Sanya Sandahl
SANYA SANDAHL/ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
School: Duluth Central.
Team: Duluth Dynamite
Sport: Girls hockey
Quick stats: The Dynamite reached the state tournament with their first Section 8 girls hockey championship in a 4-3 victory over Hibbing. While compiling a 20-4-1 season, Duluth was outshot quite often, but the goaltending of Sandahl rendered it meaningless. Hibbing outshot Duluth 31-18 in the section final, but Sandahl’s 28 saves secured the victory.
For the season, the senior — and the only Central participant on the Dynamite team that also includes East and Denfeld girls — has a 1.30 goals-against average and a save percentage of 94. She never played hockey until eighth grade, but now has hopes to study, and play goal, at an eastern college, maybe Princeton or Cornell.
Coach’s quote:
“Sometimes we don’t play our best unless we’re facing a top team, but Sanya is always consistent. It seems like our players get overlooked when it comes to post season awards, so it’s great to see Sanya as a finalist for the top senior goaltender award.”
—Jack Shearer, Dynamite coach.
Roseville 5, Burnsville 0
[Please fix the overall tournament lead to have Duluth playing ROSEVILLE in tonight’s 9:15 semifinal…And use this as a folo.]
ROSEVILLE 5,
BURNSVILLE 0
In the opening day finale, the Curtin sisters put on a show as Roseville avenged the only mark on its otherwise-perfect season by beating Burnsville 5-0.
The Raiders scored three goals in a 1:16 span late in the third period to break open a tight, 2-0 game. Ronda Curtin scored two of those three to complete a hat trick in the game, while sister Renee settled for just one goal, and Jodi Winters made 18 saves for the shutout.
Burnsville had tied the Raiders in the South St. Paul holiday tournament, and, after a scoreless sudden-death period, beat Roseville in a shootout. By high school rules, the game counts as a tie, so the Raiders are now 25-0-1 for the season to Burnsville’s 17-5-4.
Curtin sisters escaped from determined containment attempts by Burnsville to set the tone. Senior Ronda Curtin, the favorite to be named Ms. Hockey on Sunday, scored the only goal of the first period, at 14:12, wnen she faked goaltender Andrea Smith down at the right post, then zipped around behind the net to score on the wraparound at the left post.
Sophomore Renee Curtin made it 2-0 in the first minute of the second period. Stationed 5 feet to the left of the crease, the younger Curtin sister watched the puck come in from Leah Peyer to Erika Mortensen, and the sophomore sent the puck across the goal-mouth. Renee Curtin stepped in and, with a flick of her wrists, snapped a backhander almost straight up, bulging the netting in the roof of the goal at 0:59.
With 4:21 left in the third period, Ronda Curtin moved in on the left side and rifled a power-play shot into the left edge. Forty seconds later, Ronda circled in center ice and broke in on the right, scoring from the circle. And 35 seconds later, Alyson Sundberg completed the scoring.
Malosky makes decision to leave on his own terms
Ever since UMD’s football season ended, the questions about coach Jim Malosky’s future had continued.
After taking an interim year off to recover from the after-effects of a mild stroke that he suffered last May, the 70-year-old Malosky had seemed driven to return to the sidelines full-time, following a year in which the Bulldogs were guided by the co-coaching tandem of Jim Malosky Jr., his son, and Vince Repesh.
Would Malosky return? Was he sufficiently recovered to resume full-time coaching? Was he being forced out by the administration? If this is a good time for the transition, why was there such a long wait to come up with the answers?
Malosky himself answered all the questions Wednesday afternoon at the UMD physical education building:
No, he won’t be back, after all.
Yes, he is pretty nearly 100 percent recovered from the effects of the stroke, probably enough to resume coaching.
No, he felt nothing but full support from the administration and athletic director Bob Corran, and he made the decision entirely by himself and his family.
And UMD waited this long for the decision because, out of respect for Malosky, he was given as much time as he needed to make a final decision, and then still more time to be sure it was the right one.
“This was entirely my decision,” said Malosky. “I could have come back for another year, but what would I be going to prove? That I’m a stubborn jackass?”
