SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
— — —
I still have the following University of Minnesota Gopher Men’s and Women’s Basketball tickets to give away. The first ones to email chrisjfee@yahoo.com with the game you want to go to will get them. I have four tickets for each game, and they will be transferred electronically.
WOMENS TICKETS
January 25 vs Wisconsin – 2PM
February 1 vs Purdue – 2PM
February 12 vs Nebraska – 7PM
February 18 vs Ohio State – 7PM
February 22 vs Michigan State – 5PM
— — —
There are a lot of area teams ranked in the latest state basketball, hockey, and wrestling rankings! Check out this weeks rankings by clicking the following link – Minnesota High School Rankings – KROX
— — —
Section 8A Girls Hockey
We are down to the last week or so of the regular season, and the seeding has become a little bit easier to decipher.
1. Warroad is the top team. That is unanimous and obvious.
2. Thief River Falls or EGF (whoever wins the January 27 game will be the second seed. The teams have split their two meetings this season)
3. EGF or TRF
4. Crookston (right now Crookston is fourth and if they beat DL on Saturday they will solidify that)
5. Detroit Lakes (if they beat Crookston on Saturday, they have a valid argument to be the fourth seed)
6. International Falls
— — —
MILESTONES –
Northome/Kelliher’s Kate Thayer recorded the 3,000th point of her career this week.
Fertile-Beltrami Wrestler Greg Ramberg earned his 75th career win last weekend.
Fertile-Beltrami Wrestler Jack Erickson recorded his 75th career win last weekend.
Fertile-Beltrami Wrestler Max Ramberg recorded his 75th career win last weekend.
— — —
Warroad High School alumni are having a pretty good winter this year. First, Brock Nelson becomes a third-generation Olympian, representing the USA in Italy.
Now the Slukynsky brothers, who are playing for Western Michigan, have been named in the first round of 50 finalists for the Hobey Baker award.
Grant Slukynsky has been WMU’s top player so far this season, leading the Brown and Gold in points (24) and assists (19). The Warroad, Minn. native has also been red hot since returning from holiday break, scoring nine points on two goals and seven assists in that stretch.
Hampton Slukynsky has started to find his groove, helping WMU win its last seven games and 11 of its last 12. He holds a 16-6-0 record, 2.37 goals against average and. 909 save percentage so far this season. During his current seven-game winning streak, he holds a 1.28 GAA and a .953 save percentage.
The two leaders to win the Hobey Baker Award, according to College Hockey News, are the Plante brothers (Max and Zam) from Hermantown who play for UM-Duluth.
FYI – UMD has had an NCAA high six Hobey Baker award winners!!!
— — —
Speaking of college hockey…..
Is Michigan the new state of hockey??????
In the Division 1 Men’s Hockey rankings this week, the state of Michigan has the top three teams!!!
1. Michigan (49 first place votes – one shy of unanimous)
2. Michigan State
3. Western Michigan (1 first place vote)
19. Michigan Tech
That is crazy. Minnesota Duluth is the top MN team at #7 and Minnesota State Mankato is the ONLY other team in the final spot at #20. How bad do my Gophers suck this year?????
How is this possible? I am serious. How is it possible? How can they be so bad. It is sad. I thought Bob Motzko was going to be better.
— — —
The Northern Sun Conference Women’s Basketball standings are shaping up with 10 games left in the season. Every game is a big one, especially for UMC after a big win at Wayne State on Wednesday night.
UMC is in a three-way tie for 11th place with a 4-8 conference record. But one of the teams UMC is tied with is Wayne State, and the Golden Eagles have the head-to-head tie-breaker, so they have that going for them. UMC has Bemidji State in the last game of the regular season, and that could possibly be for a trip to the NSIC tournament. Every game is important for the Golden Eagles the rest of the way, especially on Friday when they take on Sioux Falls. UMC is a game behind USF, and a win would put them even with Sioux Falls, and they would also have the head-to-head tie-breaker in the only meeting of the year. The Golden Eagles have seen their freshmen picking up their play, and Anna Westby (Eveleth) has really come into her own, and Riley Jenkins (Jr. Galesburg, IL) has really picked up her game too.
