Weekly state polls

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Charlie

Here are this week’s prep polls from Minnesota Basketball News and Let’s Play Hockey.

BOYS BASKETBALL
MINNESOTA
By Minnesota Basketball News
CLASS AAAA
1. Hopkins 18-2; 2. Champlin Park 17-4; 3. Osseo 18-3; 4. Robbinsdale Cooper 19-3; 5. Forest Lake 17-4; 6. Cretin-Derham Hall 16-4; 7. Henry Sibley 16-6; 8. Eden Prairie 18-3; 9. Apple Valley 16-5; 10. Tartan 16-5.
CLASS AAA
1. St. Paul Johnson 20-0; 2. Winona 19-1; 3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s 16-4; 4. Orono 17-3; 5. Grand Rapids 17-2; 6. De La Salle 16-2; 7. Rocori 16-3; 8. Waconia 17-3; 9. St. Paul Central 14-5; 10. Hutchinson 18-2.
CLASS AA
1. New London-Spicer 20-1; 2. Plainview-Elgin-Millville 21-2; 3. Crosby-Ironton 20-1; 4. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 21-0; 5. Albany 18-1; 6. Morris 18-1; 7. Byron 18-2; 8. Mayer Lutheran 19-1; 9. La Crescent 20-2; 10. Staples-Motley 16-3.
CLASS A
1. MACCRAY 20-0; 2. Minnesota Transitions 19-3; 3. Sebeka 19-1; 4. Ada-Borup 21-0; 5. Park Christian (Moorhead) 18-2; 6. Maranatha Academy 19-2; 7. Cass Lake-Bena 17-3; 8. Bertha-Hewitt 16-2; 9. Ellsworth 17-3; 10. Minneota 16-3.

WISCONSIN
By Associated Press
DIVISION 1
1. Racine Park (11) 18-0; 2. Milwaukee Hamilton (2) 14-2; 3. Madison East 17-2; 4. De Pere 18-1; 5. Antigo 9-0; 6. Madison Memorial 15-4; 7. Hartland Arrowhead 17-2; 8. Menomonee Falls 15-3; 9. Superior 17-2; 10. Kaukauna 16-3.
DIVISION 2
1. New Berlin Eisenhower (13) 19-0; 2. Waukesha Catholic Memorial 17-2; 3. Wisconsin Lutheran (1) 16-3; 4. (tie) Waupun 17-2 and Seymour 16-2; 6. Port Washington 15-3; 7. Valders 16-1; 8. Northwestern 15-3; 9. East Troy 15-3; 10. Little Chute 16-3.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MINNESOTA
By Minnesota Basketball News
CLASS AA
1. Lakeville North 23-0; 2. Edina 22-1; 3. White Bear Lake 21-2; 4. Maple Grove 21-2; 5. Prior Lake 18-5; 6. Bloomington Kennedy 19-4; 7. Chaska 17-5; 8. Eden Prairie 17-6; 9. Minneapolis South 18-5; 10. Hopkins 16-7.
CLASS AAA
1. DeLaSalle 23-0; 2. Benilde-St. Margaret’s 20-2; 3. Bemidji 19-1; 4. Alexandria 19-4; 5. Hill-Murray 17-5; 6. New Prague 14-8; 7. Red Wing 17-5; 8. Richfield 17-6; 9. Waconia 17-4; 10. Willmar 18-4.
CLASS AA
1. Sauk Centre 22-0; 2. New London-Spicer 21-2; 3. Hawley 20-0; 4. Rochester Lourdes 22-2; 5. Minneapolis Roosevelt 14-9; 6. Chatfield 20-3; 7. Caledonia 21-3; 8. St. Croix Lutheran 20-1; 9. Fairmont 16-2; 10. Braham 19-4.
CLASS A
1. Cedar Mountain-Comfrey 19-0; 2. Barnum 20-2; 3. Parkers Prairie 19-1; 4. Northern 19-0; 5. Bertha-Hewitt 18-1; 6. Canby 19-1; 7. Spring Grove 19-4; 8. New York Mills 19-1; 9. Marantha Academy 17-5; 10. Southwest Minnesota Christian 17-3.

WISCONSIN
By Associated Press
DIVISION 2
1. Monroe (13) 17-0; 2. Freedom 16-1; 3. Hayward (1) 15-0; 4. New Berlin Eisenhower 17-1; 5. Columbus 13-2; 6. Winneconne 16-1; 7. Pewaukee 16-1; 8. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 17-1; 9. New London 15-2; 10. Ashland 15-2.

