Take a Hint

Agusta National should rethink its decision to block any women members from joining the prestigous club considering the Ku Klux Klan now has plans to demonstrate in favor of an all-male membership. Is that really who you want on your side Hootie?

I Think I'll Make A Snappy Today

Here's to Mr. Rogers and the hopes that his show will continue to air for many, many years after his death.

Preventing Heatstroke In Athletes
By Matt Thomas (From 02/25 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News

While most people in the upper midwest are still trying to prevent frostbite, sports fans and athletes were once again reminded last week of the dangers of extreme heat.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler died Monday, Feb. 18 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from complications caused by heatstroke. Bechler was 23 years old.
Bechler complained of dizziness and later collapsed after taking part in a routine conditioning drill on the Orioles third day of spring training. He died less than 24 hours later at North Ridge Medical Center after his body temperature reached 108 degrees.
Bechler’s death is hauntingly similar to that of the late Korey Stringer, the former Minnesota Viking who died two years ago in Mankato during training camp.
Like Stringer, Bechler was overweight (6-foot-2, 239 pounds) and pushing his body in a warm climate. The temperature in Fort Lauderdale was 81 degrees and the humidity was 74 percent the day Bechler collapsed.
Of course it is not unusual for local high school teams to practice in similar conditions. One could often find area football and soccer teams practicing in temperatures in the eighties or nineties.
The intention of this article is educate athletes and parents about heat related illnesses and what can be done to prevent tragedies like the deaths of Bechler and Stringer.
Paul Bruning, the head athletic trainer at Gustavus Adolphus College says that there are three primary types of heat illnesses.
The first stage in the progression is what is considered heat cramps. This is the least severe stage of heat related illnesses and a stage where simple actions can remedy the symptoms.
“Usually this is caused by dehydration and is easily remedied by stretching and increasing fluid intake,” Bruning said.
The next and more serious stage in the progression is heat exhaustion. Bruning says that a person experiencing heat exhaustion will have an altered level of consciousness, be lightheaded, dizzy, disoriented and may experience vomiting.
“They will have an increased heart rate and respiratory rate,” Bruning said. “Their skin will be cool, pale and very sweaty.”
The final stage in heat related illnesses is heat stroke, which is what claimed the lives of Bechler and Stringer. This is the point where the body is no longer able to regulate its own temperature.
“The body’s sweating mechanism shuts down and the skin can become red, hot and dry while the clothes may still be very wet from prior sweating,” Bruning said. “The persons level of consciousness becomes increasingly altered and decreases to the point of coma and or unconsciousness. This person will have marked dehydration and sometimes electrolyte imbalances.”
When a person reaches the state of heatstroke, several changes in the body occur which usually lead to organ failure, brain damage and ultimately, death.
“The blood has lost a lot of its plasma volume and is very thick and viscous,” Bruning said. “The heart has to work harder to [pump blood through the body] and it becomes harder to breathe as oxygen levels in the blood drop.”
The body will be unable to sweat, and as heat builds in the body, the pH level will change and become acidic due to the lack of blood and oxygen to the tissues and cells.
“As tissues and cells die, chemicals are released into the blood stream that are toxic and cause further tissue death,” Bruning said. “As pH levels drop, more tissue is damaged and proteins denature due to rising heat and dropping pH. This changes cell walls and more damage occurs.”
So what can a high school football player or just an average jogger do to prevent all of this from occurring? Most experts will say the best way to protect yourself from heat related illnesses is to remain hydrated.
“The biggest and easiest precaution is to drink a lot of fluids and stay hydrated,” Bruning said. “In most instances water is fine and cold water is preferred.”
“Being accustomed to the heat before working out in it is also important,” he said. “Modifying activity when needed and avoiding supplements and drinks that can dehydrate is very important.”
It is believed that Bechler was taking an over the counter supplement that contained the stimulant ephedrine which may have contributed to his death. Ephedrine is often used by athletes to increase endurance and lose weight. It has been banned by the NCAA, NFL and International Olympic Committee, but not Major League Baseball.
The use of alcohol can also dehydrate the human body and is discouraged for athletes who will be taking part in strenuous activities.
If you feel that someone you know may be suffering from a heat related illness there are steps you can take that may seem obvious, however early detection is the key
An athlete experiencing any heat related illness symptoms should immediately stop their activity and try to cool down quickly.
If they are able to keep fluids down, they should primarily drink water. One should always air on the side of caution when it comes to calling the paramedics, but if an athlete is nauseous, vomiting or experiencing an altered level of consciousness they should be seen by a physician immediately.
So the final question in this story is how hot is too hot? The Minnesota State High School League does offer several guidelines in its Athletic Rules and Policy Manual.
A graph has been developed which the manual says is most relevant for long distance running and prolonged high intensity events like soccer, football and tennis.
By taking in account the temperature and relative humidity, the graph suggests whether practices and games should be cancelled or if protective equipment should be removed.
For example, if the temperature is 81 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is 74 percent like it was in Fort Lauderdale the day Bechler died, the graph recommends that breaks be given every twenty minutes and that teams practice with no protective equipment.
While guidelines can be laid out, the fact remains there is no exact formula to know how hot is too hot for each individual.
The best advice it seems is for coaches to make sure their athletes feel comfortable asking for water breaks and brief resting periods when they feel they need them. The other important aspect is for the athlete to make sure they continue to replenish their fluids.
If heatstroke can happen to professional athletes like Stringer and Bechler, it can happen to anyone and that is something everyone involved in high school athletics should focus on preventing.

