Owls taking flight
Minnesota starts February on winning note

February 5, 2008

Justin Neis scored two more goals in the Owls' win over Granite City last weekend. PHOTO/ESP1000.com

After dropping two in a row and finishing January with a 4-4 record, the Minnesota Owls got their February off on the right foot with a 6-2 victory over the Granite City Lumberjacks on Friday.

“That was a big win for us,” said Owls coach Chad Kuznia, whose team improved to 23-18 on the season.  “Those are important points in the standings at this time of year.”

Zach Wohlers and Justin Neis (game-winner) both rang up two goals and two assists in the win over the Lumberjacks, while Chad Mars added three assists.  Between the pipes, Phil Poeschel turned aside 31 shots.

“We got a good, all-around effort from everyone,” said Kuznia, “and we’re going to need that down the stretch as we get ready for the playoffs.”

With four power-play goals in the win over the Lumberjacks, the Owls now have 19 goals with the man advantage in their last 18 games.

“It’s clicking, that’s for sure,” Kuznia said of his power play.  “We’ve got skilled guys who work well together, and that combination usually leads to good things.”

Neis has been leading the Owls’ offensive charge for much of the season.  The 19-year-old from Cedar Minn., ranks among the top 10 scorers with almost an even split (25 goals, 24 assists) among his 40 points.

“He’s a dynamic player, there’s no question about it,” said Kuznia.  “He’s played a big role in our success this year and we’re going to need that to continue if we’re going to do anything in the playoffs.”

With over 30 points apiece, Wohlers and Mars have also been contributing offensively with regularity.

“These are good team guys and they’ve been doing it all year for us,” said Kuznia.

Defensively, Reed Steinbauer and Nick Roscoe have proved steady in their own end, with Chaz Norrgard and Nick Haley chipping in offensively from the blue line.

“We have a good, solid core back there,” Kuznia said of his defensive unit.  “They’ve been getting better and better all year and it’s shown here over the last month or so.”

And then there’s the resurrected career of Phil Poeschel.  After stopping pucks for the Wisconsin Mustangs two seasons ago, the 20-year-old from White Bear Lake, Minn., has found a home again between the Owls’ pipes, where he has 14 wins and a save percentage north of .900.

“To not start the season with Phil and to now have him as one of the best goaltenders in the league… we’re very lucky,” said Kuznia.  “He brings a strong veteran presence to our team and the guys play with a lot of confidence in front of him.”

Stuck in a logjam in the middle of the MJHL standings, where less than 10 points separates four teams, the Owls know they can only control so much.

“We just need to take care of our own business and hope to be playing our best hockey come March,” said Kuznia.  “We know we have the talent and character here to do some good things, we just have to keep working hard and believe in each other.”

The first-place Mustangs continued their surge with a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Lightning last weekend, starting with a 5-1 win on Friday.  Jake Calleja and Andrew Dammen (game-winner) each notched two goals for the Mustangs, while goaltender Brian Dalbec made 24 saves.

The next day, Matt Borndale tallied two goals as Wisconsin skated to a 10-1 win.  Zack Smoot added four assists in the triumph, while Mustangs netminder Spike Alvarez turned aside 31 shots.

Wisconsin closed out the series with a 5-1 win over the Mustangs on Sunday.  Calleja struck for a goal and two assists, while Dammen tallied the game-winning marker.  Alvarez turned aside 28 shots in goal.

The Minnesota Ice Hawks headed north last weekend where they picked up a pair of victories, beginning with a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Flying Aces on Friday.  Five different players scored for Minnesota, with Nick Eckardt netting the game-winner.  In goal, Ricky Doyen steered aside 22 shots.  Tim Benner struck for two goals for the Flying Aces.

Shawn Wick’s overtime goal lifted the Ice Hawks to a 2-1 win over Granite City on Saturday.  Dirk Foss recorded the other Minnesota marker, while Ice Hawks goaltender Mike Brach made 23 saves.  Granite City netminder Tyler Venne stopped 38 shots.

The Hudson Crusaders won their only game of the weekend, taking a 6-4 decision over the Flying Aces on Saturday.  Tyler Fischer connected for two goals, including the game-winner, while Brett Weber added three assists.  In goal, Sam Foley stopped 38 Aces shots.  Josh Swancutt scored two goals for Minnesota. 

Rick Nawojski tallied two goals as the Flying Aces closed out their weekend with an 8-5 win over the Twin Cities Northern Lights on Sunday.  Tony Schultz notched the game-winning goal and added an assist, while goaltender Aaron Carter turned aside 16 shots.  Tony Salazar put home two goals for the Lights.

Twin Cities opened their weekend with a 6-5 triumph over the St. Paul Lakers on Sunday.  Mike Bock and Rocky DeAngelo (game-winner) each scored two goals and an assist in the victory, while goaltenders Matt Toter and Derek Bishop combined to stop 63 shots.  Dan Weiland, Randy Hirsch and Toms Tilla each recorded a goal and an assist for the Lakers.

Tyler Wahl’s overtime goal lifted the Lumberjacks to a 4-3 win over the Flying Aces on Wednesday.  Alex Naujokas added three assists in the triumph, while goaltender Justin Lochner made 32 saves.  Schultz rang up two goals for the Aces.