BOYS HOCKEY
MINNESOTA
By Let’s Play Hockey
CLASS AA
1. Minnetonka (9); 2. Wayzata (1); 3. Eden Prairie; 4. Hill-Murray; 5. Edina; 6. Bloomington Jefferson; 7. Blaine; 8. Centennial; 9. Burnsville; 10. Eagan; 11. Elk River; 12. Duluth East; 13. Holy Angels Academy; 14. Andover; 15. Benilde-St. Margaret’s.
CLASS A
1. Breck (6); 2. St. Thomas Academy (4); 3. Hermantown; 4. Warroad; 5. Mahtomedi; 6. Virginia-Mountain Iron-Buhl; 7. Thief River Falls; 8. Rochester Lourdes; 9. Alexandria; 10. Faribault; 11. St. Cloud Cathedral; 12. Blake; 13. Sartell-St. Stephen; 14. Hibbing-Chisholm; 15. Mound-Westonka.

WISCONSIN
By wisconsinprephockey.net
1. Wausau West 22-1-1; 2. Notre Dame Academy 23-1; 3. Stoughton 21-1-2; 4. Eau Claire Memorial 18-5-1; 5. Appleton United 16-4-3; 6. Superior 13-7-1; 7. Madison Edgewood 15-7-2; 8. Middleton 17-4-2; 9. Cedarburg 16-6-2; 10. Waukesha 18-4-1.

 

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Prep hockey pairings

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Charlie

It’s that time of year again. Boys hockey playoffs are right around the corner. Here’s the Minnesota pairings for next week, and Superior’s path in the Wisconsin playoffs.

MINNESOTA
SECTION 7AA
Saturday’s Play-in Game
No. 9 Princeton at No. 8 Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday’s Quarterfinals
Cloquet-Esko-Carlton/Princeton winner at No. 1 Elk River, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Grand Rapids at No. 4 Forest Lake, 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Cambridge-Isanti at No. 2 Duluth East, at DECC, 7:30 p.m.
No. 6 St. Francis at No. 3 Andover, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27
Semifinals
At DECC
Quarterfinal winners, noon and 2 p.m.
Thursday, March 4
Championship
At DECC
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.

SECTION 5A
Tuesday’s First Round
At 7 p.m.
No. 9 Moose Lake Area at No. 8 North Branch
No. 12 Meadow Creek Christian at No. 5 Sauk Rapids-Rice
No. 11 Pine City-Rush City at No. 6 Proctor
No. 10 Mora-Hinckley-Finlayson at No. 7 St. Michael-Albertville
Thursday, Feb. 25
Quarterfinals
At 7 p.m.
North Branch/Moose Lake Area winner at No. 1 Hermantown
Sauk Rapids-Rice/Meadow Creek Christian winner at No. 4 Rogers
Proctor/Pine City-Rush City winner at No. 3 St. Cloud Cathedral
No. 10 St. Michael-Albertville/Mora-Hinckley-Finlayson winner at No. 2 Duluth Denfeld
Saturday, Feb. 27
Semifinals
At Cloquet Area Recreation Center
Quarterfinal winners, 2 and 6 p.m.
Friday, March 5
Championship
At Cloquet
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

SECTION 7A
Tuesday’s First Round
No. 9 Ely at No. 8 Silver Bay-Cook County, 7:30 p.m.
No. 10 Two Harbors at No. 7 Greenway, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 25
Quarterfinals
At 7:30 p.m.
No. 5 Duluth Central at No. 4 Duluth Marshall, at Mars Lakeview
Silver Bay-Cook County winner at No. 1 Virginia-Mountain Iron-Buhl
No. 6 Eveleth-Gilbert at No. 3 Hibbing-Chisholm
Greenway/Two Harbors winner at No. 2 Interna-tional Falls
Saturday, Feb. 27
Semifinals
Quarterfinal winners, at Hibbing, 1 p.m.
Quarterfinal winners, at Grand Rapids, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 3
Championship
At DECC
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.

