Scanlan, Fryklund bench pairing not all that sets Bemidji State apart

The Bemidji State women’s hockey program is unique. If you talk to anyone about the team you’ll hear that word pop up and it’s justified.

“Bemidji is a unique school in the WCHA,” Head Coach Jim Scanlan said before a November series against the Gophers. “Obviously you’ve got Big Ten schools, Big Ten programs, Big Ten cities. Duluth, Mankato, St. Cloud, Grand Forks, they’re all much bigger than Bemidji State. We’re a unique school in those terms. We’re smallest in terms of enrollments. We’re a small community.

“You’re not going up there for the malls.”

It’s not just the school’s location and size that sets it apart, though. The way the coaching staff came together isn’t a common story. It reveals a lot of what is special about the program and what has it poised for continued growth.

Scanlan took the head coach position in the summer of 2014 when Steve Sertich stepped down after eight years at the helm. Among the finalists for the position were Scanlan, a former goaltender for the Beavers, and Amber Fryklund, who was not only a former Beaver but also an assistant under Sertich.

When Scanlan took the job he asked both Fryklund and assistant Shane Venkeer, who also attended Bemidji State, to stay with the program. Fryklund became the Associate Head Coach.

“For me, it was real easy. I just hoped she would want to stay on. I never thought at one time of not asking her to stay or not be a part of the team based on what I was told.” – Jim Scanlan on Amber Fryklund

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No superstitions necessary for All-American Brittni Mowat

The stories about superstitious goalies are legendary. Goaltenders’ antics are often weird.

Long ago, Glenn Hall, a Hall of Fame goalie, would vomit before games. He believed he would lose if he didn’t. Another NHL goaltending great, Patrick Roy, would carefully lay out each piece of equipment and dress himself in a specific order, talk to his posts and never skate over the blue lines or red lines — but, rather, just step over them. Some goalies wear the same undergarments for good luck. Lots of goalies bang the two ends of their stick against the goalposts to begin and end every period.

Goaltenders? Bring up the word and often times hockey people roll their eyes. The stereotype says they are weird.

And then there is Brittni Mowat. As far as a goalie goes, the junior from Bemidji State is as predictable as Thanksgiving on Thursday. No crazy pre-game rituals. She doesn’t need them and Bemidji State fans wouldn’t have any other way.

She is consistent. And she is good. So good, in fact, that she became the first, first team All-American goaltender ever from Bemidji State last season. Mowat is even better statistically this season for the Beavers, who are ranked fourth nationally, a high-water mark in school history.

Mowat has posted a 10-2-1 record with two shutouts, a 1.06 goals-against average and a .961 save percentage for Bemidji State, which faces defending national champion Minnesota this weekend in a matchup of top-five teams in Minneapolis.

“She is a wonderful person and a great teammate. A hard worker,” said Jim Scanlan, Mowat’s coach and a former goaltender himself. “Brit is a great student; very conscientious. There is nothing quirky about her that I can tell you.”

“I think I do things pretty normally,” said Mowat. “I am calm before the game. I just try to focus on the game ahead because every game is important. But I have no superstitions.”

Since there is nothing abnormal about her pre-game preparations, there is no reason to change for Mowat.

As a sophomore last season, Mowat recorded a 19-13-1 record with a 1.68 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. Her 19 wins marked the best single-season win total in program history and she posted a single-season record for most shutouts with seven in BSU’s best campaign in school annals.

Behind the play of the All-American goalie and a shot-blocking, crazed defense, Bemidji State upset Minnesota in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Face-Off before losing to Wisconsin in the championship game.

“Brittni’s best asset is her mindset. She doesn’t let anything bother her,” said Bemidji State assistant coach Shane Veenker. “We have picked up that mentality as a team. There aren’t many parades or funerals around here. We try to keep an even keel and we go as she goes.”

It was Veenker who recruited Mowat. She was from Glenboro, Manitoba, playing for the Pembina Valley Mohawks against Shattuck High School in Winnipeg four years ago. Her teams won three provincial championships and Mowat also won a silver medal with Team Manitoba at the U18 Nationals.

