Duluth-area All-Stars sweep both hockey games from Range
Duluth-area high school hockey players swept both games of the CCM All-Star series this week, using different tactics on successive days to win 3-2 at the DECC on Tuesday, and 7-5 in a shootout at Coleraine on Wednesday. The best result of the two games, aside from spirited competition, was a mutual respect among players who have spent their seasons being heated rivals.
Before Tuesday night’s game, when both sides engaged in the good-natured skills competition, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton goaltender Josh Johnson was summoned to face 20 quick-order alternating-side shots in the goaltending competition. Nick Licari, his teammate-for-a-night from Duluth East, said, “This isn’t fair. Josh will stop all 20 in this drill.”
Licari was almost right. Johnson, who had stopped Licari and East 1-0 in the Section 7AA championship game at the DECC two weeks earlier, stopped 19 of the 20 shots to easily win the battle of the goalies. It turned out to be a projection of the game that was to follow, as Johnson played the entire game for the Duluth area stars, anchoring a 3-2 victory before 1,500 fans in the first of two all-star games.
On Wednesday night, the two teams journeyed to Coleraine, where the Duluth team won again. Nate Buck of Hermantown tended goal in the second game, as coach Brendan Flaherty chose to give each of his two goaltenders a full game, while Grand Rapids coach Bruce Laroque decided to split Jesse Lind of Eveleth-Gilbert and Tom Sobtzak of Greenway in both games.
“I think it’s better to let one goalie keep playing, especially if he’s as sharp as Josh was,” said Buck.
Johnson laughed about the skills contest, when no other goaltender stopped more than 15. “There’s pressure, but it’s really just for fun,” said Johnson. “It’s nothing like the pressure of playing in the state tournament.”
The Range team missed Mr. Hockey, Gino Guyer of Greenway of Coleraine, who is playing in the USHL this spring, but while Guyer’s sniping might have helped, the Rangers outshot the Duluth area team 35-25 in the first game, they just couldn’t dent Johnson. After winning the Frank Brimsek award as the state’s top senior goaltender last week, and taking the Lumberjacks to the state tournament, Johnson stopped 33 shots, and held the Rangers pretty much at bay until Andy Sertich of Greenway intercepted an errant puck and walked in to score with 38 seconds remaining in the third 18-minute period.
The Duluth team had jumped ahead 1-0 when Brent Palmer of Hermantown moved in from the left corner for a shot that Lind blocked, but Palmer continued across the crease and knocked in his own rebound at 8:08. Matt Miskovich of Grand Rapids was penalized for roughing at 11:31, and Duluth capitalized on the power play at 12:37, with Mike Erickson of Cloquet scoring on a rebound at the crease. B.J. Radovich of Hermantown and Mike Stellmaker of Duluth East assisted.
The Range team came back to get a goal midway through the second period, when Matt Hill of Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl scored with a shot from the left circle that trickled through Johnson. Flaherty, the Marshall coach, juggled his lines for the second period, putting together an interesting unit with Radovich centering Nick Licari of East and Erickson of Cloquet. That line generated some offense, and connected at 12:14 for a pivotal goal that made it 3-1, as Radovich pounced on a loose puck at the right circle and snapped a shot past Sobtzak.
The teams moved back and forth, suffering a little in their teamwork as might be expected with players from all different teams. But the Range kept the pressure on, only to be stymied by Johnson until the last minute, when Sertich made his move.
In Wednesday night’s rematch, the Range jumped ahead 2-0 on goals by Tom Biondich of International Falls and Ian Ross of Hibbing. Duluth countered with two goals by Ales Toth of Silver Bay, and Bryan Olds of East put the Duluth-area team up 3-2 at the first intermission. The Rangers vaulted ahead 4-3 on second-period goals by Brad Kern of Hibbing and Ben Gordon of International Falls, and Gordon scored again in the third period after Nate Timm of Silver Bay had tied it 5-5.
But with five minutes remaining, Duluth took over. Nick Nelson of East tied it, with assists from Derek Menz and Olds at 13:56, and Palmer scored at 16:20 for a 6-5 Duluth lead. Licari swcored a clinching goal with 34 seconds remaining for the 7-5 count. Duluth outshot the Range 37-31.
