We are in the thick of playoff season and this week we will take a look at the Section 8A Boys Hockey tournament, Section 8A and 8AA girls basketball seeds with the tournament bracket announced Friday (Section 8A) and Saturday (Section 8AA). We also look at the Section 8A Wrestling Individual tournament, UMC Basketball opponent possibilities, some jokes and how former Pirates are doing.
If you ever have any sports feever worthy news, email it to me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com.
Enjoy this weeks column and good luck to all teams in tournament play.
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Next week’s column was supposed to be finished in the Nations Capitol, but it will be finished at a location to be determined. I was supposed to be in Washington D.C. next week (Monday – Wednesday night) as part of my role as a Minnesota Broadcasters Association board member. The MBA board and president are supposed to go as part of the National Broadcasters Association State Leadership meetings and lobbying efforts for radio and TV. We had a private dinner with Lindsey Graham (a good friend of radio and TV) on Tuesday at Union Station followed by a dinner and social with all kinds of politicians and radio and TV executives. This year I cannot make the trip because the playoffs seem to be a week earlier this year. UMC has a playoff game on Wednesday more than likely Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but we really don’t know yet and chances are they won’t play in the same location so Leo and I will have to make the treck at least four hours away on a Wednesday, broadcast a game and get back around 2 or 3 am from wherever we end up going. There is also a Section 8A play-in game on Tuesday that we will cover and Pirate Basketball takes on Breckenridge so it is busier than it was last year. That is one of the bad things about the job is the lack of “freedom” or flexibility during the school year. In November, my wife and I were looking for the first time I had a weekend off and we could maybe go somewhere. The first weekend I will have free (from broadcasting a game) will be the last weekend of March…..five months later. It is part of the job, but it will make our long weekend trip more enjoyable. What is also enjoyable is the fact that it is playoff time. No matter how run down I get by the end of the winter sports season, playoffs are what I live for. I love broadcasting the games and being a part of the excitement, celebration of the wins and the agony of defeat. One thing I always like to pass along to the athletes this time of year….play hard, leave it all out on the ice, floor or mat and you will never have any regret. Play hard, enjoy the thrill of the playoffs and good luck!
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The Section 8A Boys Hockey tournament kicked off the play-in games on Tuesday with Red Lake Falls beating Park Rapids 3-2 in double overtime and Kittson County Central beating Fosston-Bagley 7-2.
Thursday – February 21 (Section 8A Quarter-Finals)
7:00 PM #9 Red Lake Falls at #1 East Grand Forks
7:00 PM #5 Detroit Lakes at #4 Crookston on KROX
7:00 PM #7 Kittson County Central at #2 Thief River Falls
7:00 PM #6 Lake of the Woods at #3 Warroad
East Grand Forks will beat Red Lake Falls, Crookston will beat Detroit Lakes 4-3 (possibly OT), Thief River Falls will beat KCC 4-1 and Warroad will beat Lake of the Woods 5-1.
Saturday – February 23 (Section 8A Semi-Finals at East Grand Forks)
I am guessing East Grand Forks will beat Crookston 3-1 (although I am hoping the Pirates can play like they are capable and knock off the Wave), and Warroad will beat Thief River Falls 4-2.
Thursday – February 28 (Section 8A Championship at East Grand Forks)
In the championship – I am picking Warroad to beat East Grand Forks 3-2.
Again all my predictions are subject to change and for entertainment purposes only.
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It is that time of year where we talk tiebreakers and seeding time with the www.minnesota-scores.net QRF. The tiebreaker information is below –
- The first tiebreaker is Head to Head Competition
- Ranking based on either Conference/Sub-District (C/D) winning percentage OR C/D point total based on the by-laws of the C/D* teams must be in the same C/D
- Overall winning percentage
- Section winning percentage (if at least 25% of the team’s competitions are against section opponents – if not met, #4 is skipped)
- Football – 2
- Lacrosse – 3
- Soccer – 4
- Baseball/Softball – 5
- Basketball/Hockey/Volleyball – 6
- QRF points
- Coin Flip
The Girls Basketball Tiebreaker margin looks like this as of February 17 –
Class A –
Current margin – 4.4
Projected margin – 4.6
Class AA –
Current margin – 5.9
Projected margin – 6.6
The Boys Basketball tiebreaker margin looks like this as of February 17 –
Class A –
Current margin – 4.3
Projected margin – 4.6
Class AA –
Current margin – 5.9
Projected margin – 6.6
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The Section 8AA Girls Basketball seeding will be released on Saturday and it looks like most of the seeds are decided except for a few spots and that will come down to the games on Thursday and Friday.