“She was tremendous,” recalled Veenker from the tournament in Winnipeg. “She anticipates everything so well. But only one other school offered her a scholarship.”

Veenker acknowledges that Mowat’s 5-foot-7 inch stature might have kept her from more offers and points out that only two Manitoba goalies have ever got Division 1 college scholarships. When Bemidji State made her a scholarship offer, Veenker acknowledges Mowat rejected the offer because it wasn’t a full ride.

“She has the most quiet confidence of anyone I have ever seen,” said Veenker, a Bemidji assistant for the last 10 years. “She wanted a full scholarship and she wasn’t going to settle for anything else.”

That self-assured nature translates onto the ice.

Like many farm kids from Manitoba, Mowat has been playing hockey since she was five-years-old and has been a full-time goalie since 12.

“My parents were kind of against it, but they knew I really wanted to play goal so they gave in,” Mowat says. “I think they are glad now, even if it is a stressful position.”

If the lack of scholarship offers causes Mowat to play with a chip on her shoulder, you would never know it by chatting with her.

“Bemidji has been a great fit for me,” she says. “I knew I wanted to stay close to home and there aren’t many schools near where I live. I guess I was a no-name. I have just worked hard and my team in front of me has helped me a lot.”

As a former Bemidji State goalie under legendary coach Bob Peters, Scanlan can analyze Mowat’s play expertly. He knows he was quite fortunate to inherit a goalie of Mowat’s caliber when he took over from Steve Sertich behind the BSU bench last season.

“I think she got a break her first year and got an opportunity to play because of injuries,” said Scanlan, who was named WCHA Coach of the Year in his first season. “She got into a role where she played all the time.”

Mowat made the All-WCHA Rookie Team in 2013-14 and set multiple rookie records at BSU, including games played (33), wins (10) and goal- against average (2.42). She posted three shutouts and had a 50-save performance against Ohio State, making a name for herself and the Beavers. She impressed Scanlan right away.

“I was very, very impressed with her composure,” said Scanlan. “She has a very calm demeanor. She doesn’t get too excited about much of anything, but she is extremely competitive. She hates to be scored upon.”

Technically, what makes the goalie with the blonde ponytail under her headgear so good?

“She is upright,” Scanlan said. “When she goes down, she still seems to stay upright. She squares up to the puck very well. She is a gamer. The bigger moments don’t seem to phase her. The bigger the game, the bigger she plays. We talk a lot about the mental things involved in goaltending. Keep your eye on the puck all the time. But I try to keep the goalies alone. The position has changed a lot since I played.”

If Mowat is the face of Bemidji State hockey’s resurgence these days, the heart is the way the Beavers block shots. They led the WCHA in blocked shots last season, feature two of the best shot-blocking defenseman in Ivana Bilic and Alexis Joyce, and frustrate teams by clogging up the neutral zone like the freeway at rush hour.

“It is kind of the Beaver legacy, to be honest,” said Mowat. “My defense has made it easy for me. They keep pucks to the outside and block a ton of shots. When I came here as a freshman, that was our motto: Block shots and get your body in front of the pucks. That is what we do.”

There are no pre-game goaltending rituals necessary to understand the Beavers’ success. They were beaten twice by Wisconsin, the No. 1 team in the country, by scores of 3-0 and 4-0, last month, but in the rest of the WCHA season, the Beavers have scored 17 goals and given up only six in eight games. They are 10-2-1 overall and 7-2-1 in WCHA play with 22 points and in second place, one point better than Minnesota.

“We try to be a team that is tough and is not fun to play against,” said Scanlan. “We talk about doing little things. You have to credit the players. Blocking shots can be contagious. Somebody does it and the whole bench erupts. They saw last year what happens if you play hard. When you play against a team like Wisconsin or Minnesota they are going to have the puck more than you are. You better know what you are doing in your end, getting in shot lanes.

“The players realize it can lead to our team being successful. They know it is one of those little things that we have to do well. If we do it well, it can lead to a good habit. (Against Wisconsin in the first game of a series in Madison), they had us for 26 blocked shots. If you look at a goalie’s save percentage and you figure teams score on one of every 10 shots, that may have saved us two goals. And you never know, you might get one going the other way. That’s what Coach Peters used to always say.”

