Eighth-grader Ellie Suda
Devils Lake girls’ hockey is coming off one of the most successful years in its history.
The Firebirds made it to the state tournament. They got to watch one of the best seasons ever in North Dakota girls’ hockey, with Ashlyn Abrahamson leading the state in goals and points. Together with Siri Olson, she led the most dominant duo in the division.
But Abrahamson and Olson are gone now, having graduated and moved on to the collegiate ranks. What’s left is a team that’s young and inexperienced, yet with a roster that’s actually bigger than the one last season. And the Firebirds still have their goalie, Delaney Parker, who put up a strong campaign as only an eighth-grader.
The pieces are there. Now they just need to grow.
“The goal is still to make it to state,” head coach Rob McIvor said after the team’s home opener on Nov. 26. “We have more players, which means we have more opportunities to get rest for the skilled players, and we have more opportunities to grow as a team.”
Devils Lake scored 83 goals last year, with 72 of those coming from Abrahamson and Olson. With 23 players on the roster, some of them are going to have to bring bigger contributions to the scoring column.
The top returner on offense is senior Delaney Wagner, who scored five goals last year. With Abrahamson and Olson no longer above her in the depth chart, the focus turns more towards her to take some leadership on the ice.
McIvor’s daughter, four-sport athlete junior Julia McIvor, scored four goals on last year’s team. Now an upperclassman, she’s another player R. McIvor is looking for some more production from.
McIvor said it’s mostly pretty easy separating himself between being Julia’s dad and her coach. He’s watched her develop into a quality player in a multitude of sports at the high school level. But in the first game of the season, J. McIvor ran into penalty trouble, committing three of them and getting six minutes in the box.
“Today she was getting upset, and she took some penalties she didn’t need to,” McIvor said at the time. “So that’ll be a discussion for later, not right now.”
The Firebirds’ first go-round with their new roster was rocky. They lost 5-0 to kick off their home schedule against West Fargo United. The quick turnaround from the start of practice to the start of games was a source of frustration for McIvor — but it gave the team a clear idea of what they need to work on.
“I wish we would have had a month of practice before we played. Our power play and penalty kill, we barely worked on it. Because [historically] you would get nine practices before you play your first game,” McIvor said. “As we go on, we’ll get more time to practice these things, and we’ll be better at it.”
One potential advantage the Firebirds have in rebuilding is how young they are. Outside of Wagner and J. McIvor, the majority of their potential goal scorers are freshmen or younger. In particular, McIvor mentioned freshman Olivia Erickstad and eighth-graders Miley Duciaume and Ellie Suda as players he’d like to see step up.
“I mean, I get they’re young, but at the same time, they’re gonna grow, and they’re gonna learn to take better shots and spot their shots better,” McIvor said.
It was Suda who scored the Firebirds’ first goal of the season, coming in their third game.
Devils Lake also has its goalie firmly established in Parker. The now-freshman posted a 91.3% save rate as an eighth-grader. She posted a 91.5% rate through the first three games this year. It did creep below 90% after a blowout loss to the defending state champion, Fargo North/South.
But even in the season-opening loss, Parker had a save percentage of 90.6. McIvor called her performance “outstanding.” With offense at more of a scarcity this year, Parker’s continued growth will be something to watch.
And success might not come right away. But the Firebirds have a whole batch of young, fresh talent to develop not just this year, but over the next several years.
“The girls are working hard. There was no lack of effort,” McIvor said. “They’re just young and a little bit inexperienced about what to do with the puck.”
Devils Lake’s next home game is a rematch against Fargo North/South on Dec. 30.
