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Another 'banner' hockey season
Thunderbirds win another Hurster Cup and reach nationals
The Dubuque ThunderBirds will hang two more banners from the rafters of Five Flags Center as a sign of their success in 2008-09.
Despite falling short of a second straight Central States Hockey League regular-season championship, the ThunderBirds regrouped to win the CSHL's Hurster Cup playoffs for the third straight year. The other banner will celebrate an appearance in USA Hockey's Tier III Junior A National Tournament in Marlborough, Mas..
"I couldn't be more proud of what these kids accomplished the last 22 games of the season," head coach Joe Coombs said of a 19-2-1 run in which the ThunderBirds were outshot only once. "They really came together as a team and they did a lot of good things.
"I'm proud of them for that."
Hot at the right time
Dubuque won its final 11 games of the season, and goalies Robert Tadazak and Andy Scheib recorded an amazing nine shutouts thanks to a stingy defense. The ThunderBirds outscored their opponents, 86-2, in those final 11 games.
"If you looked at us from the beginning of the year through January, you probably didn't think we'd do too much," captain Kevin Sunde said. "That's really when everybody completely bought into the system. That's when everybody finally got it.
"It took us a little longer than it should have, but it all came together at the right time. We couldn't be more proud of everything we accomplished."
Dubuque's year-end dominance hit a speed bump in the best-of-3 CSHL quarterfinal round against Queen City. Playing in Davenport, Iowa, because of a schedule conflict, the Steam took the ThunderBirds the distance.
Queen City won the opener, 2-1, then forced overtime in the deciding game. Andrew Schroeder's power play goal late in the first overtime advanced the ThunderBirds to the Hurster Cup Frozen Four back in Dubuque.
"That battle with Queen City brought us back down to Earth," forward Trenton Krueger said. "It made us realize that we weren't some super special team that just had to show up to win. We have to work hard if we're going to win hockey games. That really got us ready to play (for the Hurster Cup)."
A thirst for the Hurster
Dubuque returned to Five Flags as the third seed for the Hurster Cup. The ThunderBirds allowed exactly one goal per game in winning all four games and hoisting the Hurster Cup for the third straight year.
"Even though we had a tough series with Queen City, we came to the rink every day that week knowing we were the team to beat at the Hurster Cup," forward Ryan Bachman said. "Nothing was going to stand in our way.
"A lot of that had to do with the chemistry we built the last two months. We were playing so well together, and we were having a blast with each other. During games, at practice on our days off ... we all hung out and had fun together."
The ThunderBirds beat Toledo twice in two days to win the Cup.
The Hurster Cup championship earned Dubuque its third straight trip to USA Hockey's National Tournament and sixth in seven seasons. Despite squandering a late lead and settling for a tie with a Minnesota Junior Hockey League team on the opening day of pool play for the second straight year, the ThunderBirds rebounded to win their pool.
They overwhelmed the Northern Mass Cyclones of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League, which billed itself as the second-best Tier III Junior A circuit in the country. And they gave the same treatment to the Seattle Totems to earn a berth in the semifinals for the second time in three years.
Dubuque ultimately fell, 5-1, to the New Jersey Hitmen of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. The New Jersey roster includes eight NCAA Division I commitments.