Blake Girls Hockey Crowned State Champs
By Matt Thomas (From 02/25 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News

The Blake girls hockey team set some high goals for themselves when the year began and all of them were an attempt to avoid history from repeating itself.
Last year the Bears had their undefeated season ended by Benilde St. Margaret’s in the section final. After the Bears got past the Red Knights this year, they had to worry about the team’s State Tournament history.
The Bears were 0-4 in previous State Tournament games going into this year’s tournament at Ridder Arena.
After a dominating 3-0 shutout of Wilmar in the semifinals, the Bears scored three goals in the second period to top Hibbing/Chisolm 3-2 to win the first girls hockey state championship in school history.
The Bears main focus in the championship game was to limit the scoring chances for Blue Jackets star forward Andrea Nichols. Nichols came into the game with a state high 70 goals, 54 assists and scored five goals against Farmington/Randolph in the semifinals.
“We knew we would have to keep track of her every time she was on the ice,” Bears head coach Brano Stankovsky said. “We put Kelsey Johnson on her and Kelsey took it as a personal challenge to not let Andrea score.”
The emphasis on stopping Nichols may have led to the first goal of the game for the Blue Jackets.
After the Bears had racked up a 15-1 shots on goal advantage in the first period, Nichols slid a pass from behind the net to Chelsea Davis who scored past Bears goalie Kitty Hurley for a 1-0 Blue Jackets lead.
The Bears could have gone into the locker room during the first intermission frustrated, but their senior leadership made sure that didn’t happen.
Stankovsky said that several players assured the team that if they kept putting the pressure on in the Blue Jackets zone that the goals would come.
7:36 into the second period, the Bears found themselves on the power play and freshman Berit Johnson found herself all alone.
Johnson got the puck off the boards from junior Amy Cobb and walked in for a point blank shot on Blue Jackets goalie Brittany Krause. Johnson’s shot trickled through Krause’s pads and the game was tied at one.
The next five minutes of the second period were crucial as Blake senior Kathryn Moos ended a mini-goal scoring slump with two goals in less than two minutes.
The second of the two goals was about to go wide of the net, but the puck hit Nichols’ skate and eluded Krause into the back of the net.
The Bears once again dominated the shots on goal category in the second period. They held a 29-5 advantage in shots on goal and a 3-1 advantage on the scoreboard heading into the third period.
The way the Bears season had gone, one just knew that things weren’t going to be easy for them in the third period.
With 5:21 remaining, the Blue Jackets tightened things up when Nichols scored her 71st goal of the season.
A delayed penalty was called while Nichols was scoring the goal, so the Bears were forced to protect their one goal lead while shorthanded for two minutes.
The Blue Jackets had one quality chance to score, but Hurley made all the key saves and the Bears went on to kill the clock to take home the hardware.
Hurley made 11 saves in the game as the Bears outshot the Blue Jackets 35-13.
