Dahl reaches milestone on the road

Going into a road series against St. Norbert and Lake Forest on Jan. 26-27, Dahl had 99 points. Even though he was only one point away, he didnít let his individual successes overshadow the tough weekend.

“I really haven’t been thinking about that lately because of how important this weekend is for our hockey team,” Dahl said before the road trip. “I’m more nervous about winning the NCHA league championship than anything, but if I do gain that milestone I will be truthfully just honored to be among some great River Falls players who have played before me.”

Dahl was unable to score his 100th point until Saturday night against Lake Forest. He assisted on Derek Hansberry’s goal to tie the game with 42 seconds left to play.

“Friday night we played Norbert and our team and our line had a bunch of chances, but couldn’t score,” Dahl said. “[Saturday] we couldnít get anything to go in; luckily at the end we got it.”

Dahl’s assist helped the Falcons manage a tie on the road, leaving the road trip with only one point.

Head coach Steve Freeman said that Dahl has been on the first line since he joined the team in 2004. His freshman season he played with Garrett Larson, and for the past two seasons he has been with Pat Borgestad and Hansberry.

“I’ve been blessed to have great linemates,” Dahl said. “I can’t say enough good things about them. I’d also like to acknowledge the coaching staff. I appreciate them giving me a chance to step up and am thankful for them believing in me.”

In the future, Dahl doesn’t have any plans for his career, except getting better each day and continuing to contribute to Falcon hockey.

“He’s a strong all-around player,” Freeman said. “He’s a real intelligent player. He reads the ice well. He has good chemistry with his teammates.”

The 2002 Apple Valley High School graduate planned on making the jump to Div. III hockey right away after school, but went on to spend two seasons playing in Nebraska and Iowa. Following his stint there, he found that River Falls was the right fit for him.

Dahl said that one of the reasons River Falls is such a good fit is the proximity to his home. His parents attend most, if not all, of the Falcon’s home games.

“It’s far enough away, but it’s close enough for them to come,” Dahl said. “I love seeing my parents along the glass. It’s a huge confidence booster.”

While his high school career was heartbreaking, losing in the state tournament qualifying game two seasons in a row, Dahl was determined to make his hockey career the best it could be.

Freeman has worked with Dahl for the past three seasons and said it’s impressive what Dahl has accomplished, especially in such a short amount of time. The other players with 100 points have accumulated them in four seasons; Dahl finished the feat in just short of three.

Dahl and his teammates have another tough test to look forward to this weekend as they take on seventh-ranked UW-Superior and St. Scholastica. Scholastica is just on the brink of being ranked in the top 15.

When River Falls faced off against Scholastica in Duluth Dec. 8, the Falcons beat the Saints 4-3. On Dec. 9, they lost to UW-Superior 4-2. 
The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:05 p.m. both nights at Hunt Arena.