If teams get through the maze of clingy Bemidji defenders, then they have to face Mowat, who shared honors with North Dakota’s Shelby Amsley-Benzie as an All-WCHA first team goalie last season and set program records for wins, goals-against average and save percentage in a single season. Those numbers made her Bemidji’s first, first team All-American goalie. BSU’s Zuzana Tomcikova, who played in the Olympics for Slovakia, was a second team All-American in 2012.

“That was a big surprise for me,” said Mowat. “My team deserves a lot of credit for it too.”

The awards kept coming after the season for Mowat, too. The exercise science major was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and then completed her sophomore year with the news that she had been named Bemidji State’s Female Athlete of the Year.

“I was shocked because there are so many good athletes at Bemidji State,” said Mowat. “I had to prepare a speech and I didn’t know what to say. I was completely shocked. I never expected it.”

Following the season, Mowat was invited to Team Canada’s national women’s strength and conditioning program, but suffered an injury and returned home to concentrate on her junior year, a season where the Beavers have changed their image under the old goalie, Scanlan, and the new goalie, Mowat. Bemidji State heads into Friday and Saturday’s game with Minnesota as more of a WCHA contender than an in-state rival.

“We have big expectations,” said Mowat. “We lost a couple key players, but we have some good freshmen. We have big goals. We need to continue working hard and I think everything will gel.”

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Beaver alum Jim Scanlan hired to lead BSU’s women’s program.

Bemidji State University Director of Athletics Tracy Dill today announced the school has hired East Grand Forks High School athletic director and head girls hockey coach Jim Scanlan to fill its vacant women’s head coaching position. Scanlan was selected from an impressive list of fellow finalists in former Minnesota State men’s hockey coach Troy Jutting, current Bemidji State women’s assistant Amber Fryklund and Minnesota State women’s assistant coach Brett Bruininks to become the school’s fifth women’s head hockey coach.

“We are really excited to have Jim on board as the new women’s hockey coach here at BSU,” commented Dill. “He brings a wealth of experience, not only at the collegiate level, but also a tremendous amount of success at the high school level. More importantly, he has a deep love for Bemidji State University and I really believe he will do a great job on the recruiting scene and will continue to move our women’s hockey program forward.”

“I am extremely humbled to be given this opportunity,” said Scanlan. “I don’t think there is any other place I would have tried to get back into coaching at this level.

“Bemidji State has meant so much to my family and me. Now to be able to come back and work here as the head women’s hockey coach is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” He added, “It’s really, really special.”

A two-time All-American goaltender for the Beavers from 1978-82 who helped lead BSU to a pair of national titles as a player, Scanlan replaces Steve Sertich who retired on March 17 following an eight-year run guiding the Beavers. Scanlan brings a wealth of hockey coaching experience—both men’s and women’s—with him back to Bemidji.

Scanlan, on the bench as his East Grand Forks team took on Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato in the class 1A quarterfinal game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Wednesday, February 19, 2014. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

He recently capped off his sixth season at the helm of the East Grand Forks High School girls team by leading the Green Wave to the Minnesota state tournament for the first time in program history and a runner-up finish to The Blake School. Scanlan, who was named the 2014 Minnesota Class A Coach of the Year, compiled a 110-51-6 (.677) record leading the EGF girls’ program.

As coach of the EGF boys from 1996-2005, he went 148-109-15 (.572) and led them to four trips to St. Paul (1989, 1999, 2001 and 2002). Prior to that, Scanlan served as an assistant coach at North Dakota (1989-96) and Michigan Tech (1985-89).

Scanlan graduated from Bemidji State in 1985 with a degree in physical education and health. He later earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration from Western Michigan University in 1988.