In other skills contest results, defenseman Steve Wagner of Grand Rapids won the hardest-shot competition, with a slapshot clocked at 86 miles per hour, Bryan Olds of East won the fastest lap with a 14.96-second dash around the DECC rink, while Nate Timm of Silver Bay was second at 15.12. In the shooting accuracy test, where shooters had to try to hit five holes in a panel in front of the goal from 40 feet, Dave Moline of Marshall shot first and put three of the five through the holes. Erickson of Cloquet was the only other shooter who could match that.
As a final spinoff of the game, promoter Ryan Kern of Kernz & Co. put together a combined team that will play the Bismarck Bobcats of the America West League at 2 p.m. Sunday in Bismarck.
GREAT 8 TEAM NAMED
All-Star competition intensifies with the annual Great Eight tournament at Wakota Arena in South St. Paul next weekend (March 22-24). Combining the Class AA and A players from each section, the teams play through an entire tournament, after which a select team will go to Chicago to play in the Chicago Showcase, April 17-21. The Section 7AA and 7A team consists of goaltenders Johnson and Matti Korhonen of Grand Rapids; defensemen Matt Maunu and Brandon Sell of Cloquet, Mike Stellmaker of Duluth East, Wagner, Jim Gibeau of Greenway; and forwards Guyer and Sertich of Greenway, Licari and Tom Kolar of East, Radovich, Miskovich of Grand Rapids, J.P. Platisha of Brainerd, and Shane Holman of Hibbing. Alternates include goalie Josh Antikainen of Hibbing, defensemn Mike anderson of Hermantown and Seth Amadio of East, and forwards Brian Wickstrom of Grand Rapids, Bobby Fink of Ely and Palmer of Hermantown. Dan Clafton of Grand Rapids will coach.
JUNIOR GOLD TOURNEY
The state Junior Gold hockey tournament, for roughly high school age players who are not playing high school hockey, will be held at Mars-Lakeview Arena in Duluth this weekend. The tournament combines the Junior Gold and Midget programs and was scheduled with a full round to open Friday, with Moorhead facing Burnsville at noon, Osseo-Maple Grove facing Edina at 2, Duluth vs. Eden Prairie at 4, and White Bear Lake vs. Bloomington Jefferson at 6. Competition continues throughout Saturday and concludes with the championship on Sunday.
Duluth all-stars nip Range team
DULUTH, MINN. — Before Tuesday night’s CCM high school all-star hockey game between the Iron Range and Duluth area stars, both sides engaged in some good-natured skills competition. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton goaltender Josh Johnson went out to face 20 shots in the goaltending competition, and Nick Licari, his teammate-for-a-night from Duluth East, said, “This isn’t fair. Josh will stop all 20 in this drill.”
Licari was almost right. Johnson stopped 19 of the 20 to easily win the battle of the goalies, and it turned out to be a projection of the game that was to follow, as Johnson played the entire game for the Duluth area stars, anchoring a 3-2 victory before 1,500 fans at the DECC in the first of two all-star games. The teams played again tonight at 7 p.m. in Coleraine.
Johnson laughed about the skills contest, when no other goaltender stopped more than 15. “There’s pressure, but it’s really just for fun,” said Johnson. “It’s nothing like the pressure of playing in the state tournament.”
The Range team missed Mr. Hockey, Gino Guyer of Greenway of Coleraine, who is playing in the USHL this spring, but while Guyer’s sniping might have helped, the Rangers outshot the Duluth area team 35-25. But they had to contend with Johnson.
Johnson, who won the Frank Brimsek award as the state’s top senior goaltender last week, after taking the Lumberjacks to the state tournament, stopped 33 shots, and held the Rangers pretty much at bay until Andy Sertich of Greenway of Coleraine intercepted an errant puck and walked in to score with 38 seconds remaining in the third 18-minute period.
The Duluth team jumped ahead 1-0 when Brent Palmer of Hermantown moved in from the left corner for a shot that Eveleth-Gilbert goaltender Jesse Lind blocked, but Palmer continued across the crease and knocked in his own rebound at 8:08.
