PAGE 16 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 15, 2012
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Conference champs shut out North Branch
registered three assists, with helpers also coming in from Curtis, Hopkins, Roberts and Engelhart. Goalie Thomas Labatt was perfect in the contest, shooing away all of the seven Viking shots on goal. They end their regular-season campaign with a sparkling 14-0 conference record in the formidable Two Rivers, going undefeated in conference play and losing just two games all season. The Blizzard boys open WIAA regional play on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Menomonie against the Mustangs, who finished with a 4-8-0 record this season.
Playoffs begin later this week Blizzard 7, North Branch, Minn. 0 by Greg Marsten Leader staff writer GRANTSBURG – The Two Rivers Conference champion Blizzard boys hockey squad ended their regular season with a resounding 7-0 shutout of conference mates the North Branch Vikings on Friday, Feb. 10, at Grantsburg. The Blizzard were so deep in their lines, every score was credited to a different player in the rout. This finished off their regular season before the playoffs start later this week. Seven players were on the books for tallies in the contest, with goals coming from Brandon Ryan, Bryce Ryan, Joe Engelhart, Alex Hopkins, Ryan Curtis, Anthony Dietmeier and Kyle Roberts. Matt Larson
Blizzard senior Kyle Roberts works behind the opponents net. – File photo by Greg Marsten
Viking girls scuttle Cards “Emily had a strong night,” Wink said. “Seventeen points and 12 rebounds, with 10 of them offensive.” Viking senior Maria Miller led the Vikes in offense with 23 points and 11 boards, as well as seven assists, bringing her awfully close to a rare triple-double. Corissa Schmidt added a dozen points to the winning cause, as well as hauling in seven steals. Luck head coach Marty Messar praised the play of Miller, Schmidt and added Byerly to the Viking mix. “She came up real big on the offensive end,” Messar said. “But we got outhustled, and outscored by the Frederic front line. We just couldn’t match up.” Luck falls to 1-8 in West Lakeland Conference play, and 5-11 overall. The Vikings improve to 4-6 in conference, and 9-10 overall as the regular season winds down.
Teams host Coaches vs. Cancer event Frederic 68, Luck 52 by Greg Marsten Leader staff writer LUCK – The Frederic Girls basketball team was able to keep the hosting Luck Cardinals at bay during a special Coaches vs. Cancer event on Thursday, Feb. 9, at Luck. The two neighboring teams combined efforts on the cancer events for fundraising, prizes, even honoring players on each team that survived cancer. The two squads were battling hard inside and made it an interesting game, which the Vikings won 68-52. Luck’s Avery Steen led all scorers with 31 points,which included 7-9 free-throw shooting, as well as 10 rebounds. Junior Jaimee Buck was next on Luck’s scoring board with 12 points in the loss. “I thought we did a nice job of staying solid on offense, as well as playing better defense in the second half,” said Frederic head coach Troy Wink, who also praised the play of Emily Byerly.
Luck's Whitney Petersen moves the ball up court against the Frederic Vikings. – Photos by Greg Marsten
Unity wrestlers have a rough day on the mat Overby defeated Brian Burke of Amery by pin during the third-place match but lost in a wrestle-back to John Olson of Osceola for second place. Steven Anderson also lost a heartbreaker at 145. After losing by just one point to Grant Simpson three times this season, Anderson lost another 1-0 match to Simpson for the second-place spot in the wrestle-back. Anderson still had two wins on the day, but ended his senior season in St. Croix Falls. “It ended up being a tough day for the Eagles. It’s frustrating for the kids to end up in a regional with a lot of talent. The example is that we beat Northwestern 6612 this year - and they have four kids moving on to sectionals. You can’t pick your region, all you can do is show up and compete. The kids wrestled well for the most part,” said Perkins. Other finishers included Tucker Olson in fifth place at 113, Tevin Anderson took fourth at 126, and Kevin Bystrom placed third after defeating Tyrell Hoffbeck of Osceola 13-1. Colton Sorensen took fourth at 160, and Ben Bengtson was fourth at 170. Colin Loehr took sixth at 182, Garrett Lunsmann was fourth at 195 and Skyler Fisher took fifth at 220.
Alex Lennartson is the lone Eagle off to sectionals by Marty Seeger Leader staff writer ST. CROIX FALLS – The Unity wrestling team had a few setbacks at the Division 2 regional tournament in St. Croix Falls last Saturday, Feb. 11, but did manage to get Alex Lennartson through to the sectional. At 285 Lennartson defeated Ryan Johnson by pin in just 46 seconds in the semifinals, and took care of Brandon Mikyska of Chetek-Weyerhaeuser by pin in the finals in 3:25. “Alex’s first opponent we faced earlier this year. You can never look past anyone during sectionals. So that is our first goal … deal with him first,” said Unity head coach Shawn Perkins, adding that Lennartson will have a tough bracket at sectionals. “The entire bracket is loaded with talent. I believe there are five or six kids that are ranked in the top 10 in the state ... should make for an interesting day. If Alex shows up to wrestle with intensity and attitude, he should have a good day,” said Perkins. At least two other Eagles had a shot at getting through to sectionals, but lost a chance for second place. Mackenzie
Unity junior Alex Lennartson celebrates after becoming the lone Eagles wrestler to qualify for the sectional tournament in Osceola this weekend. – Photos by Marty Seeger