NORTH SUB-SECTION-
| Team (QRF) | Section | Overall |
| 1. Roseau (144.8) | 11-0 | 23-2 |
| 2. East Grand Forks (115.7) | 9-3 | 17-7 |
| 3. Hawley (99.2) | 9-5 | 14-7 |
| 4. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (97.5) | 11-4 | 15-9 |
| 5. Crookston (96.2) | 8-6 | 15-10 |
| 6. Thief River Falls (60.5) | 2-9 | 4-17 |
| 7. Warroad (30.6) | 1-6 | 2-23 |
| 8. Bagley (29.3) | 1-7 | 2-24 |
Roseau will be the top team and East Grand Forks will be #2 and there is no question on those seeds. It seems like there are a couple spots where three teams are competing for a seed and I asked minnesota-scores’ Ryan Weinzierl about the three-way tie. He said there is no three-way tie. The tie-breaker goes to the top two teams and whoever loses the tiebreaker would go into the tie-breaker with the next team. With that said, the third, fourth and fifth seed becomes even more interesting. As it stands on Wednesday, Hawley is third, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton is fourth and Crookston is fifth.
As it stands right now (Wednesday), Hawley and DGF go for the first tie-breaker and Hawley won head to head. DGF and Crookston have the next tie-breaker and DGF has a better section and overall record. So it would go Hawley, DGF and Crookston in the seeding.
Here is what will happen. I am guessing all three teams will win their final games on Friday. Hawley or Crookston will be the third seed. If Crookston jumps above DGF in the QRF points, the Pirates have the tiebreaker with Hawley with Crookston beating Hawley in the lone game they played.
Hawley plays at Barnesville on Friday
DGF hosts Frazee on Friday
Crookston hosts Breckenridge on Friday.
On Mondays QRF –
Hawley had 93.7 and jumped to 99.2 on Wednesday – increase of 5.5 points
DGF had 91.8 and jumped to 97.5 on Wednesday – increase of 5.7 points
Crookston had 89.4 and jumped to 96.2 on Wednesday – increase of 6.8 points
Crookston beat an undefeated and #7 ranked QRF team in Class A and only scored a few points higher than DGF who beat a 9-16 Barnesville team and Hawley beat a 13-10 Breckenridge team, but they all improved about the same amount. Again I can’t figure out the QRF, but know Crookston playing Warroad and Bagley really hurt them.
The sixth seed is solidified with Thief River Falls and Warroad will be the seventh seed and Bagley will be the eighth seed.
SOUTH SUB-SECTION
| Team (QRF) | Section | Overall |
| 1. Park Rapids (101.5) | 9-1 | 13-8 |
| 2. Perham (86.4) | 10-7 | 12-13 |
| 3. Breckenridge (83.8) | 6-5 | 13-10 |
| 4. Barnesville (68.2) | 6-10 | 9-16 |
| 5. Wadena-Deer Creek (48.9) | 3-5 | 7-18 |
| 6. Staples-Motley (47.7) | 4-6 | 6-16 |
| 7. Long Prairie-GE (36.3) | 0-3 | 3-17 |
| 8. Frazee (33.8) | 0-13 | 1-22 |
In the South Sub-section, it is a little more clear. Park Rapids is the top seed and it looks like Breckenridge will likely be the second seed. If both Perham and Breckenridge win or if both teams lose on Friday, Breckenridge will be the second seed. If Perham wins and Breckenridge loses, Perham could be the second seed if they are over 6.6 point tie-breaker margin.
Barnesville will be the fourth seed and Staples-Motley looks like they will be the fifth seed because they beat Wadena-Deer Creek in the first game of the year and have the tie-breaker between the two teams. The sixth seed will be Wadena-Deer Creek and the winner of Thursday’s game between Long Prairie-Grey Eagle and Frazee will be the seventh seed and the loser is the eighth seed.
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The Section 8A Girls Basketball seeds will be released on Friday and most of the seeds are solidified going into the final regular season game of the year.
WEST SUB-SECTION
| Team (QRF) | Section | Overall |
| 1. Stephen-Argyle (123.9) | 18-0 | 23-1 |
| 2. Warren-A-O (87.5) | 13-6 | 16-7 |
| 3. Badger-G-MR (78.8) | 10-6 | 13-12 |
| 4. Sacred Heart (78.5) | 13-5 | 13-11 |
| 5. Kittson Co. Central (76.5) | 10-6 | 15-9 |
| 6. Red Lake Falls (73.4) | 11-8 | 14-10 |
| 7. Red Lake Co. Central (65.1) | 10-12 | 13-13 |
| 8. Northern Freeze (63.1) | 8-12 | 10-14 |
| 9. Fertile-Beltrami (54.3) | 5-11 | 9-14 |
| 10. Climax-Fisher (33.1) | 2-13 | 4-20 |
Stephen-Argyle will be the top seed and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo will be the second seed. Things get interesting for third through sixth seeds. BGMR seems to have the third seed wrapped up with a win over Sacred Heart in their only meeting of the year.
