Ice Dawgs Fetch State Trophy

The Glasgow Ice Dawgs went 4-0-1 in the Big Sky High School League State Tournament in Billings, topping off the weekend with a huge 5-4 overtime championship win over the Miles City Generals to fetch home their second state title in three years.

Glasgow started the tournament in pool play with two wins and a tie. The Dawgs defeated Helena 5-0 Thursday and downed Billings 9-1 Friday morning. That evening, they finished against Bozeman with a 3-3 tie. The record put Glasgow into the number one seed position in the Red Pool to face the Blue Pool number two seed, Great Falls, Saturday evening. Glasgow won 6-3 to earn their trip to the chipper against Miles City. The Dawgs won the championship game on an overtime goal from Mason Hunter to hoist the trophy.

Glasgow hit the ice against Helena Thursday evening and struck first, just over six minutes into the initial period. Zevin Kummerfeldt found the back of the net with help from Brody Hansen. Hansen made it 2-0 with 9:43 to play before intermission.

The Dawgs scored three times in the third for their first win. Tavin Boland scored on an assist from Hansen 4:50 in. Connor Koski took Glasgow’s lead to 4-0 with help from Charlie Cornwell 13 seconds later. The final goal of the game came from Lex Fairclough, assist Bode Barnett, with 4:29 left on the clock.

Goaltender Jacob Potter turned away 13 shots on his net while the Dawgs’ offense fired 57 pucks at the Helena netminder.

Glasgow held their penalties to four for eight minutes in the box while Helena spent 14 minutes in the sin bin on seven calls. Hunter, tripping, and Fairclough, roughing, served time in the first. Hansen served time in the second for slashing while Peyton Smith sat for roughing in the third.

The Dawgs faced off against Billings the next morning, storming out to a 5-0 lead in the first. Hansen started the scoring actin just 2:36 into play. Koski scored the game-winning goal less than two minutes later with help from Barnett and Hansen. Tatum Hansen added the insurance goal 50 seconds later on an assist from Boland. Barnett netted the final two of the period with Aiden Price and Josh Llewellyn assisting on the first and Cornwell and Halle Hunter on the second.

Billings put a puck past Potter 2:29 into the second period. Glasgow took 13:12 to answer, but Barnett, assist Cornwell, put the Dawgs’ lead at five goals again before intermission.

The third period belonged to Glasgow, who scored three more times. Barnett scored a power play goal with help from Gryffen Collins and B. Hansen 4:07 into the final period. Just under two minutes later, T. Hansen made it 8-1 on an assist from Smith. Smith netted the final goal with 1:02 left on the clock with help from Llewellyn and Boland.

Potter again faced 13 shots, turning in a .923 save percentage, while the offense fired 60 pucks at the Billings goalie.

Both teams played a relatively clean game with Billings taking one call against them and Glasgow serving four minutes on two infractions. B. Hansen sat for roughing in the second and Fairclough took an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the third.

The Dawgs returned to the rink that evening to face off against Bozeman Black. Hunter hit a PPG 3:32 into the first, converting on Bozeman’s only penalty with help from Barnett. Bozeman tied the game midway through the second but Cornwell put the Dawgs up again with less than three minutes left before intermission.

Barnett put the Dawgs up by two early in the third off an assist from B. Hansen, but Bozeman cut the lead less than six minutes later. Landon Honey, former Bantam Ice Dawg, hit the tying goal on a power play with Boland in the box for tripping.

Potter had a .875 save percentage on 24 attempts on his net and the Glasgow offense put 32 shots on net at the other end of the ice.

Boland served both of Glasgow’s penalties, sitting in the second for holding in addition to the tripping call in the third period.

The two wins and a tie put Glasgow in the top position in their pool, setting them up to fae Great Falls Saturday night in an undisciplined game that kept the officials busy.

Kummerfeldt, assist Smith, scored the only goal of the first period. Great Falls tied it early in the second period on a power play with B. Hansen serving a 2-and-10 for head contact and misconduct. T. Hansen, assist Barnett, netted a PPG for Glasgow with 5:08 left in the second. B.Hansen struck less than a minute-and-a-half later on another man-advantage with help from Cornwell. Boland would net the game-winning goal 2:58 before the horn sounded on an assist from Barnett.

B. Hansen struck again 44 seconds into the third with help from Cornwell to make it a 5-1 game. Great Falls found their way past Potter twice more before T. Hansen hit the empty netter with 1:22 left on the clock.

Potter notched a .850 save percentage on the 20 shots he faced while Glasgow fired 38 pucks at the Great Falls’ net.

Great Falls had 11 calls against them for 30 minutes while Glasgow served 38 minutes, also on 11 infractions. Boland sat for tripping in the first. B. Hansen, head contact and misconduct; Hunter, head contact and misconduct, and Smith, roughing, served time in the second. Barnett, hooking; B. Hansen, elbowing; team, too many men; Llewellyn, slashing, and T. Hansen, unsportsmanlike conduct, drew the officials’ attention in the third period.

The win advanced Glasgow to the championship game Sunday, a game not unfamiliar to the experienced Dawgs.

Glasgow and Miles City, who entered the tournament as the number one seed in the east, stood knotted at 1-1 at the end of one. Barnett, assists Smith and B. Hansen, scored first 2:59 into play. Miles City tied it midway through the period.

The second period was all Glasgow as the Dawgs found the back of the net three times. Kummerfeldt, assists Smith and B. Hansen, scored 3:30 into the period. Barnett made it 3-1 just over three minutes later. He struck again, assist Dillon Hughes, midway through for a 4-1 Dawgs’ lead heading into the final period.

The third period was Miles City’s, as they answered the Dawgs’s second period goals with three of their own to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Generals took a penalty 1:53 into extra time on a tripping call. The clock ticked off 65 seconds before Hunter, assist B. Hansen, made Miles City pay for the mistake and gave Glasgow the title win.

Potter turned away 20 of 24 shots on his home for a .833 save percentage. The Dawgs scored on five of their 40 attempts.

Glasgow held their penalties to three with six minutes served as Miles City sat for 14 minutes on three infractions. Boland sat for hooking in the first, T. Hansen served an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the second and Hunter was called for roughing in the third.

Glasgow loses seniors Connor Koski, Zevin Kummerfeldt, Tatum Hansen, Lex Fairclough and Peyton Smith this year, but looks to return a full roster under head coach Michael Hunter next season.