Emma Miller has had a decent season, but she is realizing that when you get named the preseason player of the year, you better be ready to play. She has been hounded all season long by the opponent and she has only shot 26 percent on three-pointers (second worst on the team – 29 of 110). She has only shot 39 percent from the field (seventh best on the team). While not shooting great this year (she still averages 20 points per game), she has become a much better team player this year and leads the team in assists with 65. She leads the team in steals, and is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game which is second on the team.
Rayna Klejeski (Jr. Barnum) has had a solid season while averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds per game.
| SCHOOL | CONF | OVERALL | DIV | DPCT. | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State | 12-0 | 18-0 | 8-0 | 1.000 | W18 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 11-1 | 13-3 | 8-0 | 1.000 | W1 |
| Winona State | 9-3 | 12-6 | 6-2 | .750 | W1 |
| UMary | 8-4 | 15-6 | 6-2 | .750 | L1 |
| Southwest Minnesota State | 8-4 | 10-7 | 5-3 | .625 | W2 |
| Concordia-St. Paul | 7-5 | 11-6 | 4-4 | .500 | W3 |
| MSU Moorhead | 6-6 | 9-7 | 4-4 | .500 | L1 |
| Northern State | 5-7 | 10-8 | 3-5 | .375 | L1 |
| Sioux Falls | 5-7 | 8-10 | 5-3 | .625 | L7 |
| Minot State | 5-7 | 8-11 | 4-4 | .500 | W1 |
| Wayne State College | 4-8 | 9-8 | 1-7 | .125 | W3 |
| Bemidji State | 4-8 | 7-9 | 3-5 | .375 | L2 |
| Minnesota Crookston | 4-8 | 4-13 | 2-6 | .250 | W1 |
| St. Cloud State | 3-9 | 6-11 | 1-7 | .125 | L1 |
| Augustana | 3-9 | 6-12 | 2-6 | .250 | L3 |
| Jamestown | 2-10 | 4-12 | 2-6 | .250 | L9 |
— — —
The Northern Sun Conference Men’s Basketball standings look like this as of Wednesday evening. The top 12 teams make the postseason tournament.
Right now, the top 12 teams go down all the way to Minnesota State Mankato and Minot State. UMC is in 16th place with a record of 1-11, and unless they go on a big run the rest of the way, they likely won’t make the playoffs.
| School | Conf | Overall | Div |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud State | 10-2 | 13-5 | 6-2 |
| Southwest Minnesota State | 10-2 | 12-5 | 6-2 |
| Augustana | 8-4 | 10-7 | 6-2 |
| Concordia-St. Paul | 7-5 | 12-6 | 3-5 |
| MSU Moorhead | 7-5 | 10-8 | 5-3 |
| Sioux Falls | 7-5 | 10-8 | 3-5 |
| Jamestown | 7-5 | 9-9 | 5-3 |
| Northern State | 7-5 | 7-11 | 5-3 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 6-6 | 10-8 | 6-2 |
| Wayne State College | 6-6 | 9-8 | 4-4 |
| Minnesota State | 5-7 | 11-9 | 1-7 |
| Minot State | 5-7 | 8-10 | 5-3 |
| Winona State | 4-8 | 5-12 | 3-5 |
| Bemidji State | 3-9 | 6-11 | 3-5 |
| UMary | 3-9 | 5-13 | 3-5 |
| Minnesota Crookston | 1-11 | 3-14 | 0-8 |
— — —
After putting together the best pitching season by ERA in Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks history in 2025, RHP Jake Dykhoff (a former University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball player and Wadena-Deer Creek High School graduate) is set to return for his fourth season at Newman Outdoor Field after signing with the RedHawks on Monday.
