Chad Miller, 19, of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, deflects the puck at the goal during Illiana Blackbirds hockey practice at the Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, Ind. Tuesday March 5, 2013. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
Josh Pashe, 19, of Dakota Tipi First Nation, Manitoba, Canada, (center) takes control of the puck during the Illiana Blackbirds hockey team practice at the Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, Ind. Tuesday March 5, 2013. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
Beau Butcher, 20, of St. John, (front) and Curtis Artuso, 18, of Crown Point, (back) maneuver during Illiana Blackbirds hockey practice at the Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, Ind. Tuesday March 5, 2013. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
Curtis Artuso, 18, of Crown Point, works the ice during Illiana Blackbirds hockey practice at the Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, Ind. Tuesday March 5, 2013. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
DYER — It’s becoming apparent that the Blackhawks are the gold standard of the National Hockey League. The Illiana Blackbirds of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League have been a success in their first year of existence and hope to keep that success going tonight when …
