Bantam Hockey
The North Shore Bantam B1 team skated to a strong third-place finish at the Northfield Showdown, a tournament that brought eight teams to Northfield, Minnesota, including Apple Valley/Burnsville/Eastview, Delano, North Shore, Northfield, Cambridge-Isanti, Red Wing, Mankato, and Minneapolis.
Coached by Kody Costley, Jake Swanson, and Nolan Koskela, the Storm battled through three days of competition at both St. Olaf College and the Northfield Arena from December 19–21. Apple Valley/Burnsville/Eastview claimed the championship, with Delano finishing as runner-up.
North Shore goalie Liam Christiansen turned in a standout weekend, posting an impressive .907 save percentage.
Team manager Jamie Pellman summed up the experience simply: “A great time was had by all on their road trip tournament of the season.”
The 2025-2026 North Shore Bantam team roster:
Brayden Cates
Liam Christiansen
Sean Dugas-Johnson
Brody Fellersen
Henry Freund
Wyatt Gens
Gordon Goutermont
Maxim Haugen
Barron Hoff
Breckon Hoff
Grady Hoff
Alex Johnson
Max Klemmer
Mason Koskela
Jonathan Labat
Wyatt Metzger
William Pearson
Nico Tersteeg
Gavin VanHouse
Girls Varsity Hockey
The North Shore Storm girls hockey team suffered a tough loss to Proctor/Hermantown at the NorthStar Ford Arena on January 3.
The team was coming off a hard‑fought second place in the Warroad Holiday Tournament before the year closed out and has been fighting both injury and illness in the last few weeks. (For more details, see page 3 for a feature about the tournament.)
Berkely Hoff scored just 11 seconds into the game, with Hallie Komarek and Lola Lundgren assisting. The Mirage tied it quickly and dominated the second period, which ended 1–5.
Komarek scored first in the third, assisted by Ella Peterson. Proctor/ Hermantown added three more before the game was through, winning 8–2 and putting the Storm at 11–6 heading into their home game against Hayward Co‑Op at Sonju Arena on January 6.
“We’re still a little worn out from our trip to Warroad,” said Head Coach Mike Hoff. “Hopefully we can get healthy here in the next week and be ready for a good last end of the season.”
After Hayward, the team heads to Rock Ridge on January 13 and to Anderson Ice Arena to play Breck on January 16.
Boys Varsity Hockey
The North Shore Storm boys hockey team walked away from the Wadena‑Deer Creek Wolverines without a win. The January 3 game at Sonju Arena ended in a 4–2 loss for the Storm.
Things started well for the home team. Junior Levi Lovely opened scoring in the first period on a power play, with sophomore Vaughn Christensen assisting. The Wolverines tied it up, but Clayton Haus, a junior this season, pulled the Storm ahead again in the second with an unassisted even‑strength goal.
The third period belonged to Wadena‑Deer Creek, who scored three straight to take control. Sophomore goalie Dax Krech made 24 saves, while the Storm generated just 13 shots on goal throughout the game.
North Shore headed to Coleraine to take on Greenway on January 6 and will be back at Sonju Arena on January 9 to face Mora/Milaca.
If you’re unable to make it to the January 9 game, tune in to KTWH 99.5 FM or ktwh.org as they will be broadcasting the boys’ hockey game live.
Boys Varsity Basketball
Cook County traveled to Ely for the Ely Holiday Tournament, first taking on Mountain Iron-Buhl on December 29. After their short holiday break, the Vikings couldn’t keep pace and fell 77–55.
They had better luck the following day, defeating Ely 80–55. Two Harbors also picked up a win on the Vikings’ court on January 2, beating Cook County 67–44.
The Agates were participants in the Ely Holiday Tournament as well, opening against Ely on December 29. That game at Ely High School ended in a 59–48 win for the Timberwolves. On December 30, Two Harbors faced MIB and came up short, losing 74–65.
The tough losses were followed by the win against the Vikings.
“It’s been said many, many times by people way, way smarter than I,” posted Two Harbors Head Coach Bill Anderson the day after the game. “It’s not WHO you play, it’s HOW you play. Cook County beat Ely by 25 on Tuesday, we lost to Ely by 11 on Monday. Belief in their ability, belief in what we’re teaching, total buy-in by the team dictated the outcome last night.”
Anderson also posted a special shoutout for sophomore Ryan Stone, who has been “playing his absolute tail off for us.”
Girls Varsity Basketball
The Silver Bay Mariners have been practicing hard during their break and traveled to Cromwell‑Wright on January 6, prepared for battle. They next hosted Hill City/Northland on January 8, with results to be reported in a future issue.
If you are catching this before the January 9 home game against Duluth Denfeld, head to the gymnasium to cheer on the Mariners at 6:30.
Two Harbors was unable to keep its streak alive when the Agates faced Ely on December 29, falling 71–32. They also lost to Barnum on the road on December 30, with the Bombers winning 55–41.
Still searching for a way back into the win column, the team came up short again against Deer River in its third straight away game. Deer River won 65–21.
The Agates were hoping to turn things around in their next game at Duluth Denfeld on January 5. They will finally return to their home court on January 9 to take on International Falls.
Coaches, families, and fans are invited to share game notes, photos, and season updates. Send them to sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com and help us spotlight the great work happening across our North Shore teams.
