Ice Hawks news and notes

PHERSY: What's up all ... happy Thursday!!!

So, I finally caught up with coach Fatis and spoke with him regarding the scrimmage this week against the St. Mary's JV. And let's just say, coach was very, very pleased.

The "scrimmage" was played like a real game, with refs, official scoring, etc. And the Ice Hawks came away with a 4-1 victory.

They led 3-0 after the first, and St. Mary's got its only goal late in the third on a power play. Korby
Anderson had two goals to lead the Ice Hawks. Trevor Lloyd and Rick Weber also scored for the Hawks.

Fatis said the Ice Hawks outshot St. Mary's about 40-25 (he didn't have the exact number). Sammy 
Hingtgen earned the the start in net, and he played two periods. He didn't allow a goal, and Fatis said he looked sharp. Jordan Yaggy played the final period, and he also played well.

"It went really, really well," Fatis said. "Of course, we came back and had a terrible practice yesterday, but we were better today."

Fatis said he thought the best player on the ice for St. Mary's was former Hawk Jay Gorman. "He was tough, and he looked like he's put on some weight, which is good. It was neat to see him skate again, though it was a bit surreal to see him skating for another team," Fatis said. "It made me proud to see him do so well."

Other notes ...

The MnJHL finally handed down its suspensions from last weekend's line brawl with the Wildcats. And it's mostly good news for the Ice Hawks. The only Rochester player suspended is Cory Volk, and he'll serve just one game. Joe Velasquez and Erik Ordahl were not suspended.

"For the most part, I feel like the league got it right," Fatis said. "Volk probably deserved the game. At the same time, he was defending a teammate who had two guys on him. That's a tough spot for anybody. It's why I hate line brawls; that's when people get hurt. Volk saw a situation where a teammate was going to get hurt, and he rejoined the fray. Actually, he could have done worse and just (punched the kid) in the face, but he didn't. While I think Cory probably deserves the suspension, I'm not disappointed in him at all." ...

Who will be in net this weekend? Fatis said he has no idea. "Sammy played well. But we got some bad news ... Yaggy's grandmother died yesterday. He's going to rejoin the team at some point this weekend, but I'm not sure when," Fatis said. "I know Jordan's not going to start Friday, but that's all I know right now. Sammy looked good, and Simon's still solid. I'm still 100 percent up in the air." ...

As far as injuries go, the Ice Hawks are looking fairly healthy. Fairbanks, Phelps, Flott and Bromberg are out for sure this weekend. But other than that, Fatis is hoping to have everyone available. The only one he's concerned about is Velasquez, who had surgery this week. It's still possible he could play, but Fatis said he's not putting him on the ice unless he's 100 percent.

It's a huge weekend for the Hawks. They welcome the first-place Granite City Lumberjacks to town on Friday and Saturday, in what easily is the biggest weekend of the season thus far. It's also Military Appreciation Weekend, so all former and current members of the military will be admitted to the games on Friday and Saturday free of charge. And there will be a special presentation of the country's colors before each game.

That's all for now. Go enjoy this beautiful day!