WISCONSIN
SECTIONAL 1
Tuesday’s First-Round Results
Webster Area 8, Baldwin-Woodville 4
Somerset-Osceola 9, Barron 2
Hudson 11, Spooner 0
Thursday’s Regional Finals
At 7 p.m.
Webster Area at No. 1 Superior (13-7-1)
No. 5 River Falls at No. 4 Amery
Somerset-Osceola at No. 3 Menomonie
Hudson at No. 2 New Richmond
Tuesday, Feb. 23
Semifinals
Amery/River Falls winner vs. Superior/Webster Area winner
Menomonie/Somerset-Osceola winner vs. New Richmond/Hudson winner
Saturday, Feb. 27
Championship
At Wessman Arena
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

 

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Trojans hope to go out in style

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Charlie

Duluth Central wrapped up what is likely the school’s final boys hockey regular season Tuesday night, but Trojans players and coaches have treated this final campaign as anything but a lame-duck swan song.
Central’s 15-9-1 record is the program’s best in years, that despite the uncertainty of what ultimately will befall the school and its underclassmen’s chances of winning roster spots at either Denfeld or East next season.
“We went into the season with the mentality that everyone’s a senior this year, because nobody knows what’s going to happen next year. I don’t think the school board knows what’s going to happen yet,” Central co-coach Louie Krenzen said after a 7-1 loss at Hermantown on Tuesday night. “But everyone’s handled it well. It’s a tough situation, especially for 17- and 18-year-olds.”
Players say they’ve handled the situation by not dwelling on it. Out of sight, out of mind.
“You don’t want to think about it, because if you think about it, then you’re not going to be able to play your game,” junior forward Mike Andrews said.
Andrews said he agrees with the Duluth school board’s decision to close a high school, and believes a two-school system will benefit the remaining schools and their athletic programs.
“Personally, I just want to play hockey,” he said. “If [the school closes], I’m not going to complain. Some kids might think it’s a big deal, but I think it’s going to be good for Duluth.
“It’s going to make a lot of kids realize what they had, and it’s going to affect a lot of kids. You’re going to have work hard and earn your spot. I’m excited.”
Sophomore forward Ryker Holm feels similarly, though knows the move won’t be easy.
“I think it’ll be better off in the end, but it’s hard to swallow having to switch schools,” he said.
Though the total number of varsity positions would be reduced by a third, Krenzen said a two-school system would make for more competitive junior varsity programs and, ultimately, better varsity teams.
But, for now, the Trojans are just concentrating on the next game. That will come in next week’s Section 7A playoffs, likely against Hibbing or Duluth Marshall. A playoff win or two might cement the team’s status as the best Central team in a generation.
“We came in knowing it’s the last season, and we wanted to do the best we can to leave a legacy,” Holm said.
Charlie Comnick scored two goals as Hermantown (21-3, 8-1) wrapped up the LSC title with the victory, edging Duluth Denfeld by two points. The Hawks and Hunters earned the top two seeds in the Section 5A playoffs and have first-round byes. Hermantown opens against either North Branch or Moose Lake Area in the quarterfinals, while Denfeld takes on the winner of the first-round game between St. Michael-Albertville and Mora-Hinckley-Finlayson.

Duluth Central 0-0-1—1
Hermantown 1-3-3—7
First period — 1. H, Willis Kantonen, 3:03.
Second period — 2. H, Adam Krause (Cody Christopherson, Jared Thomas), 9:39; 3. H, Charlie Comnick (Brian LeBlanc, Jared Kolquist), 11:26; 4. H, Conner Hady (Chad Bannor, Garrett Skrbich), 14:14 (pp).
Third period — 5. H, Thomas, 3:26; 6. DC, Mathew Beaulieu (Ryker Holm), 8:47 (pp); 7. H, Comnick, 12:06; 8. H, Christopherson (Krause, Jeff Paczynski), 16:15 (pp).
Saves — Tyler Ampe, H, 15; Bret Gitar, DC, 58.
 

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Tuesday’s Prep Report

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Charlie

Overtime was the theme of the night in boys hockey as two of the marquee matchups went to an extra period. Hermantown, 7-1 winners over Duluth Central, wrapped up the Lake Superior Conference title, and Grand Rapids earned Iron Range Conference honors thanks to a rival’s victory. Here’s the highlights.