The Bears and Blue Jackets faced each other during the regular season, with the Blue Jackets coming out on top with a 3-0 victory.
Moos, Kelsey Johnson and Cobb were all named to the Class A All Tournament Team following the victory.
Cobb was the team’s fifth leading scorer during the regular season, but came through with a goal and three assists to lead to the Bears in scoring during the State Tournament.
Kelsey Johnson scored 34 goals during the regular season, but was held without a goal during the tournament. Johnson did finish as the second leading point scorer with three assists.
Moos and Berit Johnson each finished with two goals during the tournament, while Johnson was key in leading the Bears’ defensive efforts.
“It was just such a wonderful feeling,” Stankovsky said. “You set goals and have a plan at the beginning of the year and when it actually happens you just want to pinch yourself. It was the whole team bringing their A game this weekend because everyone did what they were supposed to do.”
The Bears got to the championship game with a dominating 3-0 victory over Wilmar in the semifinals.
The Bears outshot the Cardinals 14-1 in the first period and got on the board with 1:06 remaining.
Berit Johnson took a high wrist shot that bounced off a Cardinal defender and into the goal.
With the 1-0 lead, the Bears got exactly what they needed in two quick goals from someone other than Moos or Kelsey Johnson.
Cobb scored with 12:35 remaining in the second period with a shot just inside the blue line. Just ten seconds later, Alyssa Saunders took the puck off a face-off and skated all the way down to the goal and scored to give Blake a 3-0 lead.
It was just the fifth goal of the year for the freshman, but one that will definitely be remembered.
“It’s great that we got some other girls to step up,” Kelsey Johnson said. “It was great that our young line stepped up and got two goals in one shift and just great to see them succeed.”
Hurley recorded her 13th shutout of the year by making 12 saves.
The two victories are especially sweet for the six seniors on the team as most of them have played on the varsity squad all four years of high school.
Moos, K. Johnson, Hurley, Anna Morrison, Maggie Schneider and Donner Stocks will all end their high school careers with a state championship.
“Most of them have played all four years and Kathryn (Moos) and Kelsey (Johnson) have played since they were eighth graders,” Stankovsky said. “They’re all just a great core group of players to have on a team. They gave good leadership, they’re all good students and just good people.”
Several of the graduating seniors have plans to play collegiate hockey next year.
Moos will have the chance to play soccer and hockey at Brown next year, while Johnson will be attending Yale. Hurley will be attending Gustavus Adolphus, which has one of the strongest women’s hockey programs in the MIAC.

Ms. Hockey Award Given Out

Johnson and Moos were both finalists for the Ms. Hockey award, but it was ultimately given to a deserving Andrea Nichols from Hibbing/Chisolm.
Moos finished the year with 59 points, while Johnson tallied 70 this season. Both players scored their 100th career goals this year.

Sluggish Trojans Fall In Sections
By Matt Thomas (From 02/25 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News