As a collegiate goaltender, Scanlan played for legendary R.H. “Bob” Peters at Bemidji State from 1978-1982. A four-year letterwinner, the captain was in net 85 times, logging a career record of 62-19-0, while backstopping the Beavers to a NCHA regular season title in 1982 and four consecutive trips to the NAIA national tournament, including national titles in 1979 and 1980. The NCHA Player of the Year in 1982, Scanlan was selected as an NAIA All-American to conclude the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons. Scanlan also left his mark on the BSU goaltending records. He remains amongst the top ten in six major goaltending categories. He is fifth on BSU’s save percentage list (.907), eighth in goals against average (2.821), is third on BSU’s goaltending victories list (62), ranks sixth on the Beavers’ career saves list (2,211) and his 4,807 minutes in net stand eighth in Beaver hockey history. In addition, only one goaltender in the 58 years of Bemidji State hockey has accumulated more shutouts during his career than Scanlan’s nine. Was enshrined into the Bemidji State Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1978-79 and 1979-80 men’s hockey teams, Scanlan was named as one of the Bemidji State men’s hockey program’s 50 Legends for 50 Years in 2005-06.

Scanlan’s wife Cyndy is also a Bemidji State graduate and the couple have three grown children: Briana, a former BSU soccer player and 2012 graduate, Jaclyn, a senior soccer player at North Dakota State University and Joey, who is an incoming freshman at BSU.

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Former Minnesota State men’s hockey coach Troy Jutting is among four finalists identified by Bemidji State for its open women’s head coaching position. Current Bemidji State women’s assistant Amber Fryklund, Minnesota State women’s assistant coach Brett Bruininks and East Grand Forks High School athletic director and head girls hockey coach Jim Scanlan round out an impressive list of candidates.

According to a BSU press release, the quartet have been invited to Bemidji for on-campus interviews scheduled for Wednesday, June 4 to fill the position left vacated by the retirement of Steve Sertich on March 17 following an eight-year run guiding the Beavers.

Jutting, a Richfield native, has spent the past two seasons on Dean Blais’ staff at the University of Nebraska-Omaha after a 26-year affiliation with Minnesota State as a player and coach. A four-year letter winner for the Mavericks, Jutting compiled 145 points in 136 games before turning his attention to coaching. Jutting stood behind the Minnesota State bench for 22 seasons, including the final 12 as head coach in which he led MSU to a 184-224-55 record and was honored with two Western Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year awards (2002-03 and 2007-08).

Bemidji State’s all-time leading scorer with 122 points accumulated from 2000-03, Fryklund returned to her alma mater three years ago as an assistant under Sertich after several seasons coaching in the Minnesota high school ranks. The Hibbing native was a Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalist before landing in Bemidji where she guided the Beavers through the program’s formative years. Fryklund became BSU’s first All-WCHA selection when she garnered second team honors as a junior in 2001-02.

A four-year letterwinner at Notre Dame from 1992-96, Bruininks is coming off of his first season as an assistant with the Minnesota State women’s program after a three-year stint as head women’s hockey coach at Concordia College (Minn.) from 2010-2013. In his first season at Concordia, the Minneapolis native he led the Cobbers to a single-season program record of 15 wins and the program’s first MIAC tournament berth in 10 years. Bruininks, who played professionally for minor-league affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes from 1996-99, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, before earning his Master’s of Education degree from the University of Minnesota in 2005 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2009.

Scanlan, a two-time All-American goaltender for the Beavers from 1978-82 who helped lead BSU to a pair of national titles as a player, brings with him a wealth of experience coaching both men’s and women’s hockey. He recently capped off his sixth season at the helm of the East Grand Forks High School girls team by leading the Green Wave to the Minnesota state tournament for the first time in program history. As coach of the EGF boys from 1996-2005, he led them to four trips to St. Paul. Prior to that, Scanlan served as an assistant coach at North Dakota (1989-96) and Michigan Tech (1985-89).

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Scanlan in his modesty kept pointing the interview away from him and onto others saying “we are a product of our environment.  I have been very fortunate to have had some great coaches all the way from my youth days in Cottage Grove Minnesota to my days coaching for one season at Northern Michigan, then  3 years at Western Michigan, and for 7 years at the University of North Dakota”.

