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M H J O N L I N E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 2 4 14 "What makes Wyatt so special is how much he loves the game of hock- ey," Hayes said of Farrell. "The kid is absolutely obsessed with the game and is always working on getting bet- ter. He's always at the rink. He's on the ice right now, buzzing around." GETTING BACK TO BASICS A big reason for the high school team's recent success has been the steady growth and attention to detail from the local youth association. "I got involved after I was done playing about four years ago, and things started to click," said Hayes. "We wanted to start by building from the bottom up. Every year, our num- bers have been growing, and our high school team has gotten better. There's been a lot of excitement about our program and our Mite program as well. I think we have about 50-60 kids, which are record numbers for us." Getting back to the basics has been critical for Hayes' program. "One thing we really stress at the youth and high school levels is being able to skate," he said. "If you can't skate, you're going to have a tough time with the game. So, we work on breaking down a proper stride with the kids. If you can skate, you can play with anyone. And, with a good work ethic, the more work you put in, the better you'll be." WHAT'S NEXT FOR LA CRESCENT? "There's a lot of buzz about hock- ey in La Crescent," said Hayes. "I think we won four games my first couple of years here and now doing what we're doing and producing a kid like Wyatt Farrell. There's a lot of excitement about the present and the future. A lot of ex-players are buying into the program, and the numbers are growing." Could a State Tournament be in the Lancers' future? "I think that's the ultimate goal for every little town," Hayes replied. "A lot of people are taking notice and wanting to be a part of what we're doing. We all hope at some point that we'll be part of something truly special, because there's nothing like the State Tournament." Eriah Hayes ranks second all-time in games played for Minnesota State. The forward served as captain his senior year before signing with the San Jose Sharks.