Ryan Johnson’s goal with 16 seconds left in overtime gave Hibbing-Chisholm a 3-2 victory over Virginia-Mountain Iron-Buhl in a high school boys hockey game Tuesday night, handing the outright Iron Range Conference title to Grand Rapids.
The 14th-ranked Bluejackets (12-9-2, 4-3) tied the game at 2 on Marcus Bugliosi’s power-play goal with 19 seconds left in the third period.
Nathan Tromp made 28 saves Hibbing, while Casey Myhre totaled 29 for the seventh-ranked Blue Devils (15-7-3, 4-2-2), who could have tied for the conference title with a win.
GRAND RAPIDS 2,
DULUTH DENFELD 1
Patrick Moore’s goal at 3:49 into overtime lifted the Thunderhawks to the nonconference win at Heritage Center.
Dom DeGuiseppi made 23 saves for Grand Rapids (11-11-2), winners of four straight, while his counterpart, freshman Zach Thompson, had 32 for the Hunters (12-11-2).
DULUTH EAST 6,
HASTINGS 4
Phil Johnson scored two first-period goals to spark the visiting Greyhounds (15-5-4) to the win, extending their unbeaten streak to eight games.

GIRLS HOCKEY
EVELETH-GILBERT AREA 4,
HIBBING-CHISHOLM 0
Kayla Moe scored two of the Golden Bears’ four second-period goals and Vicky Fossland earned her 10th shutout of the season in the Section 7AA semifinal at Cloquet Area Recreation Center.
It was the third time this season that top-seeded Eveleth-Gilbert (22-4-1), which won its 10th straight game, defeated the Bluejackets (5-21-1) and sends the Bears into Friday’s championship game against Chisago Lakes Area.
The Wildcats scored three goals in each of the second and third periods to beat International Falls 6-2 in the other semifinal.

BOYS BASKETBALL
CLOQUET 65, ESKO 53
Andy Wappes scored 26 points as the Lumberjacks beat their neighbors in the nonconference game at Esko.
DULUTH CENTRAL 71,
MESABI EAST 70
Darcell Williams scored 32 points and Austin Beichler’s putback with 2 seconds to play gave the Trojans the nonconference home win.
DULUTH DENFELD 65,
ASHLAND 61
C.J. Ham scored 25 points as the host Hunters held off the Oredockers in overtime of the LSC game.
GRAND RAPIDS 83,
HERMANTOWN 56
Michael Johnson scored 25 points as the fifth-ranked Thunderhawks (17-2) won their ninth straight.
NORTHWESTERN 57, LADYSMITH 35
Kendall Abrahamzon led a well-balanced Tigers attack with 10 points as the Heart O’North champions improved to 16-3 overall and 12-0 in the league.

WRESTLING
NORTHWESTERN FALLS
IN SECTIONALS
Host Amery defeated Northwestern 42-28 in the semifinals of a Division 2 team sectional Tuesday night, ending the Tigers’ season.
Northwestern received victories from Nathan Nelson and Wes Snow in the 130- and 140-pound weight classes, respectively, as well as three forfeits, but lost eight head-to-head matches along the way.
Ellsworth won the sectional crown by defeating Neillsville 48-21 in the semifinals and Amery 64-9 in the championship.
Nelson, Snow, Bob Tahtinen (145), William Pedersen (152), Josh Zinmer (189) and Ryan Miesbauer (215) will compete in the Division 2 individual section meet Saturday in Somerset, vying for the right to compete at next week’s state tournament.
 

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Tuesday’s prep girls hockey capsules

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Charlie

HIBBING-CHISHOLM VS. EVELETH-GILBERT AREA
What: Section 7A semifinal
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Cloquet Area Recreation Center
Records: Hibbing-Chisholm 5-20-1; Eveleth-Gilbert 21-4-1
Outlook: Maddy Wheelecor kept the fourth-seeded Bluejackets’ playoff hopes alive Thursday with an overtime penalty shot in a 3-2 quarterfinal win over Moose Lake Area. Wheelecor (14 goals, 5 assists, 19 points) leads an offensively challenged team that has averaged just 1.4 goals per game this season. Hibbing-Chisholm has relied on sophomore goalie Dory Johnson (3.48 goals-against average, .915 save percentage), whose 873 saves rank second in the state. … The Golden Bears outshot Babbitt-Embarrass 58-11 in a 4-0 quarterfinal win, their ninth in a row. The defending section champions average nearly 4.5 goals per game, led by Kayla Moe (20-34—54), Amanda Arbogast (23-20—43) and Jordana Turner (19-14—33). Vicky Fossland leads the area in goals-against average (1.47) and shutouts (9) and was in the nets in 2-1 and 3-2 regular-season wins over the Bluejackets.