Last summer, the Wadena, Minnesota, native went 11-4 with a 1.63 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 27 appearances (10 starts) and was named the American Association’s best starter with a spot on the league’s Postseason All-Star Team.
Dykhoff’s 1.63 ERA was the best in the AAPB by more than a run and bested the previous RedHawks single-season record of 1.84 set by Casey Hoorelbeke in 2010. He is the only qualified Fargo-Moorhead pitcher with an ERA under two since the team joined the American Association in 2011.
In 221.1 innings pitched and 83 appearances over three seasons with the RedHawks, the Minnesota-Crookston product is 20-11 with a 3.05 ERA and has allowed the second-fewest walks per nine innings of any qualified pitcher in team history.
Last year, he was named the AAPB’s Pitcher of the Month for August after going 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA in his five starts, including a four-hit, 86-pitch shutout against Gary SouthShore on August 21.
In his first official start of the 2025 season, Dykhoff struck out 12 and walked none in a complete game, shutout two-hitter against the Lincoln Saltdogs on June 28. That outing earned him AAPB Pitcher of the Week honors.
Dykhoff also made four appearances for the Cañeros de Los Mochis over the winter in the Mexican Pacific League.
The RedHawks open the 2026 American Association of Professional Baseball season on May 14 at the Cleburne Railroaders.
— — —
JOKES
A police officer sees a man driving around with a pickup truck full of penguins. He pulls the guy over and says, “You can’t drive around with penguins in this town! Take them to the zoo immediately.”
The guy obliges and drives away.
The next day, the officer sees the same guy driving around with the truck full of penguins again. This time, though, all the penguins are wearing sunglasses.
The police officer pulls the guy over and says, “I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo yesterday?”
The guy replies, “I did, and today I’m taking them to the beach.”
— —
— —
— — —
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
Teagen Lubinski is a freshman playing football at St. Scholastica
Addie Fee is a freshman playing tennis and hockey at Wisconsin-Superior.
Kambelle Freije is a freshman playing hockey at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Riley Helgeson is a freshman playing football at Northern State.
Emily Bowman is a freshman playing Softball at North Dakota State College of Science.
Halle Winjum is a sophomore playing basketball at Minnesota Crookston.
Blake Melsa is a sophomore playing soccer and baseball at Alexandria Tech
Jackson Reese is a sophomore playing soccer at Alexandria Tech
Matt Contreras is a freshman playing baseball at Concordia College.
Naomi Johnson is a freshman playing soccer at Alexandria Tech
Paul Bittner is an assistant coach on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Men’s Hockey team.
Reese Swanson is a sophomore playing hockey at St. Olaf.
Carter Coauette is a sophomore playing football at Minot State.
Isaac Thomforde is a sophomore playing Tennis at Northwestern College in St. Paul.
Halle Bruggeman is a Junior on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.
Ethan Boll is a Sophomore on the University of North Dakota Football team.
Breanna Kressin is a Junior on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Jacey Larson is a Junior playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Aleah Bienek is a Senior playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Ty Hamre is Senior playing football at Bemidji State University.
Seth Heppner – Head Coach of Men’s and Women’s Golf at Jessup University
Brady Heppner – Head Coach of Women’s Golf at UMC and Assistant Hockey Coach
Crookston School District Coaches
Blake Bergeron is the head Pirate Wrestling Coach.
Jason Cassavant is a Jr. High Baseball Coach and Head American Legion Baseball coach
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Marley Melbye is an assistant girls golf coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ben Trostad is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ethan Magsam is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc
Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND.
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson is the head Little Falls Volleyball coach.
Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball
Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.
Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.
Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.
Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of North Dakota.
Mike Hastings is the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s head Hockey coach.
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.
Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Jaren Bailey is serving our country and is currently in the Marines’ Boot Camp.
Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.
Philip Kujawa class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
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..