For 15 minutes the Wayzata boys hockey team was out-shot, out-checked, out-hustled and out played in every facet of the game.
The result of all that was a 3-0 lead for the visiting Chaska Hawks and a lead the Trojans would never overcome. The fifth seeded Hawks left Plymouth Ice Arena with a 5-0 shutout over the fourth seeded Trojans in the section six quarterfinals.
“We really limited our mistakes because I think we only made one mistake in the first period,” Hawks head coach Dave Snuggerud said. “We just capitalized on their mistakes and that’s why we were successful in the first period.”
The Hawks struck first with 9:16 left in the first period on a slap shot by senior Jacob Obermeyer. The shot glanced off the glove of Trojans goalie Kevin Johnson, off his back and into the net.
Less than a minute later, Hawks sophomore Troy Harlander beat a Trojan defender to a loose puck in the slot and scored through the five hole.
With 3:13 left in the opening period, the Hawks lead grew to 3-0 when Harlander scored on a breakaway.
By periods end, the Hawks had one more goal with three than the Trojans had shots on goal with two.
The Trojans played better hockey in the second period, but failed to capitalize on two power play opportunities.
The Hawks stretched their lead to 4-0 with 2:22 remaining in the second period on a two on one rush.
The Hawks added one more goal in third period to complete the 5-0 shutout. Hawks senior goaltender Chris Gardeski made 20 saves in the shutout.
“Chris Gardeski has been great all year long and he’s had to face some great players in the Lake Conference which has really helped him,” Snuggerud said. “To shut out a team like Wayzata is very impressive for Chris because they have some players who can score.”
The loss for the Trojans is disappointing, especially considering the fact that they had been playing some of their best hockey of the season.
The Trojans finished the conference season with an 8-2-2 record which included a win they were forced to forfeit because a player played in more than four periods in the junior varsity and varsity games combined.
The Trojans had gone 11-1-1 in their last 13 games, until the quarterfinal loss to the Hawks.
The loss also means that five Trojans have played their last hockey game in a Wayzata uniform.
The Trojans will lose the services of forwards Matt Sundberg, Ryan Freeland and Travis Olson, defender Bryan Nelson and Johnson, the team’s goaltender.
Eleven juniors and four sophomores saw varsity time this year, giving the Trojans a good chance to contend for the conference championship next year.

Skippers lose in quarterfinals
Minnetonka senior goaltender Dan Steinkamp made 44 saves as the sixth seeded Skippers shocked the third seeded Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars 4-3 in the section six quarterfinals.
Senior Michael Faber’s goal tied the game at three in the third period. That set up senior John Arundel’s game-winner with 1:37 remaining.
The Skippers had lost 4-0 to the Jaguars in a regular season contest.
The Skippers were unable to produce a second upset as the second seeded Eden Prairie Eagles topped the Skippers 8-4. The eagles scored just nine seconds into the contest and never looked back. The Skippers end the year with an 11-15-1 record.
The Skippers will lost six seniors to graduation this year including Arundel, Faber, Steinkamp, Peter Shenk, Patrick Eidsmo, Patrick Murray, Brent Hanus and Peter Dauwalter.

Armstrong advances
Senior Mike Hosfield scored 49 seconds into the second overtime period as the Armstrong boys hockey team topped Maple Grove 5-4.
The fourth seeded Falcons entered the third period trailing the Crimson 2-1. Two goals by Tommy Anderson and a third by David Gutierrez gave the Falcons a 4-2 lead.
The Crimson rallied for two goals in the final 1:02 to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Falcons goaltender Erik Dahl made 24 saves in the victory.
The Falcons will now move on to the section semifinals to face top seeded Anoka. The puck will drop at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the State Fair Coliseum.

Blake On Their Way
The Blake Bears are trying to get back to the State Tournament, but to get there they have to win three games in the toughest section in Class A.
The Bears had no trouble disposing of Andover in the quarterfinals as they came away with a 9-0 victory.
Will Engasser notched a hat trick for the Bears, while J.T. Wyman scored two goals and two assists.
The Bears must now face the Metro Alliance Conference champions from Benilde St. Margaret’s in the semifinals. If they advance to the final, they will likely face St. Louis Park who the Bears split a pair of games with this season.
The Bears and Red Knights face off on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Parade Ice Arena.