After his college coaching stint, Scanlan then stayed in East Grand Forks, where he coached the boys  from 1996 – 2007 and during the 10 years, his team qualified for 4 tournament appearances.  He lost a heart breaker in the championship game to a Troy Riddle led Benilde St. Margaret’s team by a 3-2 margin.  He has coached the girls since 2008, and with his team coming down this year on the girls side,  Scanlan is one of only a few coaches to have ever coached teams into the Minnesota State High School tournament for both the boys and the girls.

All is well with Green Wave Hockey-photo Pioneer Press: John Autey

In speaking of his mentors, the list is very impressive, as they include some of the most decorated coaches in college history.  The names he then rattled off included four NCAA coach of the years, with four of these coaches also winning the NCAA National  tournament.

As an assistant coach at the University of North Dakota, Scanlan coached for Dean Blais and Gino Gasparini.  Both Blais and Gasparini were NCAA coach of the year recipients along with both having won NCAA titles.  Add to that the assistants at UND that included Scott Sandelin, who recently led UMD to an NCAA title in 2011, and Rick Comley who won the NCAA tourney and was chosen as coach of the year and you have some of the games best hockey minds forming the plan Scanlan would bring to East Grand Forks.

When Cary Eades was asked to describe Jim Scanlan in one word, Cary quickly responded, “Integrity”.   Eades knows Scanlan from way back,  as the Souix Falls United States Hockey League Head Coach spoke of his days coaching with Jim at the University of North Dakota with Gino Gasparini, and then Blais.  Working side by side, Eades commented that ” Scanlan has a rare talent as he motivates through integrity”.  Eades, who has a daughter Erica on the Green Wave team, went on to say that “Jim’s integrity plays a big role in his team’s success, whether it’s the boys or the girls, he leads by example with his integrity, and holds his players accountable to the same level and they respond very positively”.  Eades also noted that one shouldn’t be fooled by Scanlan’s calm demeanor “Jim is a fierce competitor, and under that calm focused demeanor, is a burning passion to win”.

Prior to arriving at East Grand Forks, the program had decent players, but could never get it totally together.  Scanlan brought in a disciplined approach that was about accountability.  His plan was to take all that he had learned, and build a program whose basis would be to compete at a very high level, with the goal of winning championships.  Starting with the boys, Scanlan began to implement his plan, first coaching the boys team for ten years and nearly winning it all, and now with the girls program.  Under Scanlan, both teams are now flourishing as hockey has prospered in East Grand Forks.

Jayson Mack,  whose daughters Haley and Alexa Mack have flourished with this years girls team, said Scanlan has a very rare gift.  Mack knows about winning hockey, who as a player scored the game winning goal giving Bemidji State a national title.  Mack noted “Jim not only has the respect of his players, but the player like him, rarely do you see the two going together.    In coaching you typically see one, but rarely both, as it is hard for a coach to earn the respect and at the same time, being liked by his players”.  Mack would know of this, as he spent many years coaching with Scanlan, including caoching the boys team  during their 4 trips to the state tournament in a  7 year period run.

When asked to compare the difference between coaching boys and girls, Scanlan said “It is not what you would think, as it is very similar, as these girls are just as competitive, and I look at it as these are not girls, but are hockey players, who just want to learn the game”.

Scanlan’s career in hockey spans nearly 5 decades.  As a youngster growing up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota.  Scanlan recalled a cherished child hood with great friends and a very close knit family.    Being the 5th child out of 11 born to Rosemary and Jerry Scanlan, the family was very close knit, with a strong family bond built on love and trust.  Scanlan, who now serves the East Grand Forks School District as it’s Athletic Director, commented “We are a product of our environment.  I have been blessed with having great role models, starting at home and then on the ice”.

The story would not be complete if we didn’t go back to the root.  A great addition to the hockey community in Cottage Grove was the hiring of Marv Jorde as a teacher and coach at Park Senior High.  Jorde, a former USA National hockey player, would coach the Park High School team for seventeen seasons, and inspired many to play the game at a very high level.  Jorde’s team were very well coached, having played his youth days in  Thief River Falls where he led his high school team to the state tournament, before heading to the University of Minnesota where he was coached by the legendary John Mariucci.