Then he cracked that familiar old Malosky grin and added, “I think I’ve already proven that; I don’t need to prove that anymore.”
After guiding the Bulldogs for 40 years, and with a 255-125-13 overall record that includes the most victories of any NCAA Division II coach, and MIAC championships in 1960, ’61 and ’73, and Northern Sun championships in 1979, ’80, ’85, ’90, ’95 and ’96, Malosky will resign as of July 1.
Malosky, who is from Crosby, Minn., and graduated in 1951 from the University of Minnesota, started coaching as only the third UMD coach in 1958. Forty years later, he and his wife, Lila ?????????????????????????????????????? made the decision before the two went on a recent Caribbean cruise.
“I made the decision two or three weeks ago,” said Malosky. “My family was comfortable with it.
“I feel fine. Generally speaking, I’d say I’ve just about made a full recovery from the stroke except for my left hand. I can use it and everything, but if I pick something up and hold it for a couple of minutes, I might drop it and not feel it. But I feel fine, I just get tired. And I’ve never been tired in my life.
“I’m not in as good shape as I’d like, but I’m back to going 25 or 30 minutes on an exercise bike. Although I only went 15 minutes this time because I had to get ready for this,” he said, meaning his farewell press conference.
Last fall, Malosky was close to the team, starting in the press box but then using a cane to hobble around on the sidelines. He had been planning on having knee replacement surgery when he suffered the stroke, and he had to delay it during his recovery.
“Last fall, I wanted to be around but I’d lose my concentration during the games sometimes. I’m a hands-on coach, and the worst thing was being around and not running things. The best part was that I didn’t have to be there for the preparation; I could just go there and ride around on my golf cart.
“My knee? That feels fine. That’s the best part of me, now,” Malosky laughed about his new knee.
Athletic director Bob Corran said he was willing to wait until Malosky made his decision, no matter how long it took.
“We talked about what was needed, and about progress of the program,” Corran said. “We put everything on the table, and he took his time with it. He told me his decision just before he went on his trip. I told him to make sure he wouldn’t second-guess himself that we’d wait until he came back from the trip. He came back to town Sunday, and I asked him how he felt. He said he still felt the same.
“This doesn’t make it the best time for us to be starting a search for a new coach, but we wanted to give Jim all the time he needed,” Corran added. “We’ll have a job search as quickly as possible. We’d like to conduct the search by mid-April, and have a coach here by May 1, ideally. But we’re not going into it with any preconceived ideas about an established veteran coach or a young coach.”
Malosky said, “Typically, we haven’t made too many plans, except we’re going on a trip to Norway.”
And as summer starts to fade, will Malosky have some second thoughts?
“I’ve been at it for so damn long, I don’t know how it’ll be,” Malosky said. “But I can relax at the end of August, and there’ll be no meetings. I’m looking forward to that part of it.”
Thrashing doesn’t always lead to rescue
Remember the old water-safety video of some guy out in water over his head who loses control, screaming in terror and thrashing and flailing his arms in a desperate gesture for help? The point was how careful you have to be if you’re going to save the guy and not be pulled down with him.
It crossed my mind the other day, when I listened to and read a few things about University of Minnesota hockey coach Doug Woog sneaking off to Wisconsin to scout a player. A columnist went on urging “the Wooger” to go farther, away from Minnesota, to find those superstar guys out there in Wisconsin and Canada — especially Canada — where all these superstars are awaiting his call to lead the Gophers back to puck glory.
A couple days later, there was an enormous story attempting to analyze how college hockey has changed in recent years, and how even someone who knew nothing of the history of the game could make the logical jump that Gopher recruiting would have to change too.
So Woog has said he is about to expand the horizons of recruiting. No more all-Minnesota, the Golden Ones are going to condescendingly invite all those superstar Canadians and out-of-staters to pull on the tinsel-colored jerseys and try to lift the Gophers back to a respectful spot in the WCHA and in the nation’s college hockey scope.