Girls Basketball Teams Head Into Sections
By Matt Thomas (From 02/25 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News

The Benilde St. Margaret’s girls basketball team got 21 points from junior Stevi Seitz as they topped the Orono Spartans 53-45 in a key Metro Alliance victory. The victory kept the Red Knights undefeated at 10-0 in conference play, while the Spartans slipped to 7-3.
The Red Knights jumped out to a 12-11 lead after the first quarter and pushed the lead to 26-19 by halftime.
Seitz scored eight points in the second quarter including two three pointers to lead the way.
Spartans senior Maggie Richardson cut the lead to four early in the third quarter with two straight baskets, but the Red Knights proceeded to go on a 10-0 run.
Five points at the end of the quarter from Spartans junior Kati Hilbelink cut the Red Knights lead to 45-34 going into the fourth quarter.
The Spartans got with six of the lead when junior Ali Chorley hit a three pointer, but the Red Knights sealed the game at the free throw line after that.
The end result could have been much different had the Spartans capitalized on their free throw attempts. The Spartans went 2-12 in the game from the line and 2-9 in the second half alone.
Chorley led the Spartans in scoring with 11 points, while Richardson added ten.
The Spartans bounced back three nights later to top Fridley 46-45 in conference play. Richardson was the hero as her basket with three seconds remaining turned out to be the difference.
The Spartans received the fourth seed in section 4-3A and will host St. Michael-Alberville in a Feb. 26 quarterfinal at 7 p.m.

Hopkins gets top seed
The Hopkins Royals were out to prove that they can still be state championship material, even though their leading scorer Leslie Knight is out with a foot injury.
The Royals jumped out to a 48-15 halftime led over the Minnetonka Skippers and won the game 73-27. The win was crucial for the Royals because they were coming off a 62-48 loss to Wayzata.
Jordan Barnes led the charge with 21 points as the Royals improved to 11-1 and clinched the conference championship.
The Royals received the number one seed in section five and will play the winner of the Minnetonka and Cooper quarterfinal.
The Royals will open section play at Eden Prairie High School on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m.

Falcons playing strong
The Armstrong Falcons got 12 points from junior Cassie Bethke and rolled to a 48-38 victory over Edina on Feb. 21.
The victory created a three way tie for second place in the Classic Lake Conference between Edina, Wayzata and themselves.
The Falcons received the third seed in section five and will play host to Park Center in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

Trojans cruising
After a 14-point triumph over conference leading Hopkins, the Wayzata Trojans continued their strong play with a 59-36 victory over St. Louis Park.
Senior Jowan Ortega led the way with 21 points, while junior Allie Rivard chipped in 16.
The Trojans received the second seed in section five and will receive a first round bye. The Trojans will play the winner of the Armstrong and Park Center quarterfinal on March 1 at Eden Prairie High School at 3 p.m.

Is God Angry With You Pat?

It has been reported that Pat Robertson, the host of the christian conservative show The 700 Club, has prostate cancer. After September 11th, Robertson and Jerry Fallwell told America that the reason the world trade center towers were attacked was because the abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians and the ACLU made God mad. So following Pat and Jerry's logic, I just want to ask Pat what he did to make God mad enough to give him cancer?

Breaking News!

Mark this day down on your calendars. My friend Sara, the Girl Who Knits, is no longer unemployed. She became a member of the real world at 9:30 this morning. My only question is whether or not she will be awake for the ten spot tonight when the Real World/Road Rules Battle of the Sexes reconvenes.

Orioles and Hawks Look to Migrate
By Matt Thomas (From 02/11 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

