WarHawks had another 3 game weekend playing the Mason City Toros all three games, gaining 2 points. Looking at Friday’s and Saturday’s scores you wouldn’t be able to see the momentum that started during the 2nd period of Saturday’s game which bled into the win on Sunday. The boys out shot the Toros in every game.
Friday night was the start to the long weekend of games against the Toros. The boys were down 2 at the end of the first period but their spirits were high being that they’ve been in this position before and the game was definitely not out of reach. Within the first 5 minutes of the 2nd, that feeling changed when the Toros scored twice. Third period there was hope when Mason Wanka (11)(Callaghan 11, Hinze 17) threw a pass to the slot from behind the net, bounced off a player and Wanka buried his shot 1 hole over the Toros tendy. That would end up being the only goal for the good guys that game.
Saturday didn’t start the way the Hawks wanted either, being down 3 at the end of the first period. But the adjustments the coaches and players made during intermission definitely worked. Zane Irion (8)(Wheeler 2, Vaculik 3) won the face off at the beginning of the 2nd period, getting the puck back to Timmy Vaculik. Timmy passed the puck up to Jett Wheeler who dumped the puck into the offensive zone. The puck bounced off a Toros player, which hit Irion in the chest. Zane skated it up the left circle, scoring high glove side just 9 seconds into the period. The stuffed animals went flying onto the ice for the Teddy Bear Toss. After cleaning up almost 700 stuffed animals, the boys got back to work. 7 minutes later, Keegan Montgomery had a beautiful forecheck that led to Callaghan stealing the puck and bringing it behind the net. Callaghan made a drop pass to Nathan Hinze (6)(Callaghan 14, Adams 8) who snuck the puck in with an exciting wrap-around. The boys are only down 1, now it’s a hockey game. Third period started and the ice was tilted in the WarHawks favor. 16 minutes of intense back and forth hockey went by, you could feel the tension in the air. Someone was going to score, it was just a matter of who. Toros scored with 3:50 left in the game dashing the hopes of the fans. Even with the eventual empty netter, something felt different.
Early Sunday morning, the boys left the Civic Center before the sun came up. They traveled down to Mason City with something to prove. After only a few hours of sleep and an almost 4 hour bus drive, the boys got off the bus to ruin the Toros’ plan to sweep the WarHawks. The game started and it was all Toros for the first 3 minutes, which led to their goal just 2 minutes and 57 seconds into the first period. If you weren’t watching, you’d probably think disaster is imminent. Nathan Hinze (7)(Adams 9, Callaghan 15) had other plans scoring one of the craziest goals any of us have ever seen. Callaghan made a cross ice neutral zone pass to Adams who brought the puck into the offensive zone. After briefly losing the puck, he regained control and centered a pass while falling down. Hinze caught the pass behind him, throwing the puck blindly at the net. It missed its target high, hitting the glass directly behind the goal. Fortune was on the side of the WarHawks. The puck hit the back of the Toros goaltender and trickled into the net. Don’t tell Hinze it was luck, he will tell you that was all planned. “They don’t ask how, they ask how many,” was Hinze’s response when asked about that incredibly rare goal. Now the game is tied and the boys are buzzing. Half way through the 2nd period, the WarHawks were on a power play. The Toros had thrown the puck down to the WarHawks zone 30 seconds into the power play. Carson Wendorff brought the puck up and passed it to Nathan Hinze, who made a wide left zone entry. Hinze put the puck just in front of the crease for a crashing Gabriel Adams (10)(Hinze 18, Wendorff 6) who tapped it in before running into the net. The final score was 2-1 but at that point of the game, it definitely didn’t feel over. Third period, the Toros had 2 man advantage opportunities that they couldn’t capitalize on. The longest minute and 39 seconds started when the Toros pulled their goalie. The boys were able to hold off the 6 v 5 and win the game for a much needed moral boosting 2 points.
The WarHawks are in Blaine from Dec 16th – Dec 17th for the NA3HL Showcase next week!