First off, it will take more than winning for the program to regain respect. The program has lost the respect of a lot of Minnesota grassroots hockey backers. It’s also lost the backing of some of its most storied alumni, as well as the ones who spend lots of money to back the program.
The word that Woog will go after Canadians and non-Minnesotans was met with universal acclaim by those who have no clue about Minnesota hockey and by those columnists and audio-video guys who, in total, may see five or six hockey games a year out of conscience, and if the Timberwolves or Gopher basketball team is idle.
It also is met with a shrug by those who don’t give a fig about hockey, Minnesota or otherwise. Football and basketball go to the far reaches of the globe to recruit, so why shouldn’t hockey? So what if the football team fights to avoid last place, and the basketball team can’t win a Big Ten game on the road.
The one group most excited about Woog going outside the state to recruit players could undoubtedly be organized to form a chorus line to dance and chant “go-go-go” to Woog. Those are the other WCHA coaches, and the coaches at places like Minnesota State-Mankato, and Bemidji State. They know that every less Minnesotan going to Minnesota means another top Minnesotan available to their school.
Bring in a couple of Canadians. In fact, bring in a half dozen, and a couple guys from Wisconsin, or Michigan, or Boston. And guess what? The mystique of going to Minnesota because it’s all-Minnesota would come crashing down. Suddenly top Minnesota kids would choose schools that better suit them, where they might develop their skills and have fun, because no longer would they feel compelled to go to Gopherville because of a perceived tradition that the best Minnesotans go to Minnesota.
Let’s get one thing straight: Minnesota produces the most quality players for college of anyplace that produces hockey players. Round off the numbers: There are over 150 American players in the WCHA this season, and 100 of them are from Minnesota. Wisconsin is second, with a dozen. Canada is responsible for 75 WCHA players. Think about it. Eight WCHA coaches who traditionally have recruited in Canada have brought back only 75 Canadians and 100 Minnesotans.
There are some very good Canadians out there, but the vast majority of the best ones who used to play college-eligible Tier II hockey are now playing Tier I because major junior teams are offering them scholarships in case they don’t get drafted by the NHL. More players are now being developed in the USHL.
Privately, every WCHA coach except one might tell you that the Gophers have the BEST personnel in the league. The BEST! Line up Wyatt Smith, Reggie Berg, Dave Spehar and Aaron Miskovich, and compare the top four forwards of any other WCHA team. The rest of the WCHA coaches, and those elsewhere in the nation, have coveted almost every Gopher recruit for 25 years.
The current players have not developed. Or is it that they’ve not BEEN developed? They aren’t playing the exciting, innovative style, that Woog’s Gophers used to play. Some of them look like they have forgotten how they played in high school. They are playing without guidance, without direction, without any cohesiveness except what they can summon on their own.
The only coach in the league certain to disagree that Minnesota has the best talent is…Minnesota’s. Like sheep, the Twin Cities media have bought Woog’s alibis that the Gophers are too young, too inexperienced, haven’t panned out, haven’t fit in, and they are only poor little Minnesotans. The coach has succeeded in pointing the finger in every direction except where it should be pointed.
Nobody has figured out that when great player after great player comes to the program and doesn’t improve, but leaves disheartened, complaining that the game is no longer any fun, maybe — just maybe — there is a problem.
As that finger-pointing becomes more and more frantic, think about that video. The one about the guy who chose to go out in water over his head, then lost control, and is displaying the final, desperate thrashing of a drowning man.
Bulldogs get split, face reality
Hope springs eternal. That is still a fact with the UMD hockey Bulldogs. It’s just that it might be time to adjust the target of those hopes.
No longer is a first-division finish feasible. Good-bye home-ice for the playoffs. Forget striving for mathematical possibilities and deal with realities.
The reality is that, after splitting with Michigan Tech, the Bulldogs ended an eight-game winless streak in WCHA play, but they still are four points behind Tech, six behind St. Cloud State, and seven behind Minnesota, in their quest to climb out of last place. And, with the upcoming weekend off, the Bulldogs have only four remaining games in which to make up their deficit.
“Realistically, we have to concentrate on playing well, playing our best going into playoff time,” said coach Mike Sertich.