The fourth seed would be Sacred Heart because they have the tie-breaker over KCC with a win in their only meeting. The fifth seed would go to KCC because they beat Red Lake Falls in their only meeting and Red Lake Falls would be the sixth seed.
The seventh seed would go to Northern Freeze as they beat Red Lake County Central in the only meeting between the two schools. Fertile-Beltrami would be nine and Climax-Fisher at the 10th spot.
EAST SUB-SECTION
| Team (QRF) | Section | Overall |
| 1. Red Lake (97.5) | 11-1 | 17-5 |
| 2. Fosston (83.7) | 12-3 | 16-7 |
| 3. Cass Lake-Bena (74.4) | 9-5 | 16-9 |
| 4. Lake of the Woods (62.8) | 7-7 | 15-10 |
| 5. Kelliher/Northome (60.1) | 4-8 | 14-11 |
| 6. Win-E-Mac (52.9) | 5-8 | 8-14 |
| 7. Clearbrook-Gonvick (50.1) | 3-20 | 5-20 |
| 8. Goodridge/Grygla (39.1) | 3-20 | 5-20 |
| 9. Blackduck (38.1) | 0-13 | 7-18 |
Red Lake will be the top seed, Fosston will be second and Cass Lake-Bena will be the third seed. The fourth seed is between Lake of the Woods and Kelliher/Northome and the two teams split during the regular season and Lake of the Woods has a better overall record so it looks like they will be the fourth seed. Kelliher-Northome will be fifth and Win-E-Mac will be sixth because the Patriots beat Clearbrook-Gonvick by one point in their only meeting. The eighth seed looks liked it will be Goodridge-Grygla because they have a better record than Blackduck and they didn’t meet during the regular season.
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2019 MSHSL SECTION 8A INDIVIDUAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Crookston High School will host the Section 8A Individual wrestling tournament on Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23.
Friday, February 22
1:00 PM Scales available
1:30 PM Weigh-Ins and Skin Checks (CHS wrestling room and training room. Only coaches, wrestlers and meet personnel are allowed in the weigh-in area)
2:15 PM Seeding Meeting
2:30 PM Doors open for fans
3:30 PM Parade of Teams
4:00 PM Wrestling begins
1st round (pigtail matches)
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Saturday, February 23rd at Crookston High School
8:00 AM Weigh-Ins and Skin Checks (only coaches, wrestlers and meet personnel allowed)
8:30 AM Coaches Association Meeting Room A 173
9:00 AM Doors open for fans
10:00 AM Wrestlebacks
11:30 AM Semi-finals wrestlebacks
12:45 PM Cheer squads
1:00 PM 5th place matches
1:45 PM Section Awards
2:00 PM Parade of Champions
2:15 PM Championship/3rd place
True Second Matches to follow on two mats (weights where 2nd and 3rd place wrestlers have not wrestled)
Awards will be presented after the 145lb championship match (excluding weights where there is a true second match), and again after the 285lb match.
Officials: Bruce Murphy (Head), Paul Beech, Tim Curran & Corey Herlickson
Admission (each day): Adults $8.00, Students (K-12) $5.00
Taking a look at the state ranked wrestlers that will be competing in the Section 8A Individual wrestling tournament.
106 pounds – 2. Ethan Hendrickson, United North Central 9
113 pounds – 2. Zach Brown, Crookston 10
120 pounds – Nobody from Section 8A is ranked
126 pounds – Nobody from Section 8A is ranked
132 pounds -Nobody from Section 8A is ranked
138 pounds – Nobody from Section 8A is ranked
145 pounds – 3. Owen Novacek, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 12
152 pounds –
1. Chandler Mooney, Roseau 12
9. Lukas Meier, Crookston 12
160 pounds – 8. Ben Olson, Roseau 10
170 pounds – 7. Brett Graham, Frazee 11
182 pounds – 7. Gabe Drewes, Frazee 12
195 pounds – 8. Coleton Borah, Frazee 11
220 pounds
1. Dominik Vacura, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 10
2. Luke Tweeton, Frazee 11
285 pounds
3. Tony Malikowski, Frazee 12
8. Zach Evans, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 11
9. Jared Seibert, United North Central 12
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It has been a disappointing conference season for the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Men’s basketball team. They came into the season with high hopes of having a chance to get a home playoff game in the first round and that hasn’t panned out because of their continued struggles on the road. UMC has some big-time wins this year with wins over St. Cloud State, Minnesota State Mankato (the first one in program history) and Minnesota Duluth. All three wins were at home. They don’t have a big win on the road and they will be on road in the first round of the playoffs.
