Brody Forsberg (Photos by Noah Clooten)
Devils Lake boys’ hockey opened some eyes in the first couple weeks of the season.
Coming off an eighth-place finish in the 10-team Eastern Dakota Conference, the Firebirds were projected to more-or-less stay the same this year. They were ranked eighth in the preseason coaches poll.
But with two road wins to start the year, including an upset over the preseason No. 3, Devils Lake is right in the thick of the EDC race.
“We’re gonna have a very competitive year,” head coach Landyn Swenson said. “As long as we can stay healthy, stay out of the box and continue to do our systems correctly, I think we’ll be very successful and continue to work.”
The Firebirds took a tough 3-2 overtime loss to start the season against non-conference foe Bottineau/Rugby. But they beat Grafton/Park River (the preseason No. 9) 6-4, then shocked the preseason No. 3, West Fargo, 5-2 on the Packers’ home ice. They returned home and took an early 1-0 lead over the defending champion and preseason No. 2, Grand Forks Red River, before eventually falling 3-1.
Before the loss to Red River, they were briefly tied for first in the EDC. The defeat dropped them down to a tie for third place at 2-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Still, through the early-season ups and downs, the Firebirds proved they belong among those top clubs — something the poll might not have indicated. In particular, they got a boost of offense compared to last year. Devils Lake scored a combined 11 goals in its first two wins after averaging only 2.58 goals per game last year.
The biggest contribution came from Logan Stokke, who scored four goals in the Firebirds’ first four games of the season. Stokke, a senior, scored only one goal last year while appearing in 22 of the 24 games. He earned a more guaranteed role on this year’s team, and he’s run with it.
“He’s becoming that leader that we chose,” Swenson said. “He’s putting himself in the right spot at the right time. And it’s really showing, when he puts the puck in the back of the net. So it’s good to see.”
Sophomore Weston Stromme, who didn’t even get any varsity action last season, had three goals through the first three games this season. Junior Weston Nelson, who scored seven goals and had 11 assists on last year’s team, added two goals and seven assists through the first three games.
“[Stromme] and Stokke and Weston Nelson, all those three on the same line, they’re putting themselves in the right spot,” Swenson said. “They’re giving themselves opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net. And so far, they’ve done a really good job. So can’t complain.”
Last year’s leading scorer for Devils Lake was Brody Parker, who’s now a senior. He was the only player to score double-digit goals, with 13, and he led the team in points with 25. Parker had a predictably solid start with three goals in the first three games this year. But now, Stromme, Stokke and Nelson all have the potential to reach double digits alongside him.
The expectation for Parker is perhaps a bit higher than the other players, given his success last year. He should be a monumental and reliable piece of this team going forward.
“He’s a hard worker. He’s gonna go out there and work his butt off no matter what,” Swenson said. “So it’s good to see him coming back and working every single day in order to be better. He has very high expectations every single time for himself, whether it’s in practice, beating somebody in the drill, or in the game, scoring that goal. It’s good to see, and it’s fun to coach.”
Last year, the Firebirds were much more known for their goalie than they were for their offense. Junior Brody Forsberg was one of the better goalies in the state, posting a 91.5% save rate over 25.33 games played. He saved 893 shots in 976 attempts. Going into his senior season this year, the Grand Forks Herald named Forsberg as one of the state’s top names to watch in high school hockey.
“He comes to practices, comes to games every day ready to go,” Swenson said. “You can’t take that away from a kid. He’s always working, always doing the extra work that he needs to in order to be successful.”
And so far, Forsberg has given the Firebirds what they expected. Through four games, he posted a nearly identical save rate of 91.6%. That’s despite allowing four goals to Grafton/Park River and taking two losses. But Devils Lake knows what it has in Forsberg, and he hasn’t necessarily done anything significantly better or worse compared to last year. But an established goalie, combined with more offensive weapons, makes for a better team overall.
So with a more well-rounded, balanced squad, the group expectations are higher. Last year, Devils Lake won a home play-in game to make the EDC tournament. It lost in the first round to the eventual state champion. But this year is different.
“To make state is obviously the biggest goal that we’re gonna shoot for,” Swenson said. “But it’s small steps at a time. Working every single day; getting better every single day. And then by the end of the season, give ourselves that opportunity.”
The Firebirds are at home twice this week, hosting Minot on Tuesday the 17th and Fargo South/Shanley on Thurs., Dec. 19. They’ll be back in action after the new year on Jan. 2 at home against West Fargo Sheyenne.
