Dynamic Dozen: Storm Seniors Shine on Senior Night

No one has ever accused me of being too good at math, but de­spite all the coverage we’ve given the North Shore Storm boys hock­ey team this season, I never put six and six together to realize there are twelve seniors on the roster.

It’s not that I didn’t notice there were a lot—this group is far too talented to overlook. But it really hit me when I saw the photos from Senior Night—one of them lined up on the ice, another of the long table in front of the Mariner Wall of Fame, their jerseys packed tight­ly together with memorabilia from years past.

Their big night took place in Silver Bay at Rukavina Arena on February 4th, just before the puck dropped against the Moose Lake Area Reb­els. It was a thrilling game, with the Storm pulling off a 6-5 win. The seniors played a major role, con­tributing four goals—including the game-tying score and the go-ahead goal in the third period.

Each senior offered their talents, time, and made tremendous effort throughout their hockey careers and will be sorely missed in the next season:

#1 Gus Kindstrand, Goalie, was only 4 years old when he took to the ice. His favorite memory, along with many others on the team, is going to state as a Peewee, a tru­ly special occasion. He is going to Hibbing for college and will study to be an automotive and diesel me­chanic.

#8 Cole Anderson, Forward, played for the Mite 2 team when he was in 2nd grade and is also proud of the state season for Pee­wees. He would like to become a mechanic and plans on going to a trade school. His piece of advice for younger players is, “Listen to coaches rules.”

#11 Ethan Meeks, Defensemen, was in 5th grade when he started playing hockey. He was part of the group to make it to state as a Pee­wee. He is undecided on his path after high school. His advice to younger students is, “Enjoy it while it lasts!”

#12 Jacob Carpenter, Defense­men, was just 4 years old when he put on his hockey skates. He fond­ly remembers making it to state as a Peewee. He has signed up with UW-Stout to play football and will be studying construction manage­ment.

#14 Albin Lindner, Forward, started playing hockey in 2014 for Farjestad BK. He expressed his en­thusiasm for coming to the United States and playing hockey. He will be heading back to Sweden after this year for two more years of schooling.

#15 Ayden Althaus, Forward, re­ports he started skating at 2 years old. His favorite memory involved knocking Two Harbors out of re­gions as a Squirt. He will be going to St. Cloud State next fall to ma­jor in Exercise Science to become a Physical Therapist.

#16 Cade Peterson, Forward, started hockey at 6 years old. He reflected on memories of playing against and beating his friends the year there were separate hockey teams in Two Harbors. He plans on pursuing a degree to help him along the path to becoming a dentist.

#17 Cam Peterson, Defensem­en, was only 5 years old when he started to play hockey. He enjoyed all the overnight tournaments in his youth hockey days. He is planning on going to school for Criminal Justice. He encourages younger classmates to “Work hard and keep your grades up!”

#19 Cooper Anderson, Forward, was in 3rd grade when he started playing hockey. As he explores op­tions for his path after high school, he had some pretty good advice for the younger students. “Remember that your actions not only represent the team, but the community as well. Take pride in and be passion­ate about the things you do, attack everyday with a purpose. Remem­ber it is a privilege to play the game of hockey.”

#20 Hunter Tikkanen, Defense­men, joined the Mites when he first started to play hockey. He was part of the undefeated Peewee team, as well, and is going into trade school after graduation. He advises his un­derclassmen to “Keep your head up.”

#22 Avery Thompson, Defense­men, began his hockey career in 3rd grade. He fondly remembers going to state when he was in Peewees. He is headed to Idaho after gradu­ation for a 3-month training to be­come a lineman.

#23 Reese Radke, Defensemen, started playing hockey at 6 years old. He stated his favorite memory was going to regionals in Bantams. Radke plans to attend Central Lakes College in Staples, MN to become a heavy equipment operator.

Losing a group this large will put pressure on the team next year. Five juniors will have some big skates to fill, but the good news is—they’re ready. With a strong group of younger players rising through the ranks, the Storm’s future remains bright.

The team wrapped up the regu­lar season on February 11 with a tough loss to International Falls, a team they had beaten earlier in the season at home. The Storm finished with a 10-15-1 record.

As the No. 6 seed in the Class 1A, Section 7 quarterfinals, the Storm faced No. 3 seed Hibbing/Chisholm on February 18 at Hibbing Memo­rial Arena. It was the teams’ first matchup of the season, with Hib­bing/Chisholm finishing their reg­ular season at 16-9. Results of the playoff game will be reported in a later publication.

Congratulations to all the seniors and thank you for your contribu­tions to your team! Best of luck in your future endeavors!