The Owatonna boys hockey team is a perfect 7-0 to start the season.

Yes, you read that correctly: Seven-and-oh.

In the flawless season-opening stretch, the Huskies are 5-0 against non-league opponents and 2-0 within the Big Nine Conference, blitzing Faribault and Red Wing by a combined 14-3 along the way.

Though Owatonna’s schedule has, admittedly, lacked a ton of firepower, the team is also taking care of business against under-manned opponents, which has included a 4-0 record against larger suburban programs. This group of victims includes Bloomington Kennedy, Farmington, Osseo and, most recently, Spring Lake Park. In those contests, Owatonna has rung up an average of 8.3 goals per game and won three of the four by five or more goals.

“It always feels good to go up there and drive an hour and 20 minutes and come away with a win against those (suburban) schools,” said Owatonna’s senior captain and leading goal-scorer, Owen Beyer. “We started with 13 goals against a rebuilding Bloomington Kennedy team and coach said he can’t remember the the last time an Owatonna team scored 13 goals, especially against a suburban team.”

The remaining non-league opponent, Dodge County — which consists of players from Byron, Kasson, Mantorville, Triton and, occasionally, Blooming Prairie — recently crushed Faribault, 13-2, and pinned the only loss of the season La Crescent back on Dec. 9.

When the Wildcats traveled to Owatonna two days later, it was the Huskies who won age old fight between the cats and dogs. The Huskies scored first, led from start to finish and secured a 3-2 victory at the Four Seasons Centre.

“Coming into the season, we knew we had a chance to be a pretty good team,” Beyer said. “We knew we had the talent because this was the group of seniors that went to state during our Bantam A days. And then we have some underclassmen that have filled in the gaps nicely.”

The Huskies are also playing for something, or someone, greater than anything they will ever accomplish on the ice. Greater than any goal. Greater than any win. Greater than any singular cause.

They’re playing for “coach.”

Coach Dave Fromm.

“I can tell he’s looking down on us,” Beyer said on Monday evening. “Coach (Fromm) did so much for this program in such a short time. It’s definitely something we are always thinking about. We are always thinking about coach.”

Taking over for Josh Storm, who left to take the head coaching position at Lakeville South, Fromm returned to his home state of Minnesota in 2021 after spending the previous decade coaching at various levels of the sport in Colorado and was the Huskies’ head coach for two seasons.

Just days prior to the first day of the new school year in late-August, Fromm unexpectedly passed away at the age of just 54. He was survived by his wife and two children.

Reeling from the sudden loss, Owatonna Activities Director, Marc Achterkirch, leaned on the tight-knit hockey community and went right to work searching for his new coach. Ultimately found Fromm’s replacement from within the program and announced the hiring of former long-time OHS coach, Dennis Will, on Sept. 12.

Will served as an assistant coach under Mas Fukushima from 1989-1991. He then took over as the Head Coach and served in that role from 1991-1998. During that time he guided Owatonna to two Big Nine Championships in 1992 and 1993 and two Section runner-ups in 1992 and 1993. In 1998, the Huskies won their first Section Championship, earning a trip to the Boys State Hockey Tournament.

Considering the circumstances, the transition has gone about as well as one could expect — at least according to Beyer.

“Coach Will has been amazing,” he said. “All the coaches, they’ve been great. It’s a tough situation and they’ve made this whole transition a lot easier.”

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PHOTOS BY AARON GUZMAN OF AARON GUZMAN PHOTOGRAPH

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