Bozeman Tourney Preview

A GREAT SEASON, EVEN BETTER
EXPERIENCES FOR ICEDOGS

By Jim Stephens, Bozeman Icedogs

For the Bozeman ICEDOGS, life in the small mountain town offers more than just a chance to play hockey. It allows the young men a chance to relax away from the rink and gather memories and experiences that they will take with them when they leave.

While the 2005-06 season will forever be etched in the minds of the “Boys from Bozeman,” it’s the time spent with the team away from the rink, the friendships, and the surroundings that make Bozeman a great place to play.

ICEDOGS co-captain Chris McKelvie summed it up best when he said that he will always call Bozeman his second home.

“I have been fortunate to meet some lifelong friends since I came here three years ago,” McKelvie said, “from the billets, to the coaches and members of the community who embrace this team. We have a chaplain named Warren Heibert who opens his home to us every week for Bible Study, and his wife cooks dinner to anyone who wants to attend. It’s the care and openness of the people in Bozeman that make this town awesome.”

In addition to the people, Bozeman offers an outdoor lifestyle that can’t be matched anywhere else. Within a two-hour drive, the players can visit Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky Ski Resort, and experience some great hunting and fishing.

“Coming out here has allowed us to do things we have never done before,” Minnesota native Mark Columbus said. “The billets offer to take us out hunting, fishing, and as a team we spend many days in the fields hunting gophers. Everything we do is as a team and it makes the experience that much more memorable.”

Besides hunting and fishing, skiing is also a popular hobby among the ‘DOGS. For many, they have never skied, and with every run, they get hooked.


“I picked up a life-long sport,” Brett Barta, another Minnesotan, added. “I had never really skied before, but now I think I am going to have to make a trip out here every year to hit the slopes.”

With all that aside, the outdoor life and the scenery is extra special to one Michigan native. Cody Omilusik came to Bozeman to play hockey, but in the summer he will get the ultimate experience of life on the ranch. Cody’s mom and step-dad live about an hour outside of Bozeman on “Story Ranch” and Cody looks forward to the summer he will spent riding around the mountains, living the rancher’s life.

Perhaps co-captain Brian Moore can sum up the whole Bozeman ICEDOGS experience.

“It’s the ultimate place to play, and you can’t top Bozeman, Montana.”

All the experiences the “Boys from Bozeman” have enjoyed were made even sweeter with the success of the team. The 2005-06 season is one to remember for the Bozeman ICEDOGS. Bozeman is headed to the Robertson Cup after recapturing the Borne Cup by defeating Fairbanks in the West Division Finals.

The chance to claim the Robertson Cup is a culmination of a year of hard work from the players and coaches during this record-breaking season.

After a disappointing campaign in 2004-05, a year that had high expectations for the ‘DOGS, coach John LaFontaine went back to the drawing boards and put together an outstanding 2005-06 campaign. The ICEDOGS set the North American Hockey League record books on fire, tying the single season win mark, ranking in the top ten for least goals against, and Matt Dalton (Clinton, Ontario) broke the big three records in the goaltending category.

In addition, the ICEDOGS put together a 20-game winning streak, which will go down as one of the greatest in NAHL history.

The “Boys from Bozeman” finished the season with an outstanding 48-9-1 record and won the NAHL Regular Season title. They also won the West Division regular season title back in February, and recaptured the Borne Cup in the playoffs. For the “Loud and Proud Dog Pound,” this season is one that will go down in franchise history.

After dropping their first three games of the season, two to the Texas Tornado and one to the Helena Bighorns, the Bozeman ICEDOGS embarked on their 20-game winning streak. The streak, which lasted over two months, propelled the “Boys from Bozeman” into first place in the West Division and a narrow lead in the overall league standings. Like all good things, their amazing streak came to an end, but it took a shootout before the Fairbanks Ice Dogs defeated Bozeman on the ‘DOGS home ice.

The next night, the ICEDOGS returned to form, defeating Fairbanks in another shootout. They followed that up with two more wins, including a 6-0 shutout over Helena, in which Dalton picked up his league-leading fifth shutout of the season. The next night the Bighorns played the role of the Grinch, defeating the ICEDOGS in regulation, 6-4, ending the ICEDOGS streak of 24 games where they picked up at least a point in the standings.

