Hockey Day 2018: Seven years later, HDM memories spur Spuds

As youngsters dreaming of playing high school hockey, 2011's Hockey Day Minnesota had an effect on the 2018 Moorhead Spuds. That year, the event was in their hometown, an outdoor rink serving as the center of day-long festivities.
They showed up to cheer on their high school. Many even got a chance to play on the outdoor ice.
Seven years later, the Spuds will once again grace the event's picturesque winter stage. Moorhead will play in Hockey Day Minnesota for the first time since that 2011 game. The Spuds face Centennial in a battle of top-10 teams January 20 on the shores of Lake George in St. Cloud.

Having that history with the event makes it special to represent the town.
"Our kids are familiar," said Moorhead head coach Jon Ammerman. "There's definitely some direct knowledge of the event because of hosting it seven years ago."
With each passing year, the hockey culture and tradition in Moorhead continues to grow. Over the past two-and-a-ahlf decades, the community went from one to now four indoor ice sheets. A fifth is on its way.
The high school program, featuring alumni such as Jason Blake, Brian Lee, Chris VandeVelde and current Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cullen, helps feed into that culture. Spuds teams have been a mainstay atop Section 8AA during the past 20 years, making 15 state tournament appearances.
This season, Moorhead has continued its winning ways. Holding a 10-5-0 record and ranked 10th in Class AA, the Spuds are a different team than the one which lost to Grand Rapids in the 2017 Boys Class AA championship game at Xcel Energy Center (the eighth time in school history Moorhead finished runner-up).

"We have a lot of returning players from last year's team. We have that experience, that taste of going to the state tournament," Ammerman said. "We also have a lot of voids to fill with the guys that graduated. We're still trying to figure out what some of our different roles are as a group and what it takes."
Among those returning are senior captain Cole O'Connell, who just reached 100 points in his high school career. Moorhead also has a pair of North Dakota commits in junior defenseman Ethan Frisch, a puck-moving defenseman who is sound in his own end, and senior forward Carter Randklev, the Spuds' leader in goals with 15 in 16 games.
"Carter Randklev's a crafty little winger that is dynamic with the puck. He'll be a fun guy to watch," said Ammerman.
Ammerman's players aren't the only ones whose history intertwines with Hockey Day Minnesota, though. A Moorhead native himself and former St. Cloud State Huskies defenseman, the head coach is returning to a town where he spent five years of his life. Ammerman wore the same Spuds uniform as those now in his charge, winning three Section 8 titles and playing on two of those Class AA runner-up teams.
Saturday's opponent, Centennial, was one of the teams who beat Moorhead in the championship game. The Cougars defeated Moorhead 1-0 in 2004 -- Ammerman's junior year.
The teams will be different Saturday with new players making their own moments. However, the link to the past becomes quickly apparent far beyond a return to a day they experienced seven years ago. As a nod to town history the Spuds will skate outdoors against Centennial wearing replicas of the 1967-68 Moorhead team.
"We're playing better," Ammerman said. "We've had a little bit of a recent lull, but with the excitement of Hockey Day and the pressure of it involved with the event, it will hopefully be a bit of a spark for our team and get us going down the stretch."
Top photo courtesy of Rick Westra
Related:
- Diving into St. Cloud's steep hockey history - Bet between Circle Pines, Moorhead mayors ups stakes - Matt Cullen reflects on Hockey Day Minnesota