The Rangers were shorthanded when Matt Miskovich of Grand Rapids was penalized for roughing at 11:31, and Duluth capitalized at 12:37, with Mike Erickson of Cloquet scoring on a rebound at the crease. B.J. Radovich of Hermantown and Mike Stellmaker of Duluth East assisted.
The Range team came back to get a goal midway through the second period, when Matt Hill of Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl scored with a shot from the left circle that trickled through Johnson.
Duluth coach Brendan Flaherty from Marshall juggled his lines for the second period, putting together an interesting unit with Radovich centering Nick Licari of East and Erickson of Cloquet. That line generated some offense, and connected at 12:14 for a pivotal goal that made it 3-1. Radovich got the goal, pouncing on a loose puck at the right circle and moving in to snap one past Greenway goaltender Tom Sobtzak, who had relieved Range starter Lind.
The teams moved back and forth, suffering a little in their teamwork as might be expected with players from all different teams. But the Range kept the pressure on, only to be stymied by Johnson until the last minute, when Sertich made his move.
In other skills contest results, Bryan Olds of East won the fastest lap with a 14.96-second dash around the DECC rink, while Nate Timm of Silver Bay was second at 15.12.
In the shooting accuracy test, where shooters had to try to hit five holes in a panel in front of the goal from 40 feet, Dave Moline of Marshall shot first and put three of the five through the holes. Erickson of Cloquet was the only other shooter who could match that.
Holy Angels beats Hill-Murray 4-2 in all-private Class AA final
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Kevin Rollwagen punctured the pressure with a backhander form the left circle with 2:13 remaining Saturday night, clinching a 4-2 victory for Holy Angels over Hill-Murray in the Class AA state tournament final — the first championship game in tournament history played by two private school teams.
A crowd announced at 16,315 bought tickets for the final, and Hill-Murray — a team long feared and vocally opposed in previous state tournaments — became the crowd favorite against Holy Angels, a powerful newcomer to emerge as a private school power.
Holy Angels (26-4) spotted Hill-Murray (24-6-2) the early lead, then roared ahead with two goals late in the first period. The Stars went up 3-1 in the second, but Hill-Murray closed the gap when Brian Kaufman scored at 0:19 of the third. That set the stage for Rollwagen’s clincher.
For Hill-Murray, the climb to the championship game took on the overtones of midseason irony, when the Pioneers had struggled last season and through the early going this year to the point that, after playing in the first Xcel Energy Classic holiday tournament, the school was notified of next year’s field — and informed they would no longer be included.
That was all part of the unifying effect that coach Bill Lechner observed, and marvelled at.
“It’s boring stuff, but we’ve got eight outstanding seniors,” Lechner said. “Tony Ciro got better in goal as the season went on, but we all got better. We got together and decided to wear the jersey proud. We made a pact of winning our conference, and of winning our section. Our coaching staff was crying after this game, but we were all selfish. We wanted to be playing until the ninth (of March), just so we could be with these guys a little longer.”
After last season, when Hill-Murray was 14-13, six seniors graduated and players departed for various reasons. “Juniors, the Ann Arbor program — whatever — everybody wrote us off,” said Lechner.
Then this season started and Hill-Murray lost 3-1 to Bloomington Jefferson, and 10-1 at the Xcel tournament to Roseville, as well as 4-1 to Duluth East. Shortly after the Xcel tournament, Hill-Murray was told they were no longer “elite” enough to be invited back to the tournament.
Since then, the Pioneers unified and started winning — going 11-0-1 in the 12 games following the tournament, but then being tied by Mahtomedi 2-2 and finishing with a 3-0 loss to Moorhead. Then, however, the Pioneers won three straight in Section 3AA, including 4-1 final game revenge against a White Bear Lake team that had beaten them 6-3 early in the season.
At the state tournament, a 3-2 overtime victory over unheralded Lakeville in the quarterfinals didn’t convince anyone that Hill-Murray was capable of beating Jefferson, but the Pioneers did that with a 5-0 shocker to reach the finals.
