The Ice Hawks will face the NA3HL's top team, the North Iowa Bulls.

The best two-of-three series starts at 7 p.m. Friday with North Iowa hosting the opener. Game 2 is at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the Rochester Recreation Center. If a third game is needed, it is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sunday back at North Iowa.

The Bulls bring an incredible 42-2-3 record into the postseason. They were the top team in the NA3HL this season, putting up 87 points. North Iowa rolled to the Central Division title, finishing 23 points ahead of second-place La Crosse. The Ice Hawks finished fourth in the Central Division with a 10-36-1 record, good for 21 points.

North Iowa was a perfect 6-0 against the Ice Hawks during the regular season. The Bulls outscored Rochester 52-6 during those six regular-season contests, with the closest game being 6-1.

The Bulls led the league in goals scored (301) and allowed the fewest goals (63). They are a heavy favorite to win the NA3HL's Silver Cup.

Brett Gravelle is the team's top player, putting up an incredible 99 points (57 goals, 42 assists). He led the NA3HL in scoring.

Marshall Barnes had 69 points (13g, 56a) and Austin Jackson finished with 62 points (31g, 31a). Goalies David Johnson and Tommy Ahlgren also were fantastic. Johnson had a 1.51 goals-against average and a .943 saves percentage, while Ahlgren came in at 1.17 GAA and .958 SVP.

Several Ice Hawks could be playing their final games this weekend. Nick Paulson, Trey McMillen, Dan Tragaser, Evan Sabo, Ben Koester, Griffen Buck, Justyn Sweet, Vlad Shipota, Jake Garvey, Hunter Heightland, Dakota White and Garrett Strom all age out after this season.

Goalie Zach Mains is out due to injury this weekend. Emergency goalie Jacob Garvey has been activated, and Kyle Plantz is the starter for the weekend.

Though the Ice Hawks face an uphill battle this weekend, things should improve dramatically next season. The Ice Hawks coaching staff will have a full offseason to recruit, which they did not have this season. The NA3HL delayed the Ice Hawks' acceptance into the league, which put the Ice Hawks behind other programs during the offseason recruiting period. That won't be the case this offseason, which should help Nick Fatis and his staff greatly.

Awards time

The Ice Hawks held their annual awards banquet on Tuesday night. McMillen was named the team's Most Valuable Player, while Dominik Bogdzuil was selected as the Rookie of the Year. Goalie Zach Mains was the Defensive Player of the Year, and Paulson the Offensive Player of the Year.

Ian Smyth and Andrew Gates were voted Most Improved, while Buck received the Ice Hawk Award.