Puck Drops in Owatonna Friday [Blades Player Interviews]
After three weeks of road games, the Steele County Blades junior hockey team opens their home schedule on Friday, October 7 at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna at 7 pm. The game against Isanti starts a string of five straight home contests. It will be the first game on Dudley Otto Rink for most of the players.
Defenseman Steven Pribula from Baxter, Minnesota, is happy to be playing hockey again in his home state after spending the last two seasons in a league in Connecticut. "It was a good experience. It's a similar level," he said. "Everything was pretty good out there. But I like to be a little closer to home."
Pribula likes what he sees in the club, "We've got a lot of potential...We have a lot of speed and skill. We need to develop more physicality and mental toughness as well." Hear a full interview below.
Defenseman Elliot Bauer from Colorado Springs, CO is entering his first year of junior hockey, "It's fun. My teammates, they're a really good group of guys. We've been able to set a brotherhood pretty fast already into the season. And we're looking forward to this home opener on Friday."
Bauer is learning about more than just hockey on a team with players from a number of countries, "It's awesome. You've got some guys speaking Russian, and others speaking Czech. I actually billet with one of the Czech Republic kids. And I'm learning some Czech here and there every day. And they're understanding more English as the days go on." Hear more from Bauer below.
Steele County player Elliot Bauer
Get to know these other Blades players from previous stories.
- Anders Thorager (Stillwater, MN) and Peyton Inks (Topeka, KS)
- Noah LaFleur (West Salem, WI) and Levi Preugschas (Buffalo, MN)
Find the Blades roster here.
The home schedule for the Steele County Blades: (all games in Owatonna)
- Friday, October 7 vs Isanti, 7 pm
- Friday, October 14 vs Wisconsin Rapids, 7 pm
- Saturday, October 15 vs Wisconsin Rapids, 7 pm
- Friday, October 21 vs Hudson, 7 pm
- Saturday, October 22 vs Moose, 7 pm
- Friday, November 4 vs Dells, 7 pm
- Friday, November 11 vs Dells, 7 pm
- Saturday, November 12 vs Mullets, 7 pm
- Sunday, December 4 vs Mullets, 7:30 pm
- Sunday, December 11 vs Blue Ox, 7:30 pm
- Friday, December 30 vs Squatch, 7 pm
- Saturday, January 14 vs Moose, 7 pm
- Friday, January 27 vs Hudson, 7 pm
- Saturday, January 28 vs Squatch, 7 pm
- Friday, February 3 vs Isanti, 7 pm
- Friday, February 10 vs Blue Ox, 7 pm
- Click here for the full schedule.