend.

The Ice Hawks hosted four games inside the Ice Dome over the weekend, two against the Flathead Fusion, and two more against Salmon, Idaho. And in each game, Havre found the net early and often, as the Ice Hawks went a perfect 4-0 on their home stand.

Saturday morning, the Ice Hawks welcomed in Flathead for the first two of two games. And right off the bat, the Havre offense got going. The Ice Hawks scored three goals in the first period, and never looked back on their way to a 5-2 victory.

Clifford Lenhardt scored on an assist by Jeffrey Ralph, while Alex Hanson and Nic Stump added goals. Blake Hanson also scored twice for the Ice Hawks, while Kyle Konesky, Ralph and Alex Hanson had two assists each. Kade Friede also had an assist for the Ice Hawks, while goalie Josh Emge had 22 saves.

In the rematch between the Ice Hawks and Fusion Saturday night, Emge pitched a shutout. He stoped 17 Flathead shots in a 4-0 Havre win.

The Ice Hawks had 43 shots on goal, while Havre scored two in the second period and two in the third. Blake Hanson scored twice, the first on an assist by Alex Hanson and the second on assists by Alex Hanson and Gavin Gunderson. Alex Hanson also scored on assists by Konesky and Blake Hanson, while Konesky scored a short-handed goal in the third.

With the sweep of the Fusion, the Ice Hawks turned their attention to Salmon, Idaho, Sunday. Again, the Havre offense was strong, as the Ice Hawks put 43 shots on the net in a 5-3 win. Havre found the back of the net three times in the first period to build an early 3-1 advantage.

Blake Hanson scored a hat trick for the Ice Hawks, scoring on an assist from Alex Hanson, and another on assists by Alex Hanson and Konesky. He also scored a short-handed goal in the second period. Ralph added a goal on an assist by Blake Hanson, while Konesky scored in the second period on an assist from Caleb McLain. Overall, Blake Hanson had four points in the Havre win, while Emge was a force between the pipes, stopping 28 Salmon shots.

But as good as the Ice Hawks were Sunday morning, they were even better in the finale against Salmon Sunday afternoon. Havre battered the Salmon defense to the tune of 56 shots on goal in an 8-1 win. Emge allowed just one goal and had 30 saves.

Offensively, it was Alex Hanson’s turn at a hat trick. He scored on assists by Konesky, Gunderson and McLain. He also assisted goals by Konesky and Ralph. Blake Hanson added a short-handed goal, while Gunderson and Stump also found the net in the blowout win.

After the 4-0 weekend, the Ice Hawks will get back on the road this weekend when they travel to take on the Bozeman Ice Dawgs Saturday.