FARGO — It was a kind of homecoming for both Shattuck-St. Mary's players compete in the USA Hockey Tier I 15O National Championship this week at Seals Arena.
“It’s a lot of fun,” forward Brenden Hakstol said. “I'm glad to be back close to home.”
Hakstol is the son of former University of North Dakota head coach and current Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol, and is a forward on the team. His family still has a home in Grand Forks, one of the things Dave and his wife Erin were sure of when he left UND to coach the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015.
Brenden Hakstol is also not far from his family while attending school in Faribault, Minnesota. His cousin, West Fargo's TJ Hale, is also a forward on the team. Hale had an assist in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Neponset Valley (Mass.).
Shattuck has a 2-0 record among the 16 teams in Fargo this week. Last season, Shattuck lost 3-2 in overtime to the Los Angeles Junior Kings in Wayne, New Jersey, for the championship.
Rob Beer / The Link Live
Hakstol has scored 11 points in 51 games this season.
“He has grown as a player and a person and we are so proud of him,” Shattuck-St. Mary co-coach Tyler Rugsegger said of the 5-foot-9, 159-pound forward.
With the father approaching a decade off the NHL bench, will that bring a coaching mindset to his son's play?
“Just a little bit,” Hakstol said. “It helps motivate me a little bit.”
Rob Beer / The Link Live
Rugsegger knows what he has in Hakstor.
“He's eager to learn,” Rugsegger said. “He's trying to get better every time he steps on the ice. I'm sure his dad is proud of him.”
Several scouts from almost every level of senior hockey were in attendance this week, and Hakstol said the team is just playing hard. The team defeated Okanagan Hockey (Colo.) 4-2 on Tuesday to get off to a 2-0 start.
“This is just another tournament, but the stakes are higher,” Rugsegger said. “Other than that, it's the same.”
Rob Beer / The Link Live
Hale, who assisted on Levi Harper's second-half goal, now has 32 points this season. The 5-foot-9, 139-pounder scored 42 points in 56 games last season.
Shattuck's 20-man roster has six Minnesotans and also includes players from both coasts.
“It's a really good group of guys,” Hakstol said.
The tournament continues through Sunday, with the championship game starting at 10 a.m.
thursday game
- Pittsburgh Penguins Elite vs. Rhode Island Saints, 10 a.m., Shields Arena
- Los Angeles Junior Kings vs. New Jersey Rockets, 10:15 a.m., Farmers Union Insurance Center.
- Long Island Gulls (New York State) vs. Shattuck St. Mary's, 12:15 p.m., Shields Arena.
- Okanagan Hockey (Colorado) vs. Neponset Valley River Rats (Mass.), 12:30 p.m. FUIC
- Mid-Fairfield (Conn.) vs. Little Caesars (Mich.), 2:30 p.m., Shields Arena
- Carolina Junior Hurricanes (North Carolina) vs. Saints Hockey (New York), 2:45 p.m., FUIC
- Seacoast Spartans (New Hampshire) vs. Chicago Mission, 4:45 p.m., Shields Arena
- Team North Dakota vs. Boston Junior Eagles, 5 p.m., FUIC.
friday game
Quarter finals
- TBA, noon, Seals Arena.
- TBA, 12:15pm, FUIC
- TBA, 2:15 p.m., Shields Arena.
- TBA, 2:30pm, FUIC
Saturday's game
Semi-final
- TBA, 11 a.m., Seals Arena.
- TBA, 1:30 p.m., Shields Arena.
sunday's game
Championship
Rob Beer / The Link Live