INTERNATIONAL FALLS VS. CHISAGO LAKES AREA
What: Section 7A semifinal
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Cloquet Area Recreation Center
Records: International Falls 12-11-3; Chisago Lakes 10-13-3
Outlook: The sixth-seeded Broncos downed host Princeton 4-2 in the quarterfinals behind Amy Auran’s hat trick and Taylor Nelson’s 15 saves. International Falls entered the playoffs on a 3-8 run its previous 11 games. These teams did not meet in the regular season. … The Wildcats edged Silver Bay Area 4-3 in overtime in the quarterfinals. Megan Lushanko (14-15—29) and Sam Lorr (15-12—27) are the team’s leading scorers, while Jamie Dobosenski (3.92, three shutouts) has played more than 1,000 minutes between the pipes.
 

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Saturday’s Prep Report

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Charlie

March Madness actually starts in mid-February. Here’s the highlights of Saturday’s play:

Chris Bishop’s goal 25 seconds into overtime gave Superior a 5-4 win over Duluth Marshall in a Lake Superior Conference high school boys hockey game Saturday at Wessman Arena, sending the Spartans into the playoffs on a winning note.
Nolan Holcombe and Brady Uotinen scored third-period goals as Superior (13-7-1, 5-4) battled back from a pair of two-goal deficits to win their regular-season finale. The Spartans have a bye into Thursday’s regional final against either Baldwin-Woodville or Webster Area.
Joel Pettingill made 26 saves for the Spartans; Brian Anderson had 19 for the Hilltoppers (11-12-1, 3-3-1).
HERMANTOWN 7, RED WING 2
Corey Kolquist scored two goals and Jared Thomas added his second of the game as the third-ranked Hawks (20-3) scored four times in the third period to ensure the nonconference home win.
HIBBING-CHISHOLM 11,
EVELETH-GILBERT 2
Ryan Johnson and Adam Johnson each scored four goals, Spencer Peratelo added a pair and Nick DeCenzo totaled five assists as the visiting Bluejackets won the Iron Range Conference game Friday night.
DULUTH CENTRAL 4,
MORA-HINCKLEY-FINLAYSON 2
Bret Gitar stopped 25 shots as the Trojans won the nonconference encounter Friday night at Heritage Center, likely the team’s next-to-last home game in school history.

GIRLS HOCKEY
ELK RIVER-ZIMMERMAN 2,
DULUTH 0
Jonna Curtis and Emily Gruhlke scored 44 seconds apart in the third period and Samantha Geissler stopped all 21 shots as the Elks blanked the Northern Stars in a Section 7AA semifinal at Elk River, Minn.
Paige Turner made 35 saves in a losing effort as Duluth (12-13-2) closed the season by being shutout for the fifth time.
SUPERIOR 6,
NEW RICHMOND 3
Kari Miller scored twice as the Spartans (6-16) finished the regular season with their third straight win.
Eighth-seeded Superior travels to Baldwin, Wis., for a Sectional 1 quarterfinal against the top-seeded River Falls Fusion at 7 p.m. Thursday.

BOYS BASKETBALL
DULUTH CENTRAL 76,
HERMANTOWN 68
Darcell Williams paved the way for the Trojans’ Lake Superior Conference road win with 33 points and three 3-pointers.
Corey Kucza, Colten Zacharias and Michael Swartz combined for 44 points for the Hawks, who made eight 3-pointers.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
DULUTH EAST 72,
DULUTH CENTRAL 47
Alex Freeman had 15 points and drained three 3-pointers as the Greyhounds topped the host Trojans in likely the final meeting of crosstown rivals. Central’s athletic programs are scheduled to shut down in June under the school district’s long-range facilities plan.
Macie Dorow and Shamika Hopkins added 14 points apiece for East (8-14) to offset a 21-point game by Mary Von Rueden.
r Dorow made a game-winning free throw with four-tenths of a second left to beat Superior 48-47 on Thursday. Bettye Jo Nelson, whose layup at the buzzer knocked off the Greyhounds in the first meeting, had 29 points for Superior.

WRESTLING
NORTHWESTERN WINS FIVE
REGIONAL WEIGHT CLASSES
Northwestern’s Nate Nelson (130 pounds), Wes Snow (140), William Pedersen (152), Josh Zinmer (189) and Ryan Miesbauer (215) all claimed championships in their weight classes at a Wisconsin Division 2 regional meet at Maple.
Superior heavyweight Nikola Bogcevic improved to 41-0 this season with a 9-3 decision over Robert Stasney of Eau Claire Memorial in the final of the 285-pound division at a Division 1 regional meet in River Falls.
 