In a move that has seemed almost inevitable for the past several years, St. Louis Park and Robbinsdale Cooper High Schools have let it be known that they are exploring options to leave the Classic Lake Conference after the 2003-2004 school year.
“I think their intentions right now are pretty clear,” Hopkins Athletic Director Dan Johnson said. “They are going to look for membership in a different conference or try to gain independent status for fall 2004.”
Johnson said that he and the other Classic Lake athletic directors have met as a group of seven and as a group of what would be the remaining five to explore what options are available.
“Obviously we want to choose the best option for the long term future,” Johnson said. “We have talked about exploring options to keep St. Louis Park and Cooper in the conference, but everything right now is in an exploratory stage.”
Johnson said that he believes the two schools will be looking for a conference that includes schools with similar demographics and enrollments.
“We would sure like to see them stay because of the proximity of the schools and the relationships that we have built over the years with some great people,” Johnson said. “But obviously they need to do what is best for them, their kids and their programs.”
If you examine the situation more closely, one finds several reasons that warrant some sort of change.
St. Louis Park has a 10th-12th grade enrollment of only 992 students. That is not even half of Wayzata’s enrollment (2,187) and almost 1,000 students shy of the enrollment at Hopkins (1,978).
In fact, the school with the closest enrollment to St. Louis Park is Edina, which still has 595 more students with an enrollment of 1,587.
Cooper has the third lowest enrollment in the conference at 1,644, but like St. Louis Park is hindered in athletic competition by several other factors.
School district demographics play a major role in the situation. A higher average income per household means more money for things like equipment and personal lessons for student athletes.
Also playing a role in Cooper’s situation is the fact that talented athletes in the Robbinsdale district have the possibility of open enrolling at Armstrong High School where the athletic teams are consistently more competitive.
These factors and others contribute to the fact that St. Louis Park and Cooper athletic teams are having a hard time achieving success in the win column.
If you take a glance at the Classic Lake Conference standings you can see where the frustration at the respective schools is rooted.
St. Louis Park won one football game this fall against none other than Cooper.
This winter, St. Louis Park has a total of three conference victories in girls and boys basketball, while Cooper has just one.
The Cooper boys hockey team is currently 0-9 in conference play while the girls team finished a dismal 1-11.
The St. Louis Park hockey programs have seen a good amount of success this season and represent the flip side of the argument that has prevailed in St. Louis Park for years.
Many people within the St. Louis Park athletic program, including coaches, seemed to voice the argument that they felt their teams were better prepared for the Class A section playoffs after playing a rigorous Classic Lake Conference schedule.
The St. Louis Park boys hockey team is currently 5-4 in conference play and ranked seventh in Class A. One could argue that their strength of schedule will aid them come section playoff time.
“We have enjoyed having them as conference members and I think if they do decide to leave that won’t necessarily be the end of the relationship between the schools,” Johnson said. “I would hope that we could continue to play them in non-conference activities.”

What Makes Sense

While a number of options are out there for all seven schools involved in this possible realignment, there seems to be a couple of convenient options available.
St. Louis Park and Cooper would be wise to try to gain membership in the Metro Alliance Conference. Current members of this conference include Benilde St. Margaret’s, Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Mound Westonka, Orono and St. Anthony.
With seven teams, the Metro Alliance certainly isn’t too crowded to accept another two members. The schools in this conference are also fairly close in proximity to St. Louis Park and Cooper, thereby limiting travel time and expenses.
Enrollments at the Metro Alliance schools are also much more similar to those at St. Louis Park and Cooper.
This switch would also heighten the inter-city rivalry between St. Louis Park and Benilde St. Margaret’s. The Orioles and Red Knights already schedule each other fairly consistently for non-conference events.
The five remaining teams in the conference probably have a more difficult decision to make.
One possibility that I would like to see would be for the Classic Lake and Lake Conference to join and split into two divisions.
Eden Prairie and Chaska from the Lake Conference could join the five Classic Lake schools to form the Lake West. The remaining eight schools in the Lake Conference could then form the Lake East.
While change seems imminent, Johnson says that nothing is set in stone right now.
“I wouldn’t say we have a definite direction that were leaning toward right now,” Johnson said. “We don’t really have a drop dead date when things will be sorted out as of yet.”

Depleted Royals Top Armstrong
By Matt Thomas (From 02/11 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