BUT, they have won the most conference games and regular season games in the UMC Division II era, Harrison Cleary keeps breaking records at UMC and the NSIC and he still has a year left. The men have the talent to make a run in the playoffs, but they also have shown they could lose in the first round of the playoffs. UMC needs to play well this weekend. They don’t necessarily have to win, but I think they need to know they played well against two good teams on the road to get them ready for next week. You have to win with seniors and UMC has a solid crew of seniors that need to play there best games of the career next week. The Golden Eagles are 0-9 in conference games on the road this year.
Who will UMC play? I honestly have tried for hours to figure it out where they could be going and here is what I have come with –
They have about a 90 percent chance of playing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota against the University of Sioux Falls (where UMC lost in the first round last year) or Augustana (where UMC lost in the first round a couple of years ago). The 10 percent is going to Mankato or Wayne, Nebraska.
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The first edition of the NCAA Division II men’s basketball regional rankings were released and the NSIC had four of the top ten teams in the central region. Northern State was ranked third, followed by St. Cloud State in fourth. Minnesota State is seventh while Wayne State is ninth, in the first of three rankings.
The NSIC, the Great American Conference (GAC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) make up the 42-team NCAA Central Region again this year. The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on March 16-17, 19. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC, GAC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots being awarded on an at-large basis.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Show is set to air on NCAA.com at 9:30 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, March 10. The NCAA Elite 8 will take place on March 27-28, 30 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
| School | Overall D2 | In Region |
| 1. Northwest Missouri State (MIAA) | 22-0 | 21-0 |
| 2. Washburn (MIAA) | 17-5 | 16-5 |
| 3. Northern State (NSIC) | 20-6 | 16-7 |
| 4. St. Cloud State (NSIC) | 18-7 | 16-7 |
| 5. Missouri Southern State (MIAA) | 18-5 | 17-5 |
| 6. Southern Nazarene (GAC) | 22-4 | 21-4 |
| 7. Minnesota State (NSIC) | 16-9 | 15-8 |
| 8. Lincoln (MIAA) | 14-8 | 14-8 |
| 9. Wayne State (NSIC) | 15-8 | 15-8 |
| 10. Southern Arkansas (GAC) | 16-6 | 16-6 |
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The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Women’s Basketball team has had a tough season and like coach Mike Roysland said on the UMC Basketball Show on KROX Wednesday evening, it has been disappointing as far as wins and losses. The women have been in a lot of games, but they haven’t been able to win the games. Injuries have taken a toll on the Golden Eagles all season long and it wasn’t a good sign when Mary Burke (Fresh. Mountain Iron-Buhl) had to miss most of the year after a back injury and they will be missing three more players this weekend and into the playoffs. With that said, UMC didn’t make it to the Pentagon (second round of the playoffs) for the first time in three years last year and they are hungry to get back. They have to find a way to shoot better as a team and finish the game strong to make a return trip to the Pentagon.
Who will UMC play? They have a 75 percent chance of playing at the University of Sioux Falls and a 25 percent chance of playing at Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State or Augustana.
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The first edition of the NCAA Division II women’s basketball regional rankings were released and the NSIC has three of the top ten teams in the central region. MSU Moorhead ranks fourth followed by Minnesota Duluth in fifth and Concordia-St. Paul in seventh in the first of three rankings.
The NSIC, the Great American Conference (GAC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) make up the 42-team NCAA Central Region again this year. The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on March 15-16, 18. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC, GAC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots being awarded on an at-large basis.
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Show is set to air on NCAA.com at 9 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, March 10. The NCAA Elite 8 will take place on March 26-27, 29 at the Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio.
| School (Conf) | Overall | Region |
| 1. Fort Hays State (MIAA) | 20-1 | 20-1 |
| 2. Southwestern Oklahoma State (GAC) | 23-1 | 23-1 |
| 3. Central Missouri (MIAA) | 18-5 | 16-4 |
| 4. MSU Moorhead (NSIC) | 21-5 | 19-5 |
| 5. Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) | 17-6 | 17-6 |
| 6. Emporia State (MIAA) | 19-5 | 17-5 |
| 7. Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) | 17-6 | 17-6 |
| 8. Pittsburg State (MIAA) | 16-5 | 15-5 |
| 9. Lindenwood (MIAA) | 17-5 | 17-5 |
| 10. Washburn (MIAA) | 16-7 | 14-7 |
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Crookston will also host the Region 12U Girls Hockey tournament this weekend at the Crookston Sports Center. Roseau beat Crookston 3-1 in the District championship and Warroad finished third place in the district and all three teams advance to the region tournament. The tournament will start March 1 at 2:00 PM and run through Sunday, March 3.
