LAHA Newsletter - The Boji Buzz! - End of Year Newsletter
Board of Directors Elections
Congrats to the new board members who began their terms on April 1, 2024:
Mitch Begley
Michael Meyers
Ben Raveling
Greg Stafford
A huge THANK YOU to Sara Frerichs, Jesse Ortell, and Patti Wulf who have concluded their terms. We sincerely appreciate you for your service to our Association and the impact you have helped create.
The Board of Directors generally meets the 3rd Sunday of each month at 7:00pm. Meeting agenda and minutes are posted on the Association's website and on social media.
Equipment Return Dates
If you've rented equipment from the Association, please note the following return dates and times:
Wednesday, April 3: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Friday, April 5: 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Monday, April 8: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Equipment returns will be handled at the Lakes Ice Arena during these specified slots. To respect our volunteers' time, please ensure you can attend one of these three periods. If none of these times work for you, please contact Nate Ewalt at newalt.44@gmail.com to make alternative arrangements.
Survey Results
As the hockey season neared an end, the Board of Directors distributed an 'End of Year Survey' to our members. The aim was to gather insights, feedback, and assess satisfaction levels, with a keen focus on pinpointing areas for improvement. We're pleased to report that we received responses from 34 individuals, all of whom completed the survey, which included both scale and open-ended questions.
A summary of the scale-based survey is linked below. Additionally, the Board has diligently reviewed the open-ended responses. Where appropriate, this feedback will be shared with relevant parties who can utilize it to enact positive changes within our association.
Thank you to all who participated in this survey, it has been extremely beneficial.
Financial Recap
As we approach the conclusion of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, we are pleased to report that the financial standing of the Association remains strong.
Our total cash on hand amounts to $310,000, with $31,000 designated as 'unrestricted funds'. The majority of the Association's 'restricted funds' are earmarked for upcoming construction projects.
Over the course of the year thus far, we achieved a net revenue of $33,000, aligning closely with the initial budgeted projections. Notably, while our hockey-related expenses and income surpassed budgeted expectations, payroll, concessions, and utility expenses came in lower than anticipated. As a result, our total expenses reached approximately 88% of what was budgeted.
Lastly, the Association is proud to be in position to extend scholarship assistance to 4 families and provide complimentary registration to 19 Mini-Mite and Mite families.
Summer Training Opportunities
On our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BojiBlizzard, we have 'pinned' to the top a comprehensive listing of local training opportunities for the summer. This post will remain pinned throughout the summer and will be updated as we find other opportunities.
In an effort to not bog down the newsletter with descriptions, locations, times, etc. you can find all of that information by CLICKING HERE.
If you have questions about specific opportunities, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Congrats: Jake Jacobs
A big congrats and shoutout to former Boji Blizzard and current Boji Mammoth sophmore Jake Jacobs. Jake was selected for the 2024 Team Midwest Hockey showcase team. The Team Midwest is a team comprised of players from the Midwest Amateru Hockey Association to include players from Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Team Midwest will travel to Dallas, Texas on April 12-14 to take part in the 'Dallas Lonestar Showcase' tournament in front of college and junior hockey scouts.
Jake is the fourth Mammoth to be selected for Team Midwest. (Dan Hoerichs, 2019; Marcus Ingraham, 2019; Ethan Jerge, 2023; Jake Jacobs 2024)
Congrats, Jake-- way to represent Boji! Good luck to you and Team Midwest in Dallas!
Team Recap: Mini Mites
Our Mini-Mite Boji Blizzard team had an amazing season and showed significant progress throughout. One of the biggest challenges we faced at the Mini-Mite level was that many players were new to hockey and had to learn everything from scratch, starting with skating. However, this was a fantastic group of hardworking kids who never shied away from challenges. They practiced three nights a week and quickly mastered hockey stops instead of tumbling on the ice.
On Monday night practices, the players would rotate through stations focused on different types of development in smaller groups than normal practice, following the American Development Model (ADM).
On alternate Tuesday nights, the team enjoyed a favorite game night! The Minis were divided into four different teams and would scrimmage in a rotation with the Mite team. This gave them the chance to observe and learn from the older players and even their siblings, whom they aspire to become. Additionally, this was an opportunity for some of the older Minis to play with the Mites, whom they will be playing with next year.
Our season's opening tournament turned out to be our final outdoor tournament at Brandon Valley, as they are constructing a new indoor rink. This has always been a unique experience that the kids will remember, sometimes for the bone-chilling cold and wind and sometimes for the warm weather and puddles on the ice.
Our home tournament was next on our schedule, and it was a great success. Hosting a tournament is a lot of work, and it can be quite stressful. However, everything went smoothly, and we made it a great experience for everyone involved. The tournament gave extended families the opportunity to watch these hockey players without having to travel.
Our final tournament was held in Marshall, marking the season’s end. By this point, the kids were comfortable on the ice and eager to play. They also enjoyed swimming at the hotel, which was great for team bonding and equally important for the parents, who contributed significantly to making the season happen.