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PHM advances to title game

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Charlie

Emma Stauber tried to keep memories of last year’s painful loss in the Section 7AA finals from creeping into her thoughts between the first and second periods of Saturday’s 7AA semifinal against Grand Rapids-Greenway.
With her Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall team trailing by a goal, the junior defenseman found the best way to avoid a repeat was to put the puck in the net. Twice.
Stauber’s pair of goals 18 seconds apart early in the second period keyed the Mirage’s 3-2 high school girls hockey section semifinal win at Heritage Center.
“We have a lot of older kids on the team, including myself, that just needed to play their game and lead us to the win,” said Stauber, who has 23 goals this season. “That’s what I tried to do.”
Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall (19-6-2) advances to play top-seeded Elk River-Zimmerman (22-2-3), which blanked Duluth 2-0 in the other semifinal, in the title game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Heritage Center. The Mirage lost 4-2 to Cloquet-Esko-Carlton in the 2009 final to miss out on the schools’ first state tournament appearance.
“All of us older kids who went through that loss last year are trying to put it in the younger girls’ heads that we’re not going to let this happen again, and we need them to help us out,” Stauber said.
The Lightning (11-14-2) took a 2-1 first-period lead when Morgan Illikainen and Dana Gallop countered Hannah Buchite’s opening tally by scoring 46 seconds apart. Illikainen took a pass from her sister, Molly, high in the slot and beat Anja Morris with a wrist shot high to the goaltender’s stick side. Gallop, a Ms. Hockey semifinalist and Minnesota Duluth signee, took advantage of a poor clearance by Morris to stuff in a rebound at 12:47.
Morris was unbeatable afterward, finishing with 27 saves.
“At first I was nervous, thinking that maybe we were going to shut down,” Morris said. “But then everyone said, ‘No, this is our year, this is our game.’ Everyone did their job of keeping their head in the game.”
PHM coach Glen Gilderman said none of his players panicked between periods.
“We were talking in the locker room that we were letting things happen instead of making things happen,” he said.
That changed in the second period, beginning with Stauber’s shot from the left point at 3:56. Seconds later, on the same shift, Stauber’s shot from the top of the zone whizzed through traffic and past freshman goalie Sydney Helmbrecht for the game-winner. Helmbrecht totaled 22 saves.
“They did a good job of creating havoc in front of our net and getting the puck to the right [player],” Lightning coach Chris Granley said. “That’s how the goals go sometimes in playoff hockey, you get a screen, the puck bounces around and that’s what happened.”
The win avenged a 2-1 loss to the Lightning three weeks ago. The Mirage have won all five games since, putting the team in position again for a state berth.
“At the beginning of the year, quite honestly, I was worried because we lost a lot of scoring last year,” Gilderman said. “About two weeks into the season, I said, ‘If we work hard, we can be better than we were last year.’ They worked hard and deserved a big win like this. We want the next game.”
 

Grand Rapids-Greenway 2-0-0—2
Proctor-Herm.-Marshall 1-2-0—3
First period — 1. PHM, Hannah Buchite (Steph Strapple, Emma Stauber), 10:24; 2. GRG, Morgan Illikainen (Molly Illikainen), 12:01; 3. GRG, Dana Gallop (Morgan Illikainen), 12:47.
Second period — 4. PHM, Stauber (Julia Gilbert), 3:56; 5. PHM, Stauber (Gilbert, Strapple), 4:14.
Third period — No scoring.
Saves — Sydney Helmbrecht, GRG, 22; Anja Morris, PHM, 27.

ELK RIVER-ZIMMERMAN 2, DULUTH 0
Jonna Curtis and Emily Gruhlke scored goals 44 seconds apart in the third period and Samantha Geissler stopped all 21 shots as the Elks blanked the Northern Stars in the other 7AA semifinal at Elk River.
Paige Turner made 35 saves in a losing effort as Duluth closed the season 12-13-2.

Duluth                        0-0-0—0
Elk River-Zimmerman 0-0-2—2
First period — No scoring.
Second period — No scoring.
Third period — 1. Jonna Curtis, 1:25; 2. Emily Gruhlke (Josie Brown, Cassi Schreckenghaust), 2:09.
Saves — Paige Turner, D, 35 ; Samantha Geissler, E, 21.