| FRIDAY, MARCH 1 Game – Time |
Away team | Home Team |
| 1 – 2:00 PM | Brainerd-Little Falls | Roseau |
| 2 – 4:00 PM | Warroad | Duluth |
| 3 – 6:00 PM | Crookston | Moorhead |
| 4 – 8:00 PM | Alexandria | Grand Rapids |
| SATURDAY, MARCH 2 | Away Team | Home Team |
| 8 – 8:00 AM | Loser game 2 | Loser game 1 |
| 6 – 10:00 AM | Winner game 4 | Winner game 3 |
| 5 – Noon | Winner game 2 | Winner game 1 |
| 9 – 2:00 PM | Loser game 4 | Loser game 3 |
| 10 – 6:00 PM | Winner game 8 | Loser game 6 |
| 11 – 8:00 PM | Winner game 9 | Loser game 5 |
| SUNDAY, MARCH 3 Game – Time |
Away Team | Home Team |
| 7 – 9:00 AM | Winner game 6 | Winner game 5 |
| 12 – 11:00 AM | Winner game 11 | Winner game 10 |
| CHAMPIONSHIP 13 – 4:00 PM |
Winner game 12 | Loser game 7 |
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Kacie Borowicz of Roseau broke the all-time Roseau Ram Girls Basketball scoring record of 3,300 points, which was set by Megan Taylor in 1997 on free throws.
Kacie also owns the Minnesota state record for top free throw performance by an individual in a season at 93.4%.
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Two Mahnomen-Waubun Thunderbirds, Makena Spaeth, and Buster Walker scored their 1000th point last week on the same day in a doubleheader against Lake Park-Audubon. The girls won 69–61 and the boys won 68-65.
Josh Jeziorski of Perham scored the 1000th point of his career last week. The senior will play at Bemidji State next year.
Jayden Carlisle of Hawley scored his 1,000th career point on a three-pointer last week.
Katlyn Brenna of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton scored her 1000th point of her career last week.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team officially announced their 2019 captains. UMC will be led by seniors Reed Hjelle (Sr., 1B, East Grand Forks) and Louis Gerzin (Sr., RHP, Ely), along with juniors Bryce Jorgenson (Jr., UT, Thunder Bay, Ontario) and Clarke Peterson (Jr., C, East Grand Forks).
The Golden Eagles are entering their second series of the season as they head to Joplin, Mo., to face Dakota Wesleyan University Friday, February 22 at 12 and 3 p.m., and Saturday, February 23 at 12 p.m.
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The annual Minnesota State High School League girls’ hockey state tournament is scheduled for Feb. 20-23 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul with the consolation rounds being played at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center a few blocks away. This is the 25th state tournament since the MSHSL became the first state association in the nation to sponsor girls’ hockey. Here is a look at the tournament:
FAST FACTS
The schedule:
Class A
Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Xcel Energy Center
Fergus Falls (21-6-0) vs. No. 2 Breck School (19-8-0), 11 a.m.
Mankato East/Loyola (18-7-2) vs. vs. No. 3 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian (22-0-5), 1 p.m.
St. Paul United (12-13-2) vs. No. 1 Warroad (26-0-1), 6 p.m.
No. 5 Rochester Lourdes/Dover-Eyota (15-9-1) vs. No. 4 Proctor/Hermantown (18-7-3), 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 21 at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center
Consolation semifinals, 10 a.m., noon
Friday, Feb. 22 at Xcel Energy Center
Championship semifinals, 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 23
At TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center
Consolation final, 9:30 a.m.
At Xcel Energy Center
Third place, 9 a.m.
Championship, 4 p.m.
Class AA
Thursday, Feb. 21 at Xcel Energy Center
Farmington (15-11-2) vs. No. 2 Andover (23-4-0), 11 a.m.
White Bear Lake Area (13-12-3) vs. No. 3 Brainerd (23-4-1), 1 p.m.
East Ridge (19-8-1) vs. No. 1 Edina (24-4-0), 6 p.m.
No. 5 Minnetonka (14-13-1) vs. No. 4 Maple Grove (19-7-1), 8 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 22
At TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center
Consolation semifinals, 10 a.m., noon
At Xcel Energy Center
Championship semifinals, 6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 23
At TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center
Consolation final, 11:30 a.m.
At Xcel Energy Center
Third place, 11 a.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
Tickets: Championship session — $19 adults, $12 students; Consolation session — $14 adults, $9 students.
