Blow: “We’re Out To Show People That We’re For Real”

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – It’s been a while since the Kent Freeman Sports Arena has hosted a battle between two top-10 ranked teams, but that is what a packed crowd saw on Saturday between #2 Warroad and #10 Detroit Lakes.

And despite a 3-0 loss in which Warroad peppered Laker goalie Elijah Blow with 42 shots, the Lakers turned heads as a team that could not only hang with, but compete with, one of the top teams in the state.

“After the loss to Bemidji (on December 15th) Coach Noah told us we didn’t want any more moral victories,” said Blow. “That’s tough against the number two team in the state. Our goal is to get better every single game. Warroad’s game wasn’t a moral victory…because we lost. But we know we got better because of that game.”

The Lakers won six-straight games after their Bemidji loss, including an undefeated run at the Fergus Falls Holiday Classic before their loss to Warroad on Saturday. Blow was solid in net against the Warriors, stopping 40 of 42 shots in the loss in what was arguably his best game of the year.

“The coaches had us well prepared for what we were going to see against Warroad”, says Blow. “We ran a lot of 5-on-4 drills so our guys could get used to the defensive zone. Then on Friday, we ran a lot of drills defending passes from corner battles up to defensemen. It’s hard to prepare for a Daimon Gardner (27 G, 16 A, 43 points) or a Jayson Shaugabay (11 G, 29 A, 40 points), but when you’re coached correctly like what Coach Noah is doing, you can limit teams that should score more because you know what to do and where to be defensively.”

Gardner, a DI commit to Clarkson, scored both goals against Blow. Shaugabay has committed to the UMD Bulldogs.

In their five previous games, Warroad had outscored Detroit Lakes 36-2, but the mindset that they can’t compete with the best teams in Class A is changing.

“We’re playing confidently right now and having a lot of fun out there,” says Blow. “We’re all competitive, practices are up-tempo, and we’re playing real good hockey right now. We’ve got a huge section matchup against Thief River Falls on Thursday and we’re playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

The Laker Hockey team is 9-4 overall and 4-2 against Section 8A opponents, and the players feel they have a legit chance to be one of the top seeds in the section tournament next month.

“When the coaches get together at the Section Meetings it all comes down to who you beat and who you don’t, and by how much. My goal is to play my best every single day to give my team a chance to win. The game on Thursday is another opportunity for us to show up as a team and show people that we’re the real deal.”

You can listen to Detroit Lakes vs Thief River Falls on Thursday at 7:00 on KDLM. Laker pregame with Charlie Newland, Matt Wimmer, and Joe Schiller hits the air at 6:45.

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