 

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Friday’s Prep Report

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Charlie

Another busy prep night Friday. Here’s the highlights:

Rob Kraft scored 19 of his 30 points in the first half and made four 3-pointers as Superior defeated Cloquet 77-65 on Friday at Superior, handing the Spartans their fifth consecutive Lake Superior Conference high school boys basketball championship.
Kraft, a 5-foot-11 junior, sparked a 12-2 first-half run with two field goals and a 3-pointer, then made a four-point play in the second half to end any threat by the Lumberjacks.
Joel Lindberg added 20 points as ninth-ranked Superior (17-2, 9-0) extended its LSC win streak to 37, including 22 conference wins in a row at home.
Chad Calcaterra scored 39 points and made 17 field goals for Cloquet (13-7, 8-2).
NORTHWESTERN 56,
SPOONER 50
The visiting Tigers (15-3) won their 25th consecutive Heart O’North Conference game and clinched a share of their fourth league title with the victory.
MOOSE LAKE-WR 53,
FLOODWOOD 50
Three players scored in double figures as the Rebels (15-6, 9-1) remained in control of the Polar League by holding off the host Polar Bears.
A.J. Blanton and Zach Heggedahl combined for 32 points for Floodwood (13-6, 6-5).
ESKO 75, SILVER BAY 28
Jake Stainbrook’s 25 points and a stout defense keyed the Eskomos’ Polar League road win.
Esko (13-6, 8-1) held the Mariners to just seven field goals.
BARNUM 54, CROMWELL 47
Three players reached double figures and the host Bombers (17-3, 11-2) broke away in the second half to win the Polar League game.
ALBROOK 75,
MESABI ACADEMY 68
Kolten Karppinen scored 42 points and made 10 3-pointers to outdo 33 points from Gerald Long and 30 by Jonathon Jenkins as the Falcons won the nonconference game.

BOYS HOCKEY
GRAND RAPIDS 4,
INTERNATIONAL FALLS 0
John Skrbec scored a goal and assisted on two others and Dom DeGuiseppi stopped all 23 shots as the visiting Thunderhawks (10-11-2, 4-1-2) clinched a share of the Iron Range Conference title.
DULUTH DENFELD 7,
PRINCETON 1
Keith Tomassoni scored a pair of third-period goals at Heritage Center as the Hunters (12-10-2) won for just the second time in the last 10 games.
HIBBING-CHISHOLM 11,
EVELETH-GILBERT 2
Adam and Ryan Johnson each scored four goals to lead the Bluejackets to the IRC victory.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
BARNUM 61,
HERMANTOWN 35
Barnum’s Jessica Newman scored 33 points to nearly outscore the Hawks by herself in a nonconference game at Hermantown.
The second-ranked Bombers improved to 18-2, while the Hawks (12-9) lost their fourth in a row.
GRAND RAPIDS 47, CLOQUET 34
Jessi Corrick scored 18 points and the visiting Thunderhawks held the Lumberjacks to 13 second-half points.
Annabel Morrisroe totaled 17 points for Cloquet (8-11).

DANCELINE
MARSHALL WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT
STATE JAZZ CHAMPIONSHIP
Duluth Marshall won the Jazz competition at the Minnesota State Dance Team Tournament for the fourth year in a row, beating out five other teams in the finals Friday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Hilltoppers finished ahead of BOLD, Aitkin, Frazee, Renville County West and Yellow Medicine East.
The Superior dance team placed second to Green Bay Southwest in the Kick category at last weekend’s Wisconsin Division I state tournament. Superior was ninth in the Jazz competition. 
 

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Saturday’s girls hockey capsules

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Charlie

GRAND RAPIDS-GREENWAY AT
PROCTOR-HERMANTOWN-MARSHALL
What: Section 7AA semifinal
When: Noon
Where: Heritage Center
Records: GRG 11-13-2; PHM 18-6-2
Outlook: The third-seeded Lightning eliminated Forest Lake 4-1 in Thursday’s semifinals as Molly Illikainen scored her 26th and 27th goals of the season and goaltender Sydney Helmbrecht stopped 37 shots. Illikainen (27-25—52) leads the team in scoring, while Dana Gallop (30-18—48) tops the Northland in goals and is a Minnesota Ms. Hockey semifinalist. Morgan Illikainen (8-27—35) leads the defense, while Helmbrecht has a 2.66 goals-against average with four shutouts and shut down PHM in a 2-1 win Jan. 19. … The No. 2-seeded Mirage ousted Cambridge-Isanti 6-0 in the quarterfinals behind Emma Stauber’s three goals and two by Julia Gilbert (29-43—72), a Ms. Hockey semifinalist who leads Northeastern Minnesota in scoring. Stauber (21-18—39) and Nikki Mathews (18-14—32) are the next-leading scorers, while Anja Morris has posted a 2.23 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.

