ISANTI — The Rochester Ice Hawks weren't at their best Friday night against the Minnesota Owls.
Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis said his team lacked "a jump" in its step. But in the end, Rochester's special teams units were good enough to carry it to a 4-1 Minnesota Junior Hockey League victory.
The Ice Hawks remain on top of the MnJHL standings at 13-1.
"We definitely didn't play our best, and it seemed like we lacked focus at times," Fatis said. "I think the guys were thinking about (tonight's) game a little too much, looking forward to playing at home. We need to learn to be more focused and not look past teams.
The Ice Hawks, who lead the MnJHL in power-play percentage, scored three more goals with the man advantage Friday night. Rochester also killed off all seven of its own penalties.
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"Power play was great again; we had plenty of chances, though we didn't bury as many as we should have," Fatis said. "Penalty kill was solid."
The Ice Hawks held a 1-0 lead after the opening period. Rick Weber netted a power-play tally at the 5:27 mark, with Trevor Wight earning the helper.
Shaun Walters made it 2-0 early in the third, scoring off passes from Tyler Sheppard and Nick LaRue.
The Owls cut the lead to 2-1 late in the second, but the Ice Hawks put the game away with a pair of power-play goals in the third. Michael Ohlsson and George Jackson both scored with the man advantage, while Cory Kautz, Trevor Lloyd and Walters had assists.
The Ice Hawks held a 43-20 edge in shots on goal. Ice Hawks goalie Cory Simons finished with 19 stops.
"Simons did what he does; he stopped shots," Fatis said.
The Ice Hawks return to action at 7:55 p.m. tonight at home against the Minnesota Flying Aces.
