Boys got back from Christmas break and it was immediately back to work. Hawks started with a rare Tuesday night game, playing on New Year’s eve in Eveleth. It didn’t take long before Aiden Callaghan (10)(Wanka 12) scored 3:15 into the 1st period. Callaghan kept the puck in the zone and got the puck to Hinze by the half way. Hinze fed a pass below the goal line to Wanka who passed to Callaghan in the slot for the shot that ended up in the back of the net. It wasn’t more than 3 minutes later that Aidan Callaghan (11)(Hinze 20) scored his second goal of the night off of a shot from Hinze. Right place, right time. The Wilderness tied the score up with only 39 seconds left in the 1st. Nathan Hinze (9) got the first goal in the 2nd period by applying pressure in the corner, disrupting a D to D pass below the goal line. Poking at the puck, Hinze lifted the puck above the tendys right shoulder giving the WarHawks the lead again. The Wilderness were able to tie the game back up again 5 minutes later. With just 3 minutes left in the 2nd, Aidan Callaghan (12)(Amon 3) got his hat trick, scoring on a power play to give the boys the lead and the game winning goal. With 2 minutes left in the game, the Wilderness pulled their goalie to give the fans a very exciting way to end the game. Kai Girard ended the game with a 92% save percentage, facing 39 shots and saving 36.
Friday’s game against the Minnesota Moose was a special night for the WarHawks as it was our final Military Night and the boys got to wear their Military sweaters. “This is the game I look forward to every year.” said Director of Operations, Nate Schueller. The WarHawks also auctioned off these unique jerseys to the fans to raise money for the local VFW and the veterans they serve. Timothy Vaculik (2) stole a centering pass from a Moose forward in the defensive zone. He skated the puck up the right neutral zone untouched. Was challenged at the blue line, beating the defenseman and scoring his second goal of the season with only a minute left in the period. Aidan Callaghan (13)(Wendorff 9) got a pass from Wendorff and Wanka to bring the puck into the offensive zone. Cali faked a shot, waiting the defender out, then pulled the trigger scoring the 2nd and final goal the WarHawks would get. The final score was 2-5 Moose but if you talked to the fans, the score didn’t reflect the intense game that took place. “It felt a lot closer than the scoreboard shows,” one fan said as they left Friday Night. Josh Mack had an 88% save percentage, facing 43 shots and saving 38.
Saturday’s game against the Lumberjacks started the way WarHawks fans wanted, ending the first period within 1 goal of the 1st place team. Timothy Vaculik (3)(Wanks 13, Stensrud 1) got the boys on the board and the game’s first goal. Wanka and Stensrud had a great forecheck that led to a turnover. Stensrud passed to Wanka behind the net and Wanka saw Vaculik crashing the net. Goal! The Lumberjacks scored 3 goals quickly after the first WarHawks goal. About halfway through the period, Irion made a zone entry and fed a drop pass to Stensrud. Stensrud threw the puck at the net from a sharp angle by the goal line and as Scott Woltman (8)(Irion 7, Stensrud 2) was falling from being checked from behind, Woltman scored. First period ended 2-3. WarHawks went on a power play early into the 2nd period. Hinze passed the puck to Callaghan who was below the goal line. Cali then centered the puck to Woltman who shot the puck, making it bounce wildly in the crease. Aidan Callaghan (14)(Woltman 9, Hinze 21) cleaned up the garbage and scored. From there, the ice was tilted completely in the Lumberjacks favor.