HometownSource Blogs

If you’re thinking about touting the Little Falls boys hockey team’s undefeated regular season, brace yourself for resistance.
“Who have they played?”
The inherently snotty voice inflection which accompanies those four words will drive you crazy.
When the Flyers completed a perfect regular season Thursday night with a 9-1 win over St. Cloud Apollo, they did not silence the state of hockey’s doubters.
In fact, they most likely only created more.
A week ago, the Star Tribune reported that the last unbeaten team in state boys’ hockey lost when then 21-0 Bloomington Jefferson suffered a decisive 5-2 loss to the 19-3 Eagles of Eden Prairie.
And when Little Falls Athletic Director Mike Olson called the newspaper and told them that their information was inaccurate, that the purple pride of Little Falls was still unbeaten, the Strib opted not to issue a correction. Instead, the reporter told Olson that he meant there are no more unbeaten teams in Class AA.
How convenient.
Look, we can concede the fact that the 25-0 Class A Flyers don’t have flashy 2A metro schools on their schedule. For that reason, I don’t expect anyone to be drooling over their record. But don’t overlook them.
I mean, can’t we judge this team by how they play and not just who they play?
The Flyers scored 176 goals during the regular season. They allowed just 38. That means this team averages seven goals per game while allowing less than a goal and a half. But can you still hear them — “Who have they played?”
Little Falls senior Ben Hanowski has not only broken the state’s career goals record this season, but he became the most prolific scorer in the history of Minnesota high school hockey Thursday night. And while the statewide attention on Hanowski was well deserved, it did seem to neglect the rest of the Flyer firepower. Hanowski himself has said they get overlooked. But let’s remember it doesn’t matter to the outside world, because in recognizing the St. Cloud State signee’s achievement they brought with them an asterisk  — “Who have they played?”
Flyer goalie Michael Sperl posted nine shutouts during the regular season. In doing so, he goose-egged the section rival Alexandria Cardinals (19-3-1) and the Virginia Mt. Iron-Buhl Blue Devils (19-5). Those teams average four and five goals per game, respectively, with the Blue Devils scoring nine or more goals in seven games this season. And let’s not forget the overtime win against St. Cloud Cathedral. Ah, but some would extend the same question to the teams Sperl and the Flyers have beat — “Who have they played?”
As for the rest of the team — Riley Hirsch  55 points (25 goals – 30 assists), Izaak Berglund 53 points (16-37), Wesley Waytashek 48 (19-29), Ben Nelson 44 (20-24), Logan Kalis 28 (3-25), Jordan Moll 25 (12-13), Jordan Gosiak 19 (7-12) and Adam Dougherty 18 (6-12) — how deep do you have to be to get respect?  But for the “Who have they played?”, Hanowski is the Flyers.
Night in and night out, these kids continue to grow up together. Playing for the Hano Cup at the Hanowski home was a luxury they turned into chemistry. Not many teams have that, though the teams that do separate themselves from the rest.
In his 16th season standing on the Flyers bench, head coach Tony Couture has senior-rich leadership which bought into his system a long time ago, and never opted out or asked to change things around. His team’s efficiency and speed is now matched by its experience and size. This is a team of friends who appreciate hard work. When they fail to spread out their offense, make clean back line passes or win face-offs, they don’t just go through the motions in practice the next day, they drench their jerseys in sweat knowing they can always improve.
So when people question this team — “Who have they played?” — don’t get frustrated. Because asking that question is evidence that they are missing out.
If and when this team does hoist its first state championship and thus finally earns the state of hockey’s respect, the Flyers should pose a question of their own.
“We good enough now?”

Matt Perkins is the sports editor for the Morrison County Record.