Bozeman Icedogs: With three days of ice time, Icedogs ready for opener

By JIM CNOCKAERT Chronicle Sports Writer

The Bozeman Icedogs' preseason camp was atypical but not expected.

Erik Petersen/Chronicle Icedogs head coach Kevin Stone runs the team through drills Friday at Haynes Pavilion. With no ice at Haynes Pavilion on which to practice until early last week, the Icedogs spent more time than usual on conditioning. In fact, they had just three hours of on-ice practice - they had to go to Helena to get it - before playing (and winning) their two Northern Pacific Hockey League exhibition games.

All that considered, first-year Icedogs coach Kevin Stone says he feels good about the team heading into tonight's regular-season opener against the Helena Bighorns. Faceoff at the Helena Ice Arena is 7:35. The Icedogs open the home portion of their NorPac schedule Oct. 12 against the Yellowstone Quake at Haynes Pavilion.

“I'm very pleased with the direction we're going,” Stone said. “It would have been easy to make excuses and say we didn't have this or that, but we never let that become an issue with this team. Not matter what we were doing, we talked about getting better that day so that we could win. The kids have taken that to heart, and we're ready to go.”

With little early access to ice, Stone planned preseason dry-land workouts to get the Icedogs into what he believes is the best shape they've ever been in heading into the season. Working closely with physical trainers from The Ridge, the Icedogs trained at the club and around town. One session featured a run to the College “M,” which sorely tested those players used to working out at sea level. Another session was an afternoon of basketball.

“It's a good thing we all decided to play hockey,” Stone quipped. “You play for 20 minutes, it's not supposed to be a 5-3 game. There's no such thing as a foul in hockey basketball.”

Stone admitted the Icedogs are not yet where they need to be in terms of their skating, but added: “We're leaps and bounds ahead of where we want to be in terms of team chemistry and bonding. You've got nothing to do but to get to know you're teammates when you're riding the bus. Heading into this weekend's game, our fitness is adequate, but our team chemistry is grade A.”

Stone, a former Icedogs assistant, was appointed head coach in May after John LaFontaine took a coaching position at Shattuck-St. Mary's Academy in Minnesota. Faced with replacing more than half the roster -only eight of the 23 players played for the Icedogs last season - he searched the Midwest, Southwest and West in search of talent. The Icedogs feature players from New Mexico, Texas, Alaska, Minnesota, California, Colorado and Montana.

Recruiting was a little easier this season because NorPac is one of three former Junior B leagues promoted to Tier-III Junior A status. That gave Stone a crack at players who likely would never have considered playing in Bozeman.

“Without ice here, (the players) didn't come to me. I had to go out to find them,” Stone said. “(The promotion) did get us more interest. I go after the highest-caliber kid, and they still want to go to the USHL or the NAHL. But a lot of them said, ‘You're my next choice.'”

The Icedogs won 29 games last season and finished third in NorPac's Rocky Mountain Division, but they were outmuscled in the first round of the playoffs by an older and more physical Helena team. With that in mind, Stone looked for size in addition to skill and character in potential recruits. The Icedogs boast eight players who are six feet or taller.

“We have a lot more returning players who are key, high-end guys,” he said. “They are a little more mature, and they put in big summers in the gym and the weight room. But we needed to get big, and we've done that.

“When I look for a player, obviously I look for skill and character, but I also look for guys who will win the corners and grind it out. That's definitely a need we've filled this year. We've returned enough skill and picked up enough skill to win hockey games, but the intangibles of winning the corners and being able to outbattle the next guys, we've improved greatly on that.”

The improved skill level was evident in the two exhibition games. Even with just three on-ice practices, the Icedogs scored five of their eight goals on the power play. Some of that had to do with the fact that most teams haven't yet spent much time on special teams, but Stone said his skilled players have a good sense of what to do on the power play and put on a good show.

Stone set his lines for tonight's opener based on what he saw in the two exhibition games. The Icedogs focused a lot of time in practice last week getting players used to new linemates. Still, lines are subject to change; Stone said he expects he'll experiment with different combinations all season to find exactly the right chemistry.

“(Former NHL coach) Paul Baxter showed us a formula that worked the year we won the Bourne Cup,” Stone said. “It's nice to have three goal-scorers, but who's going to get the puck for them? So, you need a power forward. Then, you need a play-maker who can get it to the goal-scorer. You look for those elements to put on all your lines, and you recruit with those roles in mind.”

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