We are excited about the upcoming group of Mini players who will be joining us next season, and we will definitely miss the Mini players who are moving up to the Mite level. We wish them the best of luck! We are incredibly proud of the Mini-Mite Blizzard team for their development into such skilled hockey players. Congratulations on all of your achievements this season!
-Coach Cassidy
Team Recap: Mites
The Mite team had an incredible year and stayed true to the team's four core values: TEAMWORK, ATTITUDE, EFFORT, and FUN. Watching these young athletes evolve not just as hockey players but as young people was truly rewarding, and we had countless memorable moments throughout the season. Our schedule was packed with tournaments including the Puck-N-Pond Tournament in Brandon, SD, the Boji Blast Tournament here in Spirit Lake, the Minnesota D4 Tournament in Windom, MN, and the Battle at the Baron in Marshall, MN. Additionally, we arranged more exhibition games this season, facing off against Fairmont, Worthington, and Windom, both at the Lakes Ice Arena and at their home rinks.
Although the Mite program was very young this year, our kids rose to the challenge! The Boji Blue team dedicated themselves to mastering the hockey fundamentals, while the Boji White team played through some very tough competition in the "A" division of throughout their tournaments. By the season's end, both teams showed remarkable progress and we could not be more proud. Seven players from our Mite team will advance to Squirts, well-equipped to embrace the challenges ahead. I am confident that the lessons learned this year will yield significant dividends for the returning Mite players as they continue their development.
In addition to the tournaments and games, we maintained our ADM Mondays and Tuesday night 'Game Nights', introduced last hockey year, providing enjoyable expereicnes for the kids and a chance for families to see more game action locally.
Another highlight of thee season was our participation in the Minnesota Wild Holiday Jamboree, where we faced Minnetonka and Redwood at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN-- a truly unforgettable expereince for the kids. We also had the opportunity to play during intermission at a Sioux Falls Stampede game just a few weeks ago.
Special thanks to coaches Larry Bertrand, Landon Howard, and Cailin Spengler for their leadership, and to Paige Meyers and Krista Stafford for their exceptional dedication as Team Managers.
Thank you to the parents for investing your time and children in hockey. I understand the commitment this sport demands from your families-- it's a long season, with lengthy travels, frequent practices, and exhasuting tourmanet weekends. I can only hope that we were able to make it all worth it. Hockey has a unique way of captivating us like no other activity, which is why there's so much passion in this building. I hope your family feels the same way. We dedicate ourselves to these kids to be a part of their hockey journey and their personal growth, with the hope of building a stronger hockey community for the future. As I always say, the best 'thank you' you can give us coaches is registering for next year and spreading the word about hockey in the Iowa Great Lakes.
-Coach Mike
Team Recap: Squirts
The Boji Blizzard Squirts ended the season with an overall record of 23 wins, 15 losses, and 2 ties. The team worked hard all season long and really came together as a team after a tie with Worthington – who we had lost 8 to 0 in our first meeting. This was a turning point in our season. From that point on the team really gelled and played with a lot of confidence with a record of 15-7 thereafter (8-8-1 prior to that game). Immediately after the Worthington tie, we played in our first tournament in Winona. This started our busiest month of hockey, playing 3 tournaments in 4 weeks – Winona Fire on Ice (3 rd place), Boji Blast (4 th place), and Mankato Meltdown (2 nd place). This led to our strongest showing of the season at the end of February in the Minnesota District 4 Squirt tournament where we placed 1 st . We wrapped up the end of the season with a competitive and strong 4 th place finish in the Omaha Stampede tournament.
We had a fun and an amazing hockey season. Each Boji Blizzard Squirt player has been a valuable asset to this team. Every player has contributed – whether it’s a point on the score sheet or an unrecorded stat such as a defensive play, winning their battles, etc. They improved throughout the season and the coaches and program is very proud of the season they had!
Additional Information:
This Squirt team really developed throughout the season. We saw puck movement and
offensive and defensive awareness get stronger as the season progressed. Through the
months of November to the end of January we:
played 27 games.
scored 141 goals.
averaged 5.22 goals per game.
had 467 shots against.
averaged 17.96 shots against per game.
had 51 assists.
Just in the month of February we:
played 13 games.
scored 94 goals.
averaged 7.23 goals per game.
had 162 shots against.
averaged 12.46 shots against per game.
had 70 assists.
-Coach Rich
Team Recap: Peewees
Our PeeWee Boji Blizzard team had a great season and showed significant progress throughout the year. Compiling a 23-15-1 record, and a 1st & 2nd place finish in 2 out of 4 tournaments that we played in, is an outstanding achievement for these boys and girls.
With any new season, new challenges are faced for any team. For ours it was determining what type of team we were going to be, to give us the best opportunity to be successful. We had to learn how to defend, how to capitalize on the opportunities we got, and not have our emotions be too high or too low if we wanted to have chance at being successful in our games.
Our coaching staff kept preaching all season long to be patient, and to ‘stick to the script’, and good things will happen eventually. It was great to see our preaching become reality, as we finished with a record of 16-6-1 after January 1 st . I believe we were playing our best hockey at the end of the year, and it was fun to watch.