DULUTH AT ELK RIVER
What: Section 7AA semifinal
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Elk River
Records: Duluth 12-12-2; Elk River 21-2-3
Outlook: The Northern Stars edged Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 2-1 in the quarterfinals as goalie Paige Turner kicked out 30 shots and Nikki Logergren and Rachel Halligan scored goals. Turner (1.75, .942) has been the key on a team that averages only 2.3 goals per game and has gone five straight games without scoring more than two. One of her six shutouts was 1-0 over Elk River on Jan. 19. Logergren and Frankie Bergman share the goal-scoring lead with 11. … Samantha Geissler (1.39, .943) earned her third shutout of the season and improved her record to 21-1-3 in the Elks’ 4-0 quarterfinal win over St. Francis-North Branch. Jonna Curtis (32-26—58) has seven power-play goals.
 

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Thursday’s Prep Report

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Charlie

The winter playoff season kicked off in earnest Thursday with girls hockey quarterfinals, including an extremely rare — no one at the News Tribune can ever recall it before — a game-winning penalty shot in overtime.
For a recap of the state Nordic meet, including Esko senior Raleigh Goessling’s boys pursuit title, check out Kevin Pates’ account in tomorrow’s News Tribune.

Rachel Halligan scored the winning goal midway through the second period and Paige Turner made it stand with 30 saves as Duluth edged defending champion Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 2-1 in a Section 7AA high school girls hockey quarterfinal Thursday night at Cloquet Area Recreation Center.
The fifth-seeded Northern Stars (12-12-2), which lost and tied the fourth-seeded Lumberjacks (12-9-5) during the regular season, advances to play No. 1 seed Elk River-Zimmerman in a semifinal at 3 p.m. Saturday.
PROCTOR-HM 6,
CAMBRIDGE-ISANTI 0
Emma Stauber netted a hat trick and the Mirage (18-6-2) outshot the Bluejackets 47-8 in a 7AA quarterfinal victory at Hermantown.
GRAND RAPIDS-GREENWAY 4,
FOREST LAKE 1
Molly Illikainen scored the first two goals and Sydney Helmbrecht stopped 37 shots in the Lightning’s 7AA quarterfinal win at home.
Grand Rapids-Greenway (11-13-2) and Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall (18-6-2) meet at noon Saturday in a semifinal.
HIBBING-CHISHOLM 3,
MOOSE LAKE AREA 2
Maddy Wheelecor converted a rare penalty shot 6:11 into overtime to give the host Bluejackets the 7A quarterfinal victory.
Wheelecor earlier scored the tying goal at 10:38 of the second period on a power play, while goalie Dory Johnson stopped 33 shots.
The Bluejackets (5-20-1) travel to top seed Eveleth-Gilbert Area (21-4-1), a 4-0 winner over Babbitt-Embarrass, at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Cloquet.

BOYS HOCKEY
DULUTH MARSHALL 6,
TOTINO-GRACE 5
Mac Dow scored twice in the first period and the host Hilltoppers (11-11-1) held off the Eagles’ four-goal rally to win the nonconference game.
PROCTOR 6, TWO HARBORS 0
Six Rails players scored to back Ryan McCarthy’s shutout in the nonconference win at Two Harbors.

BOYS BASKETBALL
DULUTH EAST 88, BEMIDJI 63
Johnny Woodard scored a game-high 27 points and Nick Toland added 23 to lead the Greyhounds (14-7) to their fifth consecutive win.
CLOQUET 51,
DULUTH DENFELD 41
Chad Calcaterra scored 16 points and gave the Lumberjacks (13-6, 8-1) the lead for good with a pair of second-half free throws in an LSC home game.
GRAND RAPIDS 82, HIBBING 45
Austin Pohlen scored 18 points to pace the host Thunderhawks (16-2) to the nonconference win, their eighth straight overall.
VIRGINIA 74, PROCTOR 48
Cavan Stackpool nailed six 3-pointers and scored 29 points as the visiting Blue Devils (16-2) rebounded from their first loss in 15 games to win the nonconference game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
FLOODWOOD 95,
MOOSE LAKE-WR 73
Maija Rauvola and Alissa Autio combined to score 47 points as the Polar Bears (17-3, 9-3) won the Polar League road game.
BARNUM 75, CROMWELL 52
Jessica Newman’s 25 points offset her sister’s absence with a foot injury in the second-ranked Bombers’ Polar League road win.
 

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