With two starters sidelined with injuries, the Hopkins girls basketball team overcame a slow start to top Armstrong 55-40 in Classic Lake Conference play last week.
The victory pushes the Royals conference record to 8-0 and gives them a three game cushion in the conference standings with four games to play.
The Royals were without leading scorer Leslie Knight and starting guard Renee Parker. Knight has turf toe, while Parker suffered a sprained ankle in practice.
“We’ve stated all year long that we’re not a one or two person team,” head coach Brian Cosgriff said. “We just felt we could still come out and take care of business.”
The Falcons weren’t making things easy in the first half as they took advantage of Knight’s absence. Eight of the Falcons ten first quarter points were scored in the paint as they looked to utilize their size advantage.
With the Royals leading 18-13 midway through the second quarter, the Falcons went on a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the game.
The Falcons did their damage by getting to the free throw line 11 times in the second quarter.
The Royals put an end to the run just before halftime and took a 22-20 lead into the break on a bucket by sophomore Michelle Harris.
“I felt that we sent them to the line too many times (in the first half),” Cosgriff said. “I thought that was keeping them in the ball game and that we had to stop fouling.”
The Royals finally got their swarming defense to create some turnovers in the third quarter. Sloppy passing by the Falcons helped the Royals start the second half on an 11-2 run.
Senior Jordan Barnes and freshman Abby Greene keyed the run by combining for all 11 points.
The Royals put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter as a three pointer by Greene was followed by four straight points from sophomore Kaitlyn Lillemoe.
With Knight out of the line-up the Royals needed a big performance from Barnes and she delivered.
The five foot, nine inch senior guard, who is headed for Division I Winthrop (SC) next year, scored a game high 19 points on 7-16 from the field.
Also instrumental in the victory was Greene, the team’s freshman point guard. She finished with 16 points including 4-7 from three point range.
“Abby is just a special kid. She’s got a great demeanor for the game and a great head,” Cosgriff said. “She’s really stepped up and exceeded any expectations I had for this year and I couldn’t be more pleased with her play.”
Armstrong senior Lisa McAtee led a balanced Falcons attack with seven points.
The Royals shot 42 percent (20-47) from the field, compared to 30 percent (12-40) for the Falcons.
Until the fourth quarter the Falcons held a huge advantage at the free throw line. The Falcons finished the game 15-21 (71%) from the line, while the Royals went 11-19 (61%).
The Royals appear to be a shoe-in to win the conference title and earn the number one seed in section 5AAAA.
The focus now becomes getting Knight and Parker healthy enough to play during the stretch run.
“Leslie (Knight) has turf toe and it just sort of happened, it wasn’t anything major,” Cosgriff said. “It’s kind of a bummer, but better now than three weeks from now. So hopefully we can get her back and healthy in time for sections.”
Cosgriff said that Parker has a twisted ankle, but could be back in the line-up as early as this week.
The Royals have conference games with Cooper, St. Louis Park, Wayzata and Minnetonka before the section five playoffs begin.
The Falcons, meanwhile, appear to be in a battle with Wayzata to see which team will earn the number two seed and a first round bye in section five. Other teams in the section include Minnetonka, Park Center and Cooper.
The Falcons have a good chance to pick up victories at St. Louis Park on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and at home on Feb. 14 against Cooper.

Several Girls Hockey Teams Advance
By Matt Thomas (From 02/11 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

Two hundred and ten girls hockey teams all began last week with the same goal in mind: to advance through their respective section tournaments into the State Tournament which begins on February 20.
Over half of the teams have since been eliminated as the semifinals and finals are scheduled for this week.

Schwarze lifts Wayzata

The Wayzata Trojans took a 4-1 lead early in the third period and hung on for a 4-3 quarterfinal victory over Bloomington Jefferson in section 6AA.
Brit Schwarze scored just six seconds into the third period and then again 24 seconds later. Whit Graft added a goal and two assists for the Trojans.
Trojans goaltender Jill Arendt made 29 saves in the victory including 23 in the first two periods.
The third seeded Trojans are now set to face the second seeded Eden Prairie Eagles on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The puck will drop at 7:30p.m. at Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis.

Royals Advance

Hopkins junior goaltender Molly Anderson made 24 saves in the Royals 2-0 shutout over Edina in the section 6AA quarterfinals.
Sophomore Micaela Bourgeois scored at the 5:13 mark of the second period on an assist from senior Tami Trenter.
Freshman Kathryn Farni gave the Royals some insurance with a goal at the 8:31 mark of the third period.
The Royals have a large task in front of them as they will now face the number one seeded Chaska Hawks in the semifinals.
The Royals and Hawks will play Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Parade Ice Garden.

