October 19, 2004

It took close to a month for the Minnesota Ice Hawks to finally taste defeat. The club rolled into Dubuque’s Five Flags Civic Center for a pair of games last weekend and came out with a split, ending its 9-0 run to open the season.

The streak came to a halt on Friday, when the T-Birds took a 5-3 decision over the Hawks. Veteran forward Jeff Wheeler scored two goals for Dubuque, while goaltender Nathan Craze and Ryan Miech combined to make 35 saves. For Minnesota, forward Mike Schneider tallied a goal and an assist.

The Ice Hawks got back to its winning ways the next night, winning 6-2 on the strength of a two-goal, one-assist performance from defenseman Cole Hughes. Forward Brad Wiechmann added a goal and an assist, and netminder Joey Spracklen turned aside 37 shots. Forwards Andrew Murray and Ryan Evenson scored for Dubuque.

The Twin Cities Northern Lights cooled off the streaking Minnesota Owls with a 12-4 win on Sunday. Seven of the Lights’ goals came on the power play, with defenseman Jason Wong recording a hat trick and an assist. Forward Eric Adams and defenseman Jared Martz each potted two goals of their own. In goal, Andy Kent made 31 saves. Defenseman Dominic Morris tallied two goals for the Owls.

The Owls did pocket two wins over the weekend with a sweep of the Wisconsin Mustangs in Spooner. On Friday, Minnesota won 6-4 behind a two-goal effort from forward Trevor Graham. Forward Tommy Kvam and Morris also chipped in a goal and an assist. Between the posts, Elliott Hogue made 29 saves. Defenseman Ben Olson tallied a goal and an assist for Wisconsin.

The next day, Minnesota came away with a 5-1 victory. Five different players scored for the Owls, with Graham and forward Jeremy Zaic each scoring a goal and an assist. David White made 22 saves to earn the win. Forward Derek Knutson netted Wisconsin’s lone goal.

The St. Paul Lakers and Twin Bridges Lightning split a series in Ames, Iowa, last weekend, with the Lakers taking the first game on Saturday, 5-2. Red-hot forward A.J. Kuuttila, an Iowa native, scored two goals for St. Paul, with Pat Conrad chipping in two assists. In goal, Kyle Diehl-Sutton was solid making 37 saves.

On Sunday, the Lightning came away with a 7-4 triumph on the strength of a two-goal performance from forward Josh Cabaniss, a former Laker. In TB’s nets, Stuart Scott made 36 saves. Kuuttila added to his totals with a goal and an assist in the loss.