Owls flying high
Four games yields six points for surging Minnesota

October 12, 2004

The Minnesota Owls may have started slow, but no worries. After stringing together an impressive six-point weekend in four games, the Minnesota Junior Hockey League club has proved to the rest of the circuit it’s alive and well.

Chad Kuznia’s crew got things started on Thursday, when they disposed of the Dubuque ThunderBirds, 7-2, on the strength of four power-play goals and a hat-trick effort from captain Tommy Kvam. Forward Dane Bushey added three assists in the win, while netminder Elliot Hogue stopped 46 shots.

The next night, the Owls lost a 5-4 affair to the ThunderBirds. Forward Tony Janssen tallied a goal and two assists for Dubuque, while forward Craig Dakins chipped in a goal and an assist. In the T-Birds’ nets, Nathan Craze made 24 saves. For the Owls, forward Brandon Oliver notched two goals.

On Friday, the Owls traveled to Ames, Iowa, where they picked up a 5-3 win over the Twin Bridges Lightning. Defenseman Dominic Morris scored the game-winning goal for Minnesota, while David White made stopped 19 shots.

The Owls closed their big weekend on Sunday with a 5-4 win over the Lightning. Five different players scored for Minnesota (Bushey had a goal and an assist). Between the posts, White continued his solid play, stopping 17 shots. Goaltender Stu Scott made 27 saves for Twin Bridges.

The Minnesota Ice Hawks remained bullet proof, upping their record to 9-0 with two wins over the Wisconsin Mustangs last weekend. The club skated to an 8-2 win on Saturday, as forward Brad Wiechmann scored two goals and two assists and forward Mike Schneider added two goals of his own and a helper. In the nets, Joey Spracklen made 26 saves. Wisconsin’s Dayne Clarquist stayed busy between the Mustangs’ posts, stopping 59 shots.

The next day, the Ice Hawks smoked the Mustangs, 13-1. The balanced scoring attack included goals from 12 different players (Schneider added two more to his totals). Wiechmann added three assists, while netminder Brett Gilbraith made 25 saves. Forward Mike Tudino scored the lone goal for Wisconsin.

On Wednesday, Oct. 6, the St. Paul Lakers and the Twin Cities Northern Lights skated to a 3-3 tie. Three different players scored for each team, while Lights forward Aaron Stock notched two assists. In net, St. Paul’s Peter Gavinski continued to sizzle with a 54-save effort, while TC’s David Winn made 39 saves.