River Falls' Jason Schrank owns Flashback Film and Video Transfer in his hometown. He's owned and operated it since 2003. Schrank says he's always appreciated the past. "From my earliest days," he says.  

His grandfather owned a farm in Hammond and a young Jason remembers being in his basement office and seeing all the pictures and mementos. His grandfather was the unofficial historian of Hammond.

"That's probably where the seed comes from," said the former independent film sound designer and avid guitar player.

Schrank's grandfather shot miles of 8mm home movies during his heyday. 

"You know when Chevy Chase is in the attic in the movie Christmas Vacation?” asked Schrank. “I used to do that regularly when I was a kid. I loved just putting everything together and then watching. Still do."

Chevy Chase playing Clark Griswold does not describe Jason Schrank. Not even close. Schrank has been on a quest since July. He's much more like Indiana Jones in search of the lost Arc of the Covenant. Many may start calling Schrank, "Pierce County Jones," because he's been in search of Wildcat boys hockey history.  Some may call it a crazy quest.

"I just call it normal," said Schrank. "This is what I do. For me it's not difficult; it's fun."

To appreciate history, specifically hockey history in River Falls, let us bring the time machine back to 1967. That's when Howie Nelson and Bob McCutcheon started River Falls Youth Hockey.

"It was very organized for that time," said Schrank.

If the Schrank brothers weren't on the ground floor of River Falls Youth Hockey, they were on the first step of a long staircase. Jason's oldest brother, Dave, was six years older and he started playing youth hockey in the early 1970's. His younger brother, Steve, followed. Jason skated up the rear. The Schranks are to Wildcat Hockey History like the Hansons are to "Slapshot" movie mayhem, minus the horned-rimmed glasses and traveling toys.  

"My first hockey practice was outdoors where Meyer Middle School is now," said Schrank.

In 1973, UW-River Falls completed the indoor Hunt Arena and according to Schrank, that's when hockey took off in his hometown. The River Falls Wildcats' inaugural hockey season began in the 1974-'75 season.

Jason Schrank gave back to the game, coaching youth hockey and had a short stint as an assistant coach with the Wildcat high school boys C team. It wasn't until his son, Calvin, began playing youth hockey over a decade ago, before Pierce County Jones received the itch in his caboose to compile a Wildcat Boys Hockey statistical record board.  

"The genesis if this whole idea goes back to me taking my son to the Hudson hockey rink for a youth hockey game and them having a record board," said Schrank.

This past July, in place of the whip and fedora, Pierce County Jones was armed with 50 years of River Falls Journal newspapers at the River Falls Public Library. His six-month crusade had commenced.

Schrank soon discovered this current season was, in fact, the 50th anniversary of River Falls Wildcat boys’ hockey. His son, Calvin, was also set to be a senior captain for the team during this coming season. 

"That gave it some urgency," said Schrank. "If I didn't do this, the odds it would've ever gotten done is highly unlikely."

Like any hockey historian worth a puck, Schrank began scanning every single Wildcat hockey article and yearbook pages. He started the "River Falls High School Boys Hockey History" Facebook group.

"Facebook is an easy way to organize stuff," said Schrank.

Facebook was also a good way to advertise what he was doing. "Pierce County Jones" was up to his knees in snakes of information. The hands on the clock kept circling like a defenseman wearing two left-footed skates. Schrank was racking up more hours than there are grains of sand in a desert.

"It's hard to say how many hours it took," said Schrank. "You get into the zone and the flow and it's not something you have to do, it's something you really want to do."

To compile accurate statistics, Schrank was collecting everything and anything helping the cause. News articles, game videos, scorebooks, and boxes of paperwork from Dan Bauer, the longtime freelance Wisconsin Hockey Report writer, were part of the initial process. As "Pierce County Jones" was raking in the clues for his hockey board, the piles were growing. Schrank is admittedly not a spreadsheet guy. He raked and organized the piles together, but he needed a numbers guy to help clean up and put the piles away. Schrank was working hard in the corner on the boards. He needed someone to light the lamp.  

James Linehan was streaking to the net. 

"When Jason started the Facebook group," said Linehan, "I just wanted to be a part of it and help."

"Pierce County Jones" had stumbled upon his trusted sidekick.

"It's kind of weird," said Linehan, a 2004 River Falls High School grad and former hockey player now living in Seattle. "I can't remember people's names or birthdays, but I can pop stats up in my head pretty quick. At the end of the day, it's about capturing history and also remembering the original legends that set the standard for RFHS hockey."

Both Schrank and Linehan have a love of genealogy.

“It really is a genealogy project of River Falls hockey,” said Schrank.

"Pierce County Jones" and Linehan had many parts of the map, but they received their big break when an unnamed gentlemen dropped off a mother lode of VHS-recorded games from the entire 1980's decade.

"That was like the holy grail for me," said Pierce County Jones. "The 1984-85 hockey season was the only conference championship that River Falls hockey has ever had."

Linehan watched every game and recorded stats. "It totally morphed and went sideways and we did a full-on review of stats for every year.

"There are some missing pieces to the puzzle in the '70's," said Pierce County Jones about the lost "Temple of Doom" 1970's numbers. "That's the most frustrating part. You don't want to miss somebody that deserves to be in the record book, but it's tough to collect info that's not there."

Schrank didn't receive his "Pierce County Jones" nickname by giving up. His quest brought him to the Pierce County Historical Association in Bay City.

"There are thousands of raw videos of local history that are just sitting there," said Schrank.

Pierce County Jones and Linehan completed their River Falls Boys Hockey History Record Board. It proudly hangs in its rightful place among the cinder block in the Wildcat Center, well out of reach of little fingers.

"As long as someone remains the steward of the stats," said Schrank, "it's going to be much easier."   

Indiana Jones had two more movies after "The Last Crusade" in 1989. Pierce County Jones' work is complete, but he thought for a moment and scratched his head underneath his stocking cap and said, "Well, I would like to build a larger game library."

The "Stewards of the Stats" may have a sequel in their future.