Mason City - On this Sunday night, the crowd was kept in its seats until late in the third period. Losing 4-0 to the Omaha Lancers, Troy Linna notched his team-high fourth goal of the season to put the hometown team on the scoreboard.
Coach Steve Nelson was behind the bench, and there was a player named Larranaga on the ice. Okay, the name on the jersey was misspelled Larranga, but the thought was there anyway. And although he did not play on this particular night, Willie Raderschadt is on the roster.
Sounds like the Des Moines Buccaneers?
Guess again.
About 120 miles further north in Mason City, the North Iowa Huskies have a very distinct Des Moines flavor. It all started this summer, when Nelson was hired as coach of the Huskies after serving as an assistant coach in Des Moines last year. This was only the first step, however.
Three of the players on North Iowa's roster have ties to the Bucs. Troy Linna played five games for the Bucs last season, registering four assists. So far this year, he has four goals and one assist in five games, and has been one of the Huskies' top players.
Efren Larranaga was at Des Moines' evaluation camp this summer, and his brother, Felipe, is a defenseman for the Bucs. Efren, a feisty 5'10", 185-pound right winger, has made his impact felt in more than one way. In addition to registering two assists in four games, he is second in the league with 37 penalty minutes.
Willie Raderschadt is one of the Huskies' three goaltenders this season. In seven games with the Bucs last season, Raderschadt posted a 3.97 goals against average and recorded one shutout.
The former Bucs have helped contribute to North Iowa's somewhat surprising early season success. The Huskies have started the year 3-2, including wins at Lincoln's home opener and Sioux City's home opener. The two losses were at Waterloo's home opener, and the previously mentioned game against Omaha. Not bad for a team that was expected to struggle early in the season after losing the majority of last year's squad, which reached the semi-finals before losing to the Lancers.
The success should not come as a complete surprise. Nelson has been part of winning programs, first reaching the national championship game as an assistant in Sioux City in 1996. After one season in Sioux City, he served as an assistant for the Bucs the past two seasons, including the 1997-98 national championship season. As a result, someone who has seen what it takes to be successful guides the young Huskies.
North Iowa has received strong efforts from other sources as well. Gritty forward Marty Goulet leads the team with seven points (two goals and five assists), while Ray Williams has added five points (two goals and three assists). The goaltending trio of Raderschadt, Jason Gregoire, and Ryan Scott has combined to post a 2.95 goals against average and a 90.9 save percentage.
Special teams have been an early season strength. The power play is clicking at a 26.08 percent pace, second only to Des Moines. The penalty killing unit has killed off 86.95 percent of their opposition's power plays. The Huskies utilized an aggressive penalty killing style in Sunday's game against Omaha, shutting down the strong Lancer power play.
Although the young Huskies will likely have some growing pains at some point in the season, they've already surprised a few people. And much of the credit goes to some very familiar faces.