Official puck: Bauer
Detailed season statistics: Provided by qualifying teams are available on the League website — www.mshsl.org — as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Girls’ Hockey.
Gates open: The Xcel Energy Center and TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center will open their gates to fans one hour prior to the first scheduled game of the day.
Celebrating 25 years: Throughout the tournament, there will be video tributes to the 25-year history of girls’ hockey. Prior to the Class AA championship game, the best six players of all-time and the top coach will be recognized in an on-ice ceremony.
Tournament Preview
Class A
Fergus Falls (21-6-0) vs. No. 2 Breck School (19-8-0) — Fergus Falls, the Section 6 champion, is making its second state tournament appearance and first since 2009. The Otters are 10-1-0 in their past 11 games. The lone loss was a 3-2 setback to Brainerd, an entrant in the Class AA tournament. Breck School is the defending Class A champion. The Mustangs, making their seventh state tournament appearance, were the Class A champion in 2012 and runner-up in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 27 games, junior forward Olivia Mobley has a team-best 28 goals and 31 assists.
Mankato East/Loyola (18-7-2) vs. No. 3 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian (22-0-5) — Mankato East/Loyola, the Section 3 champion, is making its second trip as this co-op. The other was in 2017. In 1999, Mankato East was in a co-op with Mankato West that resulted in a state tournament trip. Two of the Cougars’ past three victories were wins over Mankato West, including a 4-3 win in the section final. Senior forward Madison Davis has 35 goals and 12 assists to lead the Cougars. Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian is making its second state tournament appearance as the co-op following a trip in 2017. The White Hawks also qualified in 2013. Senior goalie Taylor Smith has allowed just 28 goals this season. Senior wing Lauren Burris has 24 goals and 21 assists.
St. Paul United (12-13-2) vs. No. 1 Warroad (26-0-1) — St. Paul United, the Section 4 champion, is a co-op of St. Paul Academy and Summit School and Visitation. This is United’s fifth state tournament appearance. In 2016 and 2017, St. Paul United was the Class A runner-up. Last season, United won the consolation final. Warroad is making its 10th state tournament appearance since 2006. In that span, the Warriors were Class A champs in 2010 and 2011, and also had four runner-up finishes. The Warriors have posted 15 shutouts this season.
No. 5 Rochester Lourdes/Dover-Eyota (15-9-1) vs. No. 4 Proctor/Hermantown (18-7-3) — Rochester Lourdes, the Section 1 champion, is making its first state tournament trip as this co-op. In two other previous appearances in 2005 and 2006, the Eagles were a co-op with Rochester Mayo. Proctor/Hermantown is making its fourth state tournament trip. In 2018, the Mirage placed fourth in the eight-team field. The Mirage are 9-1-1 in their past 11 games. The lone loss in that span was a 3-1 setback to Blaine of Class AA. Sophomore forward Alyssa Watkins has a team-best 21 goals and senior forward Kaitlyn Fawcett has 27 assists.
Class AA
Farmington (15-11-2) vs. No. 2 Andover (23-4-0) — Farmington, the Section 1 champion, is making its sixth state tournament appearance and first since 2017. The Tigers were the Class A runner-up in 2007. Freshman forward Claire Enright powers the Tigers with 28 goals and 24 assists. Andover won the consolation final in 2018 with a 5-4 victory over Lakeville South in three overtimes. Andover also had to work overtime in this season’s section semifinals, needing four extra sessions to post a 4-3 victory over Elk River/Zimmerman in the semifinals. Andover is making its fourth state tournament appearance. Sophomore forward Peyton Hemp has 31 goals and 27 assists, and junior forward Jamie Nelson has 18 goals and 37 assists.
White Bear Lake Area (13-12-3) vs. No. 3 Brainerd (23-4-1) — Brainerd, making its second state tournament appearance, lost in overtime to Andover in the consolation semifinals during the 2018 event. The Warriors are 14-0-2 since the holiday break. White Bear Lake Area is making its first state tournament appearance since finishing as the Class AA runner-up in 2002 in its only other trip. To snap the drought, the Bears dethroned Hill-Murray with a 2-0 victory in the Section 4AA final. Hill-Murray had won the section crown for six consecutive seasons.
East Ridge (19-8-1) vs. No. 1 Edina (24-4-0) — East Ridge, one of three District 833 high schools, is located in Woodbury. The Raptors are making their first state tournament appearance following a 2-0 victory over Eagan in the Section 3 final. That pushed their current winning streak to six consecutive games. Edina is the two-time defending big-school champion and trying to match the feat of three consecutive championships by Minnetonka from 2011-13. Edina, ranked No. 2 in Class AA, was awarded the top seed by participating coaches following its 3-2 victory over No. 1 Blake in the section final. Senior forward CC Bowlby has a team-best 50 points on 25 goals and 25 assists.