I want to thank my assistant coaches Matt Grimmius & Nick Erdmann, for their amazing work & support on and off the ice. This season would not have been possible without their help and contributions.
I also want to thank my team managers Amber & Angie for their awesome work off the ice. Whether it was planning team meals, activities between games, having water and snacks between games, they were always there to help anyway they can, to help make the season go smooth.
I also want to thank the parents of all the PeeWee players for entrusting me with their child and entrusting me to try to make them the best hockey players they can be and be part of the best hockey team possible.
I’m excited about the upcoming group of Squirt players who will be joining us next season, and I will miss the PeeWee players who are moving up to the Bantam level. We wish them the best of luck! I’m incredibly proud of the PeeWee Blizzard team for their hard work and determination this season. Congratulations on all your achievements!
-Coach Brad
Team Recap: Bantams
Bantam Coach Dan Menough, Drew Hage, and Brad Shumway had a building year with the Bantams. They started the year with less numbers than expected, so that made it more difficult on the entire team. We came together as a team, and there was significant improvement.
Players were able to get more ice time and experience compared to a larger team with some players getting limited ice time. Bantams is a fun age for development. They are able to absorb information and the speed of the game gives them more time with the puck. As the game gets faster, it is more difficult to build those core skills. Two years at the Bantam level is critical for player development.
Over the past season, players had more individual coaching that brought the team together. We were able to do film and learn as a team. It was a fun year with a good group of kids. We are very proud of this group of kids and look forward to watching these players as they progress next season.
-Coach Dan
Team Recap: Mammoths
Going into their 8th season of competition, the Boji Mammoths had graduated 90% of its firepower which presented many opportunities for incoming players to fill those roles. Joining our 6 returning players were 10 freshman, 2 sophomores and a Senior who came back after not playing for a few years. We rostered a record 19 of which 3 were goalies, also a record. Our expanded roster led to elevated compete level in practice and added depth in games which is key to success at the high school level.
Pre-season training began in August with Coach Dan Hoerichs, Mammoth Alumni, working dryland skills and roller hockey. In September, we began our weekly workouts for those not in fall sports that would end with a fun game. We saw great competition with pickleball, wiffle ball and kick ball.
The team couldn’t wait to get on the ice in October, however due to SL Football success we didn’t get our full 19 players on the ice until the 2nd week of November. Our preseason tourney was a great opportunity for our rookies to hit the ice and adjust to the speed of high school hockey.
Some highlights of our 4+ month adventure:
Played teams from Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin
We traveled over 3,500 miles
Our trio of goalies combined for 9 shutouts
We won our 3rd consecutive Iowa High School Hockey Alliance Championship
11 players with 3.0 gpa or above
Graduate Josh Wavra, Brody Madagan & Lewis Vulk; return 16 players for 2024-2025
29-19 record
Crowned Alex Schaub 2024 NHL 24 Xbox/PlayStation tournament champion
3rd Annual year end sled hockey exhibition with the Siouxland Lightning
More importantly, we came together as a team and created lasting memories. Stick tap to senior Captain Josh Wavra for his leadership on and off the ice. The guys put in a lot of work which led to a very competitive and successful season overall for the team. The future looks bright with numbers in the low 20’s next year and upper 20’s in the years after. This will allow us to field both a varsity and jv leading to more playing time and development opportunities for our players.
Shoutout to all the volunteers behind the scenes that assist with daily operations of our facility, thank you!
-Coach Brett
Thank You!
As we officially bring the 2023-2024 Lakes Ice Arena season to a close, we would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to all those who helped make this season a success.
First and foremost, we would like to thank our Boji Blizzard and Boji Mammoths youth athletes for their hard work, dedication, and love for the game of hockey. You all bring so much energy and enthusiasm to the rink, and we are proud of each and every one of you for giving it your all.
We would also like to thank our coaches for their tireless efforts in guiding and mentoring our players. Your passion for the sport and commitment to developing our young athletes is truly appreciated.
To the parents, volunteers, staff and board members who generously gave their time and support throughout the season, we extend our sincerest thanks. Without your contributions, we would not be able to provide the quality programming and experiences that make the Boji Blizzard and Lakes Ice Arena community so special.
To the communities we serve and support, thank you for full weekends of open skate. We love sharing our building with you providing the Lakes Area (and beyond!) with a recreational facility that is so unique to our area. Thank you for filling the Lakes Ice Arena with joy, laughter and fun each and every weekend.
Last but not least, we would like to express our gratitude to our sponsors for their generous support. Your commitment to our organization allows us to continue to provide opportunities for youth hockey and winter recreation in the Iowa Great Lakes. Simply put, none of this happens without those who support us.
To commemorate this wonderful season, we have this special photo to share with you all. This composite features almost every player and coach in our Association, and it serves as a testament to the hard work, dedication, and camaraderie that define the Boji Blizzard and the Boji Mammoths.
Thank you once again to everyone who made this season such a success. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
