Girls Varsity Hockey
North Shore met Cloquet Esko Carlton in the Class 1A, Section 7 semifinal at St. Luke’s Arena on February 7. The Storm had beaten the Lumberjacks 7-3 in their regular season meeting and nearly matched that score again.
Lilly Ernest set the tone just 29 seconds in, with Hallie Komarek and Guilia McGiffert assisting. Hayden Bright followed with two quick goals, the first from Reese Costley and the second from Berkely Hoff and Lola Lundgren. North Shore led 3-0 before the 4-minute mark.
CEC answered with 3 straight, but the Storm took control again in the second. Hoff scored with Komarek assisting. Costley added another with help from Raegen Hogenson and Bright. Hoff struck again for her second of the night, assisted by Ella Peterson and McGiffert.
The Lumberjacks pulled within one in the second half of the third, but North Shore sealed it when Costley scored an empty-netter from Lundgren.
CEC fired 50 shots at Emmy Bentler, who turned in a standout performance. North Shore put 15 shots on the Lumberjacks’ goalie.
The Storm advanced to the Class 1A, Section 7 championship on February 11 to face top-seeded Proctor Hermantown. The Mirage entered at 17-6-2, while North Shore stood at 17-9. Results will appear in the next Northshore Journal issue.
Boys Varsity Hockey
The Storm boys faced a tough weekend beginning February 6. Park Rapids came to Rukavina and held North Shore scoreless in a 5-0 loss. The next day at Bronco Arena, International Falls shut out the Storm 8-0.
On February 9 the Storm hosted Ely, a team that edged them 3-2 in overtime earlier this season. This matchup brought a sense of déjà vu as it once again pushed into OT, only this time North Shore came out on top.
Ely struck first on a power play, but Josh Johnson answered a few minutes later with help from Brenner Quinn. Ely added one more before the first ended. In the 2nd, Dalton Seagren tied it up, assisted by Luke Johnson and Bryce Meeks.
Neither team found the net in the 3rd, sending the game into a very brief overtime. Just 23 seconds in, Levi Lovely buried the winner with Joshua Maxwell assisting. The Storm took the W, 3-2.
North Shore had a chance to rematch International Falls on February 10 when the Broncos visited Rukavina. More results to come.
Boys Varsity Basketball
Two Harbors went to overtime against Barnum on February 6 in a tight matchup that slipped away late.
“Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way at the end of regulation or overtime. That happens,” posted Head Coach Bill Anderson. “However the character and makeup of these young men I’m privileged to coach amazes me. We’ll be okay, 4 straight extremely well played games. Let’s keep it going!”
The Agates certainly did keep it going when they hosted Mesabi East on February 9. The 83-32 win had 14 Two Harbors players in the scoring column. It was a great night for Senior Night as the team celebrated with their 8 talented seniors.
They traveled to Aitkin on February 11, hosted McGregor on February 12, and headed to International Falls on February 13 to take on the Broncos.
The Vikings beat North Woods 73-52 at home on February 3. They followed with a high‑scoring win over Hill City Northland, taking a 108-80 victory. Their streak ended on February 6 when Cromwell Wright edged them 71-67.
Cook County gets a short break before Bigfork visits on Monday, February 16. Tipoff is at 4 in Grand Marais.
Girls Varsity Basketball
Barnum visited Two Harbors on February 5 and earned a 67-38 win. The Agates opened strong before the Bombers took control in the second quarter. The evening also marked senior night and teacher appreciation night. Pierz came to town next and won 63-25.
Two Harbors picked it up with a win on February 9 against McGregor. According to their coach, Gavin Bopp, the girls “played hard tonight and were victorious.” The final score was 58-42.
The Agates hosted Aitkin on February 11 and will play at International Falls on February 13.
The Mariners opened a three‑game road stretch at Carlton Wrenshall on February 3, falling 61-36. They moved on to Floodwood on February 5 where the Polar Bears won 71-54. On February 6, Silver Bay faced East Central and lost 71- 41.
The Mariners returned home on February 10 to host Ely. Cherry visited on February 12, and Floodwood comes to town on February 16.
Check next week’s Northshore Journal for game updates.
Your updates power this column. Share game results, standout moments, and photos at sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com.