THE BIRTH OF A PROGRAM

Jorde brought all of this knowledge and his love and passion for the game to Cottage Grove.   In 1968 Jorde, Rod Rankin and Pete Freeman approached the Cottage Grove Athletic Association to create a hockey program.  With the backing of Harold Kostka helping to fund the Bantam program, and the ice time for the traveling Pee Wee’s and Bantam league games at Wakota Arena paid by Pioneer Press owner Bob Ridder, which helped keep the costs down, the program started with over 300 kids signing up with most games played outdoors.  The club had three traveling teams, with Freeman coaching the Bantams, Rod Rankin coaching the Pee Wees and John Mausolf coaching the traveling squirt program.

According to Jorde, one of the reasons for his success was Mausolf, “John’s job with the district was being responsible for the grounds and outdoor ice in the winter, and we always had the best ice, as John put his heart and soul into his duties.  The grounds for the other sports were always in great shape, and having also coached the baseball team, we had one of the best fields in the cities as well.  It made practices much easier, and showed with winning results for both the hockey and baseball programs”.

With the initial go ahead,  Mausolf, along with other traveling coaches  Pete Freeman, Rod Rankin, had much support.  Hal Tiffany who was involved in the cities Parks and recreation committee along with being Vice President of Cottage Groves Athletic Association, was in charge of the hockey program and served as the director for ten years.  Tiffany said of his years of service ” It was never a big deal, it was just something that somebody had to do”.  Others instrumental in the program start up included Gerry Goulet who ran the equipment shed, and assistant coaches Joe Torrito,  Dick Tinucci, Dick Burke along with  Gary Schultz, Shin Koyama, Marty Appel, Myron and Diane Bailey.  Many others also helped  as the program was off and running growing to 700 kids in the late 70’s.

JIM SCANLAN IS INTRODUCED TO HOCKEY

The Pee Wee traveling team was led by John Mausolf for almost 20 years

With the birth of Cottage Grove hockey, Scanlan was first introduced to the game by the John Mausolf family, including sons Craig and Gary.  John had been a multiple sport star for St. Paul Park in the 50’s and settled in Cottage Grove.  He married into a hockey crazed South St. Paul family when he met Judy Palodichuk, and with the new High School and Orrin Thompson housing built in the mid 60’s,  the couple settled in Cottage Grove, and began to raise a family.   Mausolf, who worked for School District 833 leading the grounds crew, worked tirelessly to build up a youth programs in hockey and baseball.

Mausolf started out and  coached the Squirt A team coaching the traveling team that included  his sons, Gary and Craig, along with Scanlan, Mike Jorde and Scott Tiffany.  Marv noted that it was because of John’s way with kids, who liked and respected him as a coach, the team excelled.  Marv noted  “John had a way of motivating and working with kids.  He expected the kids to work hard and play as a team.   His love for the game, and for those who played it, was evident to all”.  Mausolf coached this group through the Bantam level and then coached the Pee Wee Traveling team through the early 90’s, with his team capturing the 199o state tourney title.

According to Gary Mausolf, who played on most of the teams that Jim played on in the 60’s and 70’s, recalls his early days with the Cottage Grove team.  Gary said ” Because of the large family, my dad John would get Jim his equipment and also arrange for Jim to pay for his hockey needs by working in several small  clean up jobs around the Cottage Grove /Newport area.  I recalled being the guy who seemed to always be carrying Jim’s equipment, as it was usually kept at our house and I had to load it in before we picked up Jim”.  Jim’s mother, Rose Scanlan, also noted this “With eleven kids and one car, with Jim’s dad needing that for work,  John Mausolf was a huge support for Jim, as we just could not have driven him as much as needed.  John was also an awesome neighbor, really pitching in when needed”.

Scanlan was a very talented hockey player before he ever became a coach.  His passion for the game and focus and determination for winnnng was most evident before he put on the pads to defend the nets for his team mates.  In high school for Park, his sister Patty recalled “the afternoon of a game, Jim would get alone in our house, and with his hoodie over his head in a dimly lit room, he would focus by rocking in a chair thinking and preparing for the game for over an hour”.   Thought to be odd behavior in the 70’s, this type of meditation is commonly used to prepare athletes now for  many  types of competition, focusing on performance prior to competition.