No. 5 Minnetonka (14-13-1) vs. No. 4 Maple Grove (19-7-1) — This is a rematch of a regular-season game won by Maple Grove, 3-2, in overtime on Nov. 29. Minnetonka is making its fifth state tournament appearance. In addition to the three consecutive crowns from 2011-13, the Skippers were the Class AA runner-up in 2015. The Skippers lost four consecutive games to end the regular season, including a 2-0 setback to Lake Conference foe Eden Prairie. But Minnetonka has won three in a row, including a victory over Eden Prairie in the section final. Maple Grove was the Class AA runner-up in its only other state tournament appearance. Senior forward Mannon McMahon powers the Crimson with 23 goals and 25 assists.
2018 State Tournament Recap
Class A
Championship — Breck School 3, Warroad 2, OT
Third place — Alexandria Area 1, Proctor/Hermantown 0
Consolation final — St. Paul United 3, Red Wing 2, OT
Championship semifinals —
Breck School 6, Proctor/Hermantown 0
Warroad 7, Alexandria Area 1
Consolation semifinals —
Red Wing 7, Marshall 0
St. Paul United 5, New Ulm 2
Quarterfinals
Breck School 9, Marshall 2
Proctor/Hermantown 3, Red Wing 1
Warroad 5, New Ulm 0
Alexandria Area 3, St. Paul United 2
Class AA
Championship — Edina 2, Centennial 1
Third place — Eagan 3, Eden Prairie 0
Consolation final — Andover 5, Lakeville South 4, 3OT
Championship semifinals —
Centennial 6, Eagan 1
Edina 4, Eden Prairie 2
Consolation semifinals —
Lakeville South 4, Hill-Murray 1
Andover 4, Brainerd 3, OT
Quarterfinals —
Centennial 2, Lakeville South 0
Eagan 2, Hill-Murray 1
Edina 4, Brainerd 0
Eden Prairie 2, Andover 0
— — —
JOKES
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, ‘Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub.’
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn’t find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, ‘ Do these turkeys get any bigger?’
The stock boy replied, ‘No ma’am, they’re dead ……’
The police officer got out of his car as the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. ‘I’ve been waiting for you all day,’ the officer said.
The kid replied, Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could.’
When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.
A truck driver was driving along on the freeway and noticed a sign that read: Low Bridge Ahead. Before he knows it, the bridge is right in front of him and his truck gets wedged under it. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, ‘Got stuck, huh?’ The truck driver says, ‘No, I was delivering this bridge and I ran out of gas.’
A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow’s final exam. ‘Now class, I won’t tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your family, but that’s it, no other excuses whatsoever!’
A smart ass student in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, ‘What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?’ The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence was restored, the teacher smiled knowingly at the student, shook her head and sweetly said, ‘Well, I guess you’d have to write the exam with your other hand.’
— — —
How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Paul Bittner, is playing for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Bluejacket. Paul didn’t score but he had five shots on goal in a 2-1 victory over Belleville on Friday. Paul didn’t score, but he had four shots on goal in a 4-2 loss to Belleville. He had an assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to Utica on Monday. Paul scored a goal in 4-2 loss to Rochester on Wednesday night. Cleveland will host the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday and Sunday.
Haley Roed, a Junior swimming at Minnesota State Moorhead. Haley was on the ninth-place 200 freestyle relay, she was on the ninth-place 400 freestyle relay team with Kate MacGregor, 17th in the 100 freestyle, finished 24th in the 100 Butterfly at the NSIC Championships. The Dragons season came to an end on Saturday.
Kate MacGregor, a Freshman swimming at Minnesota State Moorhead. Kate was on the ninth place 400 freestyle relay team with Haley Roed, the ninth place 200 Medley Relay team, 23rd in the 100 backstroke, 25th in the 100 IM, 25th in the 200 backstroke. The Dragons came to an end on Saturday.
Ryan Bittner, is a Senior playing hockey for the #1 ranked University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The Pointers will take on UW-River Falls in the semi-finals of the WIAC Conference tournament on Friday and Saturday.
Brady Heppner, is a Junior playing hockey at St. Johns University in Collegeville. St. Johns will host St. Thomas in the MIAC Conference tournament semi-finals on Saturday.
Aaron Hollcraft, is a Senior playing basketball and baseball for the UMC Golden Eagles. Aaron didn’t play, because of an injury, in a loss to Minot State and a win over the U of Mary this weekend. UMC travels to Duluth and St. Cloud State this weekend to wrap up the regular season. He will join the baseball team when Basketball season is over.