Returning from the Christmas break, the ICEDOGS set the league on fire once again. Bozeman quickly shook off the rust and skated to yet another impressive winning streak, which reached 12 games before the Fargo-Moorhead Jets ended that streak. Rebounding, the ICEDOGS strung together a seven-game winning streak, before suffering their roughest road trip of the season in Texas where the ‘DOGS dropped three of four with the Texas Tornado and the Wichita Falls Wildcats.

After the tough trip, the ‘DOGS turned on the jets in preparation for the playoff run, winning six of their last seven as they headed into the first round against Billings.

They set a league high with four shorthanded goals during a single game at the Showcase tournament in October, in a 6-1 victory over the Traverse City Stars. All season long, the ICEDOGS had the top special teams in the league. Their power play consistently ranked in the top two and finished the season on top at 23.8 percent. The ‘DOGS scored 75 goals on 314 attempts, and were almost automatic when given a 5-on-3. Chris McKelvie (New Brighton, MN) and Ryan Bunger (Sammamish, WA) led the ICEDOGS power play with 12 and 10 goals respectively.

The ICEDOGS penalty kill fell just short of the top spot with 88.82 percent, behind the Texas Tornado who finished with an 89.62 percent kill. Bozeman did lead the league in shorthanded goals, scoring 22 on the season with Josh Heidinger leading the league with seven.

The NAHL leading scorer, Josh Heidinger (Buffalo, NY), led the ICEDOGS all season. tallying 89 points on 33 goals and 56 assists in 53 games, ranking him as one of the highest scorers in ICEDOGS history with 166 career points. Heidinger holds the league’s longest streaks in goals, assists, and points this season. “Heids” went 11 straight games with a goal, scoring 13 over the stretch, and 14 games with at least one assist with 22 total over the 14 games.

During a 20-game stretch, “Heids” was averaging 2.33 points per game and finished the season averaging 1.67 points per game, the highest in the NAHL. Heidinger will head to Canisius College next season on a full scholarship.

Including Heidinger, all six returning veterans and new addition Pete Fylling (Minot, ND) recorded 20-plus point seasons. Chris McKelvie eclipsed the 50-point plateau, finishing second on the team with 56 points.

Ryan Bunger climbed from tenth to third in the final three weeks of the season, finishing with 48 points. Behind him was another veteran in Graham McManamin (Anchorage, AK). Among the NAHL’s defensemen, Graham ranked third with 45 points.

Then came the talented rookie class that played integral roles in the team’s success. Kyle Bailey (Anchorage, AK) led the rookie group with 43 points, followed closely by Jason Krispel (Cypress, CA), who closed the year with 35. Cody Omilusik (Traverse City, MI), Mike Schumacher (Duluth, MN) and Quinn Ellingson (Austin, MN) finished their rookie campaigns in the top ten, sitting behind veteran Brett Nylander (Baudette, MN). Midway through the season, Nylander made the jump to forward where he poured on the scoring, and finished eighth among the team with 34.

In between the pipes, the ICEDOGS had a solid one-two combination with Matt Dalton and Mike Jarboe (Gross Point Park, MI). Dalton led the league for a good portion of the season in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. He finished the season setting the all-time North American League records in all three categories. His 1.63 GAA is tops by a good tenth of a point, and his save percentage broke a five-year old record. His nine shutouts also set the mark, beating Ryan Miller of the Soo. Miller played two years for LaFontaine, when LaFontaine was the assistant with the Soo.

Mike Jarboe carried the back-up role all season and finished with a steady 2.52 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. “Jarbs” recorded two shutouts in 21 games played.

During the season, the ICEDOGS committed four players to NCAA Division I Hockey Programs. Chris McKelvie was the first to commit, headed to Bemidji State University to play for the Beavers. Chris is the third McKelvie to travel through Bozeman and on to the NCAA Division I ranks. Older brother Ryan finished his last season with the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks and twin brother Zack had a strong freshman season with the Army Black Knights.

McKelvie will be joined by teammate Graham McManamin at Bemidji State.

Josh Heidinger committed to Canisius College, and will return to his native Buffalo, New York next season.

Brian Moore is on his way to Bowling Green for the 2006-07 season as a member of the Falcons defense, and Brett Nylander, who committed last season, will head to the U.S. Air Force Academy next season.