Lucas Punkari
The record books will show that the Rainy River Community College Voyageurs had a win and a loss against the Iowa State Cyclones at Kerry Park Arena in International Falls over the weekend to start their 2012-13 ACHA women’s hockey season.
But for head coach Evan Amdahl, the biggest thing he’ll take away from the season-opener was the play of freshman centre—and former Muskie—Taylor Dixon.
“I’m really glad that she is on our team and the girls were asking to be her wingers, which was exciting to see them bond that way,” he enthused.
“She had two assists in her first game on Saturday, in which she used her hands very effectively, and both goals on Sunday came off of her stick,” Amdahl added.
“She’s pretty amazing to watch when she dangles.”
Dixon’s two goals Sunday, which both came in the second period, helped the Voyageurs to a 2-1 victory over the Cyclones.
Teammates Bailey Bernard, Jaylene Anderson, and Chelsey Clarke all earned assists.
Anderson and Clarke were the recipients of Dixon’s slick passes on power plays Saturday night, but it wasn’t enough for the Voyageurs as they fell 3-2.
Next up for the Voyageurs is the Can-Am tournament at Bronco Arena in the Falls this weekend, which will see six teams taking to the ice.
The hosts will play the Thunder Bay Queens at 6 p.m. on Friday, the Michigan State Spartans at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and then the Western Predators from Manitoba on Sunday at 2 p.m.
“Confederation College from Thunder Bay and Minot State will also be at the tournament, but we won’t be playing them until later in the season,” Amdahl noted.
“It’ll be nice to play against three teams that we won’t see for the rest of the year, and to also have a chance to see a couple of teams that we play in the future,” he reasoned.
“Our goal for this weekend, like it is during the year, is to improve every time on the ice, and that is something I felt that we did against Iowa State in our two games,” Amdahl added.