Colton Weiland, is a freshman wrestling for #1 ranked St. Cloud State. Colton is listed at 149 pounds. Colton was injured and had surgery and will miss the season.
Bailey Folkers, is a freshman on the University of Wisconsin-Superior women’s basketball team. Bailey didn’t play in a 69-62 victory over North Central on Saturday. They will host Northwestern on Thursday in the first round of the UMAC playoffs.
Aleece Durbin, is a freshman on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team. UND will compete in the Summit League Championships on Friday and Saturday.
Brita Fagerlund, is a Sophomore on the University of Jamestown Jimmy Women’s Track team. Brita didn’t compete at the GPAC championships over the weekend. Jamestown will travel to the NAIA Indoor Nationals February 28 – March 2.
Ally Tiedemann, a Freshman playing tennis at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Ally lost her third doubles match 7-5 and won her fifth singles match 6-3, 6-0 in a 5-2 loss to Winona State and she won her fifth singles match 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 and won her third doubles match 6-1 Upper Iowa. UMD will travel to St. Peter to play Gustavus and Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday and Minnesota State Mankato on Sunday.
Bobby Tiedemann, is a Junior on the St. Mary’s University Men’s Tennis team in Winona. Bobby won his first doubles match 8-4 and he won his second singles match 6-0, 6-0 in a 7-2 win over St. Norbert and he won his first doubles match 8-4 and he won his second singles match 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 in a 5-4 victory over Wartburg. St. Mary’s will travel to Bethel on Friday and St. Thomas on Saturday.
Marietta Geist, a Junior on the Carleton College Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Marrietta didn’t run in Parent’s Day Open at the University of Minnesota. Carleton will travel to the MIAC Pentathlon and MIAC Indoor Championships this weekend.
Ben Trostad, a Freshman playing golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston. UMC is off until the spring.
Ethan Magsam, a Freshman playing golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston. UMC is off until the spring.
Elise Tangquist, is a Sophomore golfer for the University of Northwestern in St. Paul. Northwestern is done until the spring.
Isaac Westlake, a Junior playing golf for the Winona State Warriors.
Cade Salentine, is a redshirt Freshman playing football at the University of North Dakota.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Brody Davidson is an Assistant Pirate Football coach.
Tyler Brekken is a Pirate C team football coach and junior high Pirate Softball coach
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach and assistant volleyball coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Shelly Erdmann is the Assistant Girls Soccer coach.
Cody Brekken is the Assistant Pirate Girls Tennis coach, Pirate Boys Tennis coach and Crookston Community Pool Supervisor
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach
Mitch Bakken is the head Pirate Baseball coach.
Justin Johnson is the Pirate Junior Varsity Baseball coach.
Brock Hanson is the Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Jeff Perreault is the Pirate Girls Golf head coach
Wes Hanson is the Pirate Wrestling Head Coach and assistant boys golf coach
Wade Hanson is the 8th grade boys basketball coach
Travis Ross is the 7th grade boys basketball coach
Kevin Weber is a Pirate Boys Basketball volunteer assistant coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Sam Melbye is the Pirate Boys J.V. Hockey coach
Chris Dufault is an Assistant Wrestling Coach
Nate Merten is an Assistant Wrestling Coach
Tori Demarais is the Pirate Girls Hockey assistant coach.
Non Crookston High School –
Josh Edlund, is an assistant football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach in Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is Head Wrestling coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Todd Kreibich, is the Coach and General Manager for the Minnesota Iron Rangers Junior Hockey team our of Hoyt Lakes.
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson, is Head Volleyball coach at Little Falls High School.
Katy Westrom, is Head Girls Tennis Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Monticello High School.
Matt Harris, is a Director of Athletics at the British International School of Houston.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of Wyoming
Mike Hastings is the Minnesota State Mankato Men’s head Hockey coach
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Thief River Falls High School
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football and volleyball and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for the Bison media relations
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College
Chris Myrold is a Tennis Pro on Nevis Island in the West Indies
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Erika Wheelhouse is serving in the Peace Corp in the Philippines.
Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy
Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.
Alan Mart, 2009 Crookston High School graduate, is currently serving his country for the US Army as a Cavalry Scout in Afghanistan.
Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and also a grad of West Point and is currently is serving in the U.S. Army.
Erik Ellingson is serving our country with the U.S. Air Force at Minot.
Philip Kujawa class of 2004 from Crookston Central is stationed at Hohnfels in Germany for the next 2 or 3 years.
Scott Riopelle is head of Crookston Parks and Recreation
Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome
That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com
