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Six decades on the ice Orioles celebrate program’s 60th anniversary

By Anthony Iozzo - MG Press, 01/17/19, 10:00AM CST

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It has been 60 years since the Osseo boys hockey program began in the autumn of 1958, and the pride of being an Oriole as never faded.

The team is run by several Osseo graduates today, including co-head coaches Kevin Willey (2000) and Mark Phenow (1996), assistant coach Sam Windle (2010) and JV coach Justin Turner (2002).

The program’s first season comes full circle on Saturday, Jan. 26, during the 60th anniversary celebration at Osseo Ice Arena and the Osseo-Maple Grove American Legion.

The celebration begins with junior varsity and varsity games against Spring Lake Park at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively, and is followed by a locker room open house from 6-7 p.m. and a gala at the Osseo-American Legion at 7 p.m.

Willey said the camaraderie of former players, coaches and those currently involved is what keeps the program turning.

“We need something to celebrate,” Willey said. “It is a big milestone for us, and it is a good time with the new locker rooms and rink improvements.”

Willey and Phenow have been co-head coaches of the program since 2008 and graduate Debbie Regan said they have been important pieces to keep it together.

The sports boosters, former members and the Osseo coaches helped garner a new level of participation by showing parents that it was worth putting their kids on the team, Regan said.

Just this past year, before tryouts began for the 2018-19 season, new locker rooms and a new lobby at Osseo Ice Arena were put in.

“They worked hard to keep it going,” Regan said. “The people that stepped up to keep it in place, I am just really grateful. It is a really great program.”

Regan was on the committee for helping to put together the celebration, and her father Quinten Carlson coached Osseo hockey from 1961-63 and again from 1967-77. She also has a son who will join the hockey program next season.

Regan said it will be special to have the program’s history remembered, especially when there was talk about how the program was going to suffer with the addition of Maple Grove’s hockey program and the Maple Grove Community Center - Ice Arena, which was built on Dec. 31, 1996.

“Osseo has stayed really strong with the school spirit and stuck strong with the values in the program,” Regan said.

The committee for the celebration began toward the end of the 2017-18 season, but Regan said it wasn’t hard to reach alumni to help support the program and the event.

With Osseo’s community being close-knit, many former coaches and alumni still live close by.

“Everybody was reaching out and wanting to bring memorabilia,” Regan said.

Willey confirmed three older names that will be at the celebration – former coaches Ray Dahlaf (1981-94) and John Birrenkott (1977-81) and 1968 graduate Bill Priebe.

Rink improvements

One of the aspects Willey said will be showcased during the celebration are the rink improvements through partnerships with the Osseo School District and the Osseo/Maple Grove Hockey Association.

The Osseo boys and Osseo/Park Center girls programs will need to pay back $78,000 in the next 10 years, but the partnerships helped put in a new lobby, new walls in the arena, new locker rooms and brand new ice-making equipment before tryouts began in November 2018.

The new locker rooms, which can be viewed by the public during an open house from 6-7 p.m. at the anniversary celebration, have murals on the wall that detail the history of the program with pictures of past teams.

That connection is one that Willey said he hopes garner more numbers in the future. With older programs like Park Center, which now has its students play for Osseo, and Richfield not being around anymore, the Orioles are hoping the camaraderie and improvements “swings the pendulum back a little bit,” Willey said.

“Hopefully, we can tough it out a little bit and draw a few more kids,” he said.

History of Osseo Hockey

Osseo Hockey began in 1959, and the varsity program has now played over 1,300 games.

The Orioles joined the Skyline Conference in 1961-62 and had their first winning season in 1968-69 (14-7-1) under coach Quentin Carlson.

Carlson was also head coach in 1969-70 when Osseo finished 21-1-1 and won the Skyline Conference title.

Kevin Armstrong and Mike Menard were on the team for both those seasons, and both are still in the top 40 in points in the history of the program. Armstrong finished with 37 goals and 33 assists, and Menard had 42 goals and 27 assists during those two seasons.

Osseo had four winning seasons in the Lake North Conference, including a conference title in the 1984-85 season under coach Ray Dahloff.

The Orioles finished 17-6 overall that year. Brett Strot (101 points) and Chad Mortenson (96 points) were on the club from 1984-1987 and are both in the top 10 all-time in points in program history.

Trent Klatt (135 points) and Lance Olson (104 points) also played in the late-80s and are in the top 10 in points.

Osseo made its first and only state appearance during the 1993-94 season. Dahloff was the coach, as the Orioles finished 17-11.

Josh Christoff (1992-95) and Jeff Becker (1992-95) were two members of that team who are both in the top 40 in points in program history. Christoff had 77, and Becker had 61.

The Orioles moved to the Northwest Suburban Conference in 2000 before becoming a part of the Northwest Suburban West Conference in 2014.

Osseo won a Northwest Suburban Conference title in 2001-02 and a Northwest Suburban West Conference title in 2014-15.

Garrett Strot was the coach for the 2002 conference title. Two of the top three Osseo scorers were on that team – Travis Moran (159 points) and Nick Pernula (155 points).

Present head coaches Kevin Willey and Mark Phenow were the coaches for the 2015 title. Ben Christofferson was the leading scorer from that team with 36 points.

Top three Osseo leading scorers

1: Tim Bonner (2008-11), 93 goals, 77 assists, 170 points

2: Travis Morin (1999-02), 67 goals, 92 assists, 159 points

3: Nick Pernula (1999-02), 66 goals, 89 assists, 155 points

If you go

What: Osseo Hockey 60th Anniversary Celebration

When: JV/Varsity games vs. Spring Lake Park at 1/3 p.m.; Locker room open house at 6-7 p.m.; anniversary gala at 7 p.m.

Where: Osseo Ice Arena and Osseo-Maple Grove American Legion (gala)