Team Montana recently won the Northern Plains District Boys High School President’s Cup Hockey Tournament in Rapid City, S.D.

Helena High’s Matt Mohar and Devin Younker, and Capital’s Jerico Crouse and Dublin Sullivan were local players on the winning team.
 
In pool play, Team Montana lost to Rushmore, S.D., 6-5 on Friday night. On Saturday, Team Montana beat North Dakota West 5-1 and Gillette, Wyo., 4-2 to advance to the championship game on Sunday.
 
On Sunday, Team Montana faced Rushmore, S.D. for the Cup.Mohar scored, assisted by Alex Piccici and Younker, for a 1-0 lead. Crouse scored in the second period and Rushmore added 2 goals for a 2-2 game.  Karsten Risla scored in the third period, assisted by Crouse for a 3-2 Team Montana lead. Beau Milton, assisted by Wayne Mickelsen, and Mohar added two security goals to clinch a 5-2 Team Montana victory. Harley Eliason had the win and faced more than 90 shots during the tournament.
 
Local players who scored for Team Montana during the tournament were Crouse (one goal, one assist), Mohar (six goals, two assists), Sullivan (one assist) and Younker (one assist).
 
Other players scoring during the tournament were:  Billings (Darin Keierleber(2G,1A), Beau Milton,(1G) Alex Picicci (2G, 4A),and Karsten Risla(2G), Bozeman (Vinny Cavanaugh(1G,1A), Wayne Mickelsen(1G,2A), and Joe Tyrrell (1G), Glasgow (Harley Eliason, Ryan Padden(2G), and Conner Simensen(1A).
 
The team was coached by Kevin Filbach and Bill Zaniboni, Bozeman Ice Dogs Jr. Coaches.
 
Gillette, Wyoming beat Cheyenne, Wyoming for 3rd place and North Dakota East and North Dakota West played for 5th and 6th place.
 

The Helena Bighorns High School Hockey Team participated in the Montana Treasure State League Montana Cup State Tour­nament last weekend in Missoula and placed first.   In pool play, the Bighorns defeated the Glacier Avalanche 6-1, Glasgow/Miles City Ice Dawgs 7-0 and the Havre Ice Hawks 8-0 to advance to the championship game on Sunday against the Ice Hawks.

On Friday afternoon, Matt Mohar scored a hat trick, and Nolan Davis, Spencer Mannix and Jerico Crouse all added one to lead the Bighorns to a 7-1 victory against the Avalanche. Mohar had three assists, and Mannix and Charlie Williams each had one assist. Terry Gustafson had the win with 29 saves.

On Friday, Gustafson had a shutout as the Bighorns defeated the Ice Dawgs 7-0. Scoring in the first period for the Bighorns were Mohar (assist Conner Sulli­van), Kyle Hayter (assist Dylan Voeller and Colter Sodja), Mohar (assist Davis), Williams (assist Hayter) and Mannix (assist Mohar). Barron Culver (assist Mohar) and Sodja (assist Mohar) both added a goal in the second period for a 7-0 game.

On Saturday, the Bighorns shut out the Havre Ice Hawks 8 - 0 to earn the top seed in the champi­onship game. Mohar led the team with five goals and two assists, Mannix added a goal and two assists, Sulli­van had one goal and one assist, and Dane Newcomer had a lone goal. Gustafson had the shutout with 14 saves.

In the championship game on Sunday, the Bighorns faced the Ice Hawks for the Montana Cup title. After a scoreless first period, the Bighorns took control of the puck in the second period. Davis, assisted by Voeller, started it off. Sodja, assisted by Mohar, took a slapshot from the blue line for a 2- 0 game. Within a minute, Mohar added another, assisted by Davis, for a 3- 0 lead. With 3 seconds left in the second period, Mohar scored the final goal of the game for a 4-0 Helena victory. Gustafson had the win in net.

The Bighorns finished the season with a 10-12-2 league record. The team is coached by Roy Marino, Jeremy Crouse and Brian Mohar.