Holidays might bring a brief pause, but hockey families don’t stay out of the rink for long. While the North Shore Storm boys competed in the Bill McGann Holiday Classic Tournament in Proctor right after Christmas, the girls hit the road early on December 26 to join the action at the Super Rink Winter Classic Gold Division Tournament in Blaine.
Heading into the tournament, the Storm held a 9-1-1 record, remaining undefeated in their last nine games. They faced a tough opponent in Minnesota River, who had a strong 10-1-1 season record.
With an impressive 41-7 advantage in shots on goal, the Storm secured a 2-0 shutout. Head Coach Mike Hoff praised the team’s effort, calling it a ‘dominating performance.’
The first goal of the game came from senior Nina Thorson, with assists from junior Sydney Erickson and sophomore Berkley Hoff.
The Storm’s second goal didn’t come until the third period, when B. Hoff delivered a shorthanded goal. Thorson and junior Sarah Stauber contributed assists, sealing the 2-0 shutout victory. Thorson, Stauber, and B. Hoff are among the team’s top scorers, consistently driving the Storm’s success.
“They compliment each other really well out on the ice,” said their coach. “They move the puck and are unselfish hockey players. They come to the rink every day and work hard and enjoy the game.”
On Friday, December 27, the Storm faced off against Mounds View/Irondale. Despite their modest record, the AA program from the northern Twin Cities came with a reputation for being stronger than their stats suggested, as noted by North Shore’s coach.
“They haven’t won a lot of games but were in a lot of close games. They were a good hockey team,” he said. “They outshot us by a few, but it was a good hockey game. It was up and down and a good pace to the game.”
Despite being outshot, the Storm delivered where it mattered most. Thorson opened the scoring midway through the first period, assisted by Stauber and Erickson. Just minutes later, junior Natalie Walker found the back of the net, with sophomores Reagon Hogenson and Guilia McGiffert providing the assists.
McGiffert had an outstanding game, adding a goal just before the three-minute mark of the second period and another in the third. Sophomore Reese Costley assisted on McGiffert’s first goal, while Thorson set up her second.
The Marauders managed to sneak one goal past senior goalie Alexa Harrison, who stopped 18 shots during the game. Meanwhile, the Storm fired 14 shots at Mounds View/Irondale, securing a 4-1 victory.
Harrison remained in net for all three tournament games, and, spoiler alert, that lone goal was the only one to get past her. “She played a real solid weekend,” said Head Coach Mike Hoff.
The championship game against Northern Tier was not only a shutout but also a standout performance for Thorson, who earned a hat trick, including a short-handed goal. She also assisted on one of B. Hoff’s two goals, with B. Hoff returning the favor by adding two assists of her own. Costley contributed two assists, and ninth-grader Hallie Komarek also assisted on two goals.
The team secured the championship and took home the gold with a dominant 5-0 shutout at Tria Arena, the practice rink of the Minnesota Wild, bringing their record to 12-1-1.
The junior varsity team also had an exciting weekend at the tournament, although their first game was a bit of a disappointment when a goal scored right after regulation ended didn’t count.
“It was a real good back-and-forth hockey game,’ said Coach Mike Hoff. ‘We just came up on the short end of the stick.”
Undeterred, the team bounced back in their next game against Pine City, pushing it to a shootout before advancing to the consolation championship against Northern Tier.
“They were down 2-0 going into the third period,” said Hoff. “They scored three goals in the third to win in regulation. They never gave up.”
Looking ahead, Hoff noted that January will be a busy month for the Storm with eleven games on the schedule. “It’s kind of the final push to get the little things done and be playing good hockey come playoffs,” he said.
Congratulations to both the varsity and junior varsity North Shore Storm girls’ hockey teams for their strong performances at the tournament!
