WHITEFISH — As cold as it's been in Western Montana, you would think there would be a ton of teams out on the ice playing hockey.
But there's only one team in the Flathead Valley. It's comprised of kids from all over, and they're about to go to a national tournament.
Hockey is a tough but elegant sport that requires equal parts speed and technique.
Brandon Cottrell, coach of the Flathead Valley's sole high school hockey team, the Flathead Fusion, claims that his team embodies all the qualities necessary for greatness.
“This is the youngest group we've had since I've started coaching,” Cottrell said. "This is also the most skilled team I've had since I've started coaching, so it's been a fun dynamic to work with. Since they're so young, I'm able to mold them, shape them into who they need to be, the team we need them to be.”
The Fusion pulls players from Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork to put a full team on the ice.
Senior defender Luke Nelson said the need for this has brought the team closer together and made them work harder.
“It’s definitely not easy to get this team going, it takes a lot of work in the offseason,” Nelson said. “Once we get together it kind of just clicks and it just kind of works out. It definitely takes a lot of planning, a lot of practice, a lot of hard work.”
Now, that hard work will pay off with an invite to the USA Hockey Nationals in California where teams from across the country will compete.
“We're going to see some of the best teams in other states, as well,” Cottrell said. “So, it'll be good competition. It'll be a good experience for a lot of these younger kids, as well, so it'll make everyone else even stronger for next year.”
However, because the Fusion are a non-profit organization, they will rely on community funds to make the trip down to California.
With some community members already making big donations, senior Jack Muhlfeld said the donations won’t go to waste.
“Coming from a small town, it's good to have the community support around here,” Muhlfeld said. “It's awesome and we're going to work hard for it and try our hardest and we'll see how it goes, but we're just really excited to have the opportunity.”