Moos and Johnson propel Blake

Blake seniors Kathryn Moos and Kelsey Johnson were both named as two of then finalists for the Ms. Hockey award.
The talented tandem showed why they might be deserving of such an award by combining for three goals and four assists in the Bears 5-1 quarterfinal victory over Totino Grace.
The Bears erased a 1-0 Eagles lead in the second period and allowed only eight shots on goal the entire game.
The top seeded Bears will now face the fifth seeded Richfield Spartans on Thursday, Feb. 13. The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m. at Parade Ice Garden.

Falcons and Skippers fall

The Armstrong Falcons saw their season come to an end with a 5-2 loss to Champlin Park in the quarterfinals of section 4AA.
The loss also meant an end to the careers of seniors Kelly Crandall and Courtney Horsch, two of the states top scorers. Crandall is one of ten finalists named for Ms. Hockey.
The Minnetonka Skippers were eliminated from section play by the Eden Prairie Eagles 6-0 in the quarterfinals of section 6AA.

Pawlenty Needs More Scrutiny

Tim Pawlently has gotten off pretty easy so far in the Minneapolis and St. Paul media despite the fact that major changes may be on the horizon in the State Legislature. City Pages editor David Schimke hits the nail on the head in this week's article entitled In God's Name. Here is a blurb from the article:

In the current issue of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle, Bryan Malley--the publication's brand-new, 23-year-old editor--reports that this year's state legislature is "expected to be pro family." In this context, that oft-used and abused moniker means there's a good chance that a spate of backward-thinking House members are likely to push a number of initiatives through to the Senate. And, depending on the tenor of the accompanying media coverage, on to a sympathetic governor. At the top of their list: a requirement that sex ed in the public schools be focused on abstinence until marriage, despite indisputable studies proving that that method alone will not prevent unwanted pregnancies or life-threatening STDs; anti-abortion legislation designed to erode a woman's right to choose; the eradication and roughshod replacement of the Profile of Learning, which, behind the scenes, has been targeted by conservatives because of its allowance for diversity education; and the elimination of state-funded programs that "promote" abortion or homosexuality. (The primary villains in this last category are Planned Parenthood and the Minnesota AIDS Project, humanitarian organizations that exist to spread public health information and literally save lives.)

Duke-Carolina still #1

Anyone who watched last night's college basketball game between Duke and North Carolina can easily see that it is no question the number one rivalry in college sports and maybe in all of sports. The Dukies won for the sixth straight time versus the Tar Heels in front of an electric crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Whether you are a Duke fan or not, if you're a college basketball fan you should attend a game at Cameron Indoor sometime in your life.

Jesse on Jay

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura made another visit to the Tonight Show on Wednesday night and stayed true to form by making several memorable comments. Ventura "shocked the world" by announcing that he will have a talk show on MSNBC in the near future. Ventura also announced his hate toward the media "jackals" by saying "they don't report the news, they create the news." Ventura also made sure that the audience was aware that his approval rating was above fifty percent for a majority of his term. He also suspiciously made reference to the budget surplus during the first two years of his term, but conveniently forgot to mention that he left the state with the biggest budget deficit in state history.

Orioles and Hawks Migrating?

It's been rumored for years that St. Louis Park and Robbinsdale Cooper High School's would someday choose to leave the Classic Lake Conference. Richfield High School made the jump several years ago because the school's athletic teams were not competing with schools with much larger enrollment figures like Wayzata, Hopkins, Armstrong, Minnetonka and Edina. A logical choice for St. Louis Park and Cooper would be to join the Metro Alliance Conference that features teams like Orono, Brooklyn Center, Mound Westonka, Fridley, Benilde St. Margaret's and Columbia Heights. The question then becomes what happens to the five teams remaining in the Classic Lake? Another logical move would be for the Lake and Classic Lake to combine and then split into a west and east conference. Eden Prairie and Chaska could join the current Classic Lake teams to form the Lake West Conference. The eight remaining Lake Conference teams could form the Lake East Conference.

Ellen's Ass Safe For Now

Ellen "Kiss My Baby Ass" on MTV's Real World/Road Rules 'BOTS' made it through last week's episode without Puck kