Steel offered former Mustang chance to return home, path to staying close

Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, WI)

April 29-- Apr. 29--Editor's Note: A version of this story first appeared in this month's edition of Buckshot the Magazine, our monthly free prep sports publication available on newsstands today.

Chase Davidson's chance of a dreamlike return to the Chippewa Valley seemed dashed a few weeks into the Chippewa Steel's first season.

The former Menomonie Mustang was moved back to the area in the offseason when his previous team, the Johnstown Tomahawks, traded him to the recently relocated franchise. He appreciated his opportunity to move away, discover his independence and learn the ropes of the junior hockey circuit with Johnstown, but said if he was going to be traded anywhere he was hoping for a homecoming.

But a week and a half into the season, his time with the Steel was cut short. Steel general manager and head coach Al Rooney informed him the team would be moving on.

"After that I didn't really know what to do," Davidson said. "Should I even keep playing?"

Thankfully he did, and after the Steel parted ways with Rooney in November, Davidson decided to give new interim head coach Carter Foguth a call.

"I knew they had some defensemen that were hurt and he had let a couple of guys go," Davidson said. "I thought it would be a good opportunity because he originally liked me."

Unbeknownst to Davidson, Foguth was looking for someone who fit exactly his description, a veteran defenseman, as he worked to change the roster midway through the year. Foguth was about to call him the same night Davidson took the plunge.

"We were young on the back end, so I was definitely looking for a guy like Chase who had not only played a lot in the league previously but just his style of play," Foguth said. "He was a bigger, shutdown defenseman that played hard and was tough to play against. That's what I was looking for."

So in December Davidson returned to get his homecoming after all, which concluded April 6 when the Steel closed their season against the Minnesota Magicians. He returned refreshed and ready to make one final statement in juniors.

After Davidson was cut, he took a few weeks away from the game to reassess, which included a bowhunting trip. Then he found a new home, spending 17 games with the South Shore Kings of the National Collegiate Development Conference, a division of the United States Premier Hockey League made up of teams from the Northeast United States. While playing out of Foxboro, Mass., Davidson notched a goal and three assists and tuned up the mental side of his game.

"I think going out to that other league helped me get some confidence back," Davidson said.

The results on the ice weren't spectacular in the Steel's first season in the area. Chippewa went 19-38-2-1, but Davidson personally provided what Foguth expected. He wasn't a heavy point-producer, notching a goal and five assists in 32 games, but still made an impact defensively.

"He was exactly what I was looking for when we originally reached out to him," Foguth said. "That's exactly what we needed."

One perk of playing so close to your hometown is not needing a billet family, as Davidson instead commuted from his family home. With that, two of his worlds were colliding.

"You almost have to kind of balance things," he said. "When you're at home you're so used to hanging out with your normal friends and seeing your family all the time. During the season, the hockey's really your first priority. That's one thing I really had to adjust to."

It took a bit of luck to get Davidson back in the area, but he's staying close for the next few years on his own volition. The towering blueliner announced his commitment to UW-River Falls on March 20, putting him only 43 miles from Menomonie. He believes getting that second chance in the NAHL this year benefited him as he looked for his college home.

"Their coaching staff has been great," Davidson said of his decision. "Their rink and athletic facility is probably one of the nicest in all of DIII hockey. ... Obviously being close to home, they've got a good business program and I know a few guys on the team. Tuition, you can't beat the tuition."

He's spending the rest of the spring and the beginning of the summer in the area training and working for his mom in the insurance business at American Family Insurance.

With his decision to play in the WIAC, Davidson will have the opportunity to truly return home when the Falcons travel to Fanneti Ice Arena to meet UW-Stout in Menomonie. It's a rink filled with memories, some on the ice and others in the stands.

"I grew up going to all the Stout games," Davidson said. "I remember way back when when they used to pack the rink and they would have bonfires in the parking lot. It was crazy."

As for the Steel, they're moving forward with Foguth after taking the interim tag off of him earlier this month. The young roster he bolstered with Davidson is now filled with players with NAHL experience.

"I got to kind of get my feet wet in terms of how I run things and the way we want to do things around there," Foguth said. "I'm excited for next year to start out with those guys and work our way up and see what we can do."

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