Holy Angels, meanwhile, blew through pretty much everybody all season. In fact, in their season-long schedule in the tournament program, showing all 27 allowed games, the Holy Angels record shows impressive games against Mount St. Charles Academy of Rhode Island and Boston Catholic Memorial — both losses, but both highly prestigious national foes. Curiously, a 2-2 tie against Cloquet-Esko-Carlton is not listed in the Stars game-by-game record, and their “official” record shows no ties.
Coach Greg Trebil has built Holy Angels into a power in only a few short years, and the Stars dominated this tournament by beating Cloquet 6-2 in the quarterfinals, and running away from an outstanding Roseville team 6-3 in the semifinals by scoring the last four goals.
The Stars appeared to get a break when, trailing 1-0, Dan Kronick was awarded a goal for what appeared to be an illegally high-stick of the puck. Matt Kaiser’s shot popped high off goaltender Ciro, and replays indicated Kronick hit the puck out of the air when his stick was higher than the crossbar, which is the legal 4-foot limit. The goal tied the game 1-1 at 11:50, and Kevin Krmpotich promptly put the Stars ahead 2-1 at 12:29.
Tyler Howells scored at 8:26 of the second for the 3-1 Holy Angels lead. But the Pioneers had a carryover power play to open the third period and Kaufman, trying to pass out front from deep on the right, had his pass deflect past goaltender Ben Luth off a defenseman’s stick at 0:19. That got the Pioneer cheering section enthused, and the Pioneers pressed for the equalizer.
With 2:13 remaining, Rollwagen gained control of the puck in the left circle, and spun free of a check and shot a backhander all in one motion to make it 4-2. Ciro went to the bench with 1:18 to go, and Hill-Murray put some pressure on, but the Stars were equal to the challenge.
Sikio, Eustace lead UMD to 6-2 victory over OSU for 3rd place
BLAINE, MINN. — Hanne Sikio and Joanne Eustace scored twice each as UMD snapped its offense into focus with a 6-2 victory over Ohio State in the third-place game of the Women’s WCHA tournament at Fogerty Arena in Blaine.
As third-place games go, this might have been a big one, because after losing 4-1 to Wisconsin in Friday’s semifinals, the Bulldogs needed a victory to cling to their ranking among the nation’s top four for possible placement in the NCAA final foursome. UMD stands 22-6-4, and was ranked No. 3 in the nation by the NCAA selection committee.
The victory means that the biggest risk the Bulldogs face now comes from the eastern college playoffs, because a lower seeded team, such as No. 5 Dartmouth, could force its way into the final foursome. The NCAA tournament will be held in two weeks at Durham, N.H., and UMD might have an added edge to make the field by being defending champion.
“I would find it hard to believe that we could drop out of the top four after this weekend,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller. “Obviously we’re pleased with our performance tonight. It was important to get on the scoreboard early, which we did, and we stuck to our team plan. We were very disciplined.”
The discipline was tested because Ohio State engaged the Bulldogs in an extremely physical game from start to finish. It helped UMD’s attitude significantly to have taken the lead late in the first period on a power play goal by Eustace at 17:16, and a second tally by Larissa Luther at 19:29.
Ohio State got back in the game in the second period, however, when Katie Frohreich scored from the right point on a power play shot at 8:05 that appeared to glance off a defender and past goaltender Patricia Sautter.
“I felt really, really comfortable in goal,” said Sautter. “I was confident because we played so well as a team. That makes it easy for a goalie.”
At that point, Sikio took charge. At 9:21, just 1:17 after the Buckeye goal, Sikio scored her 15th goal of the season. The almost-immediate answer to OSU’s goal was further reinforced when Sikio put away the long rebound of Erika Holst’s point shot on a power play at 16:28.
Sikio had several other chances to score, but the hat trick wouldn’t happen. Not that she cared.
“I didn’t need a hat trick,” Sikio said. “As long as we won the game.”
Sikio’s goals put UMD in charge at 4-1, but again the Buckeyes wouldn’t fade, as Jennifer Desson scored at 17:51.
“They always play hard against us,” said Miller. “They always play to the buzzer. It would have been very easy to get off the focus of playing our game, but we stayed calm and controlled our emotion.”