That doesn’t mean he’s throwing in the towel. But with only four WCHA victories on the board, and three of them against Michigan Tech, the ‘Dogs would have to sweep Minnesota in two weeks and sweep at Colorado College the final weekend, and still hope for a total collapse by Michigan Tech, St. Cloud and Minnesota. Also, Minnesota and St. Cloud State play each other this weekend, meaning they can’t both lose.
The week off will give injured defenseman Mark Carlson and Jesse Fibiger the chance to heal, and ace goaltender Brant Nicklin should be ready to face Minnesota with the extra recovery time for his sprained knee.
In Nicklin’s absence, senior Tony Gasparini had played very well, in a 2-2 tie with North Dakota and in a 0-0 tie at Alaska-Anchorage. But Gasparini struggled against Tech, having problems covering rebounds that not only got away but wound up on Tech sticks for goals — including the overtime winner — in Friday night’s 5-4 loss. He struggled some more Saturday night, when the Bulldogs might have blown out the Huskies but instead had to work hard to accomplish a 6-4 victory.
“It was a tough night for Tony,” Sertich acknowledged. “It was frustrating when we were outshooting them by something like 15-3 and the score was 3-3.”
But the ‘Dogs came back behind two goals from Derek Derow and one from Colin Anderson in a six-minute spurt of the second period, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. Tommy Nelson and Judd Medak had scored the first two UMD goals, and Jeff Scissons, who assisted on both Derow goals, scored an empty-net clincher off a neat pass from Ryan Homstol.
Scissons also scored a goal Friday, and assisted on Colin Anderson’s second of the game — a goal with 25.7 seconds left on a six-attacker rush to send the game into overtime. So Scissons had two goals and three assists for the weekend, while Colin Anderson had three goals.
Derow’s pair gave him 10 for the season, a long climb for the sophomore, who joins linemates Scissons, with 15, and Homstol, with 11, as the third Bulldogs in double figures for goals. “He’s a great scorer, and it’s important to get him going,” said Scissons.
Sertich dressed little-used Craig Pierce to replace Carlson on defense, and activated never-before-used Ryan Tessier, a freshman from Warroad — Salol, actually — for Saturday when Fibiger went down. Playing a game meant Tessier spent a year’s eligibility instead of red-shirting. “Jimmy Knapp thought we needed the help on defense,” said Sertich. “And Ryan was anxious to play.
“We had six walk-ons in the game Saturday night, with Tony Gasparini, Tessier, Pierce, Nik Patronas, Eric Ness and Nate Anderson. I thought we played pretty well, considering it wasn’t necessarily a great game. We made some plays and scored some goals on the kind of rushes we’ve been making all year, but the pucks hadn’t been going in.”
The most notable of those was a Colin Anderson goal, when Curtis Bois, who has spent four years proving he would rather shoot than pass, passed across the slot early in the second period and Anderson one-timed it on the bounce into the upper right corner for a 4-3 UMD lead.
While winning three of the four games from Tech should be satisfying, the lone loss to the Huskies was a vital blow. Had the Bulldogs swept, they would have even with eighth-place Tech instead of still merely hoping to catch the Huskies.
After the three Huskies goals in the first 15 minutes, when Gasparini made only five saves on the eight first-period Huskie shots, the senior netminder settled down and only an A.J. Aitkens goal, on a rebound in the crease at 9:20 of the second period, got by. In all, UMD outshot Tech 36-27 in the game, and Gasparini stopped 18 of the last 19 shots he saw after the rocky start.
‘DOGMEAT/Eveleth-Gilbert scoring star Andy Sacchetti visited UMD on Saturday and watched the victory against Tech. Sacchetti, a mercurial centerman who led the Golden Bears to the Class A state championship last year, and to the Section 7A No. 1 seed this season, could provide an exciting boost to UMD’s offense…So far, other UMD commitments have come from Jon Francisco, Hermantown’s star center, who will play a year of junior, while Silver Bay defenseman John Conboy and Superior goaltender Rob Anderson were earlier commitments.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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