In another area that Scanlan and the neighborhood boys were ahead of their time was the use of what is now known as small area games.  Scanlan attributes some of his success with his quick glove as a goaltender with his time spent in the Tiffany basement in what was known as the Basement Hockey League (BHL), “Not only was our team chemistry  developing  by the interaction, but the 3 on 3 hockey  played in an area that was 30 feet by 40 feet with a makeshift net  and a rolled up sock that was taped up, made for some quality practice time that helped create quick hands and quick minds” said Scott Tiffany, who played on teams with Scanlan from the time he was 8 until they graduated from Park High School.  The two parted ways, with Scanlan heading to Bemidji State and Tiffany going off to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.  Tiffany is currently best known as the Founder and President of MinnesotaHockeyMagazine.com.

FROM COTTAGE GROVE TO BEING A BEMIDJI STATE ALL AMERICAN

With the values of hard work, accountability to others, and perseverance, the young men would take this into their adult life.  Michael Jorde M.D. who is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Practice at the University of California-Davis and President of Redding Primary Care Corporation in Redding California noted “From squirts to High School hockey, Jim Scanlan, Scott Tiffany and I, along with our team mates, were raised in an environment that contributed significantly to ours and  Jim’s success.  Unending parental support instilled a belief that we could became whatever we dreamed of if we worked hard and maintained a positive attitude.  We were rink rats, who brought our sleeping bags to the Park High outdoor rink to skate and sleep overnight in the warming house.   And always, the endless coaching hours and altruistic efforts of individuals like John Mausolf, Dewey Selander,  Mike Lysne, and Skip Peltier which allowed Jim to develop into a talented hockey player and coach”.

Growing up in the program, with great instruction and playing high level competition, the program developed along with it’s players.  The team consistently won more games than they lost, as Scanlan provided the back bone of the team with his strong net play.  Scanlan had a stellar Park High career, and after finishing his senior season with a 15-8 record after losing in the semi finals of the sections against a Scott Lynch and his 60 goal season and the North Saint Paul Polar team, he was recruited by the legendary Bob Peters to play hockey at Bemidji State.

With the support of an even stronger cast, Scanlan soon took his game to an even higher level, with the Beavers capturing the NCAA titles in 1979 and again in 1980.  Scanlan then finished up his college career on a personal high note,  by twice becoming an All American in 1981 and in 1982, finishing his career with 62 wins and an astounding winning percentage of .765 and after a tryout with the Buffalo Sabres, it was now time for Scanlan to take his next step and enter into the coaching profession.

COACHING FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Scanlan noted that this season was set up by their last game from a year ago ” Having lost in the sectional final last year to Warroad, the team came into the season hungry, with losing just one player and knowing how close they were to their goal of playing for the state title in St. Paul”.   Scanlan was very impressed  early on, with the girls dedication and desire, as his team started out fast “The first practice of the year in late October was unbelievable.  The girls came in and practiced as if in mid season form, with the chemistry showing, clicking on all cylinders”.

The team has not let off at all, having to go through Warroad and then number one ranked in the state Thief River Falls to get to the state tournament.   East Grand Forks team entered the state tournament having lost only twice, with both losses to the previously number one ranked  Class A Thief River Falls team.   These losses were avenged, as the Green Wave defeated the Prowlers in double overtime for the section title.

Scanlan, whose first time entrant team won it’s first two games in the state tournament behind the strong performance of the Mack sisters,  has now brought both the girls and  boys team from  East Grand Forks to it’s highest height and now has had both playing for state titles.

Although his team could not hold off the Blake Bears with Blake defending their state title by a 3-2 score, Scanlan now has laid the ground work for the girls program.  After the loss, Scanlan addressed his team by telling them they are champions and will forever be champions  “This is a championship team and championship teams walk forever, hold your heads high, you did everything you could to win it, and that is how we play the game”.  It will be interesting to follow in the years to come as Scanlan now pursuits his desire to win a state title coaching hockey players behind the girls bench.

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