Kristina Petrovskaia boosted the lead to 5-2 with a goal at 11:07 of the third period following a scramble initiated by the always hustling Maria Rooth. And Eustace finished it off with a goal with 1:05 remaining when she jammed a shot in from the right edge and wound up behind the net watching through the mesh as the puck trickled across the line.
Badgers sting UMD women with 4-1 WCHA tourney setback
BLAINE, MINN. — The UMD women’s hockey team tried to execute its new Torpedo offensive system against Wisconsin Friday in the Women’s WCHA hockey playoff semifinals. But Wisconsin executed its defensive scheme better than the Bulldogs worked their new offense, and while beating the ‘Dogs 4-1, the Badgers might have executed UMD’s hopes to advance to the NCAA tournament.
“They really get up to play us,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller. “They played great.”
Miller, however, believes her Bulldogs still have a good chance to advance to the NCAA’s final foursome. By being ranked No. 3 in the country, to Wisconsin’s No. 8, and having a 21-6-4 record compared to Wisconsin’s 22-10-2 figure in UMD’s favor. But the Bulldog coach also realizes that to make sure of their future, they might want to come back roaring through today’s third-place game.
“I told our players that they could relax tonight, but they’d better wake up in the morning knowing they have to play a very important game,” Miller said.
Wisconsin played a brilliant game Friday, getting goals from Karen Rickard, Meghan Hunter, Sis Paulsen and Jackie Friesen, while Carla Macleod assisted on the first three. Jackie MacMillan did the job in goal, although the Badger defensive system defused most Bulldog chances by forcing them from long range and rarely allowing a rebound. That has become Wisconsin’s trademark through one of the most peculiar seasons.
After struggling to a 7-8-2 record midway through the season, there was speculation that Badger players were so upset with Trina Bourget’s coaching style that they contacted Wisconsin’s administration. After some discussion, it was decided that Bourget would take a couple of weeks off and let assistants Dan Koch and Tracey Cornell run the team.
That weekend was when Wisconsin came to Duluth and stunned UMD 3-1 and 3-2 — the first time UMD had ever been swept at the DECC. But the Badgers haven’t discriminated since, racing through a 15-2 second half, while Bourget is at home in Massachusetts, and Koch and Cornell are still sharing the reins.
“As far as we know, Trina is on a personal medical leave,” said Koch. “That’s all we’ve been told, and that’s all the players have been told.”
If the speculation and/or leave was to be short-term, the success of the team has prolonged it. The Badgers not only are the hottest team in the country in women’s hockey, but they have the best goals-against record in the nation at 1.42.
Miller, meanwhile, decided to install a version of the Swedish men’s Olympic team, with a long-passing concept that stretches the zones and creates a quick-striking attack. But the Bulldogs were tentative about skating out to the far blue line, and when they didn’t go far enough, the long passes were easy prey for the Badger defensemen. They also forced the puck up ice and left Wisconsin with easy counters.
Goaltender Tuula Puputti was the victim. Karen Rickard broke in under heavy check but got off a good backhand that went in at 4:20 of the first period. Laurie Alexander went off for cross-checking at 11:01, and Meghan Hunter scored 10 seconds into the power play for a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.
Wisconsin’s Sis Paulsen was penalized early in the second period, and when she stepped back on the ice at 5:28, she found a loose puck coming right to her, so she obliged by skating in on a breakaway and scoring at 5:35 for a 3-0 lead. Miller pulled Puputti and sent in Patricia Sautter at that point.
UMD made a bid, when Julianne Vasichek rushed in on the right side and passed in front, where several Bulldogs had a whack at the puck before Tricia Guest finally hammered it past goaltender Jackie MacMillan at 17:21.
If that inspired the ‘Dogs, the Badgers took the steam out of them at 3:27 of the third period, when Amy Vermeulen shot from the left boards and Jacke Friesen deflected it through Sautter for the 4-1 count. The Bulldogs managed only five shots in the third period, leaving them with a 23-19 edge for the game. But shots didn’t matter.
“They had a couple good quality chances in the first half of the game,” said MacMillan, whose dad, who is originally from Duluth, is boys hockey coach at Buffalo, Minn. “I’ll make the saves I have to, but our defense did a great job. And I don’t just mean our defensemen. Our forwards come back hard too, and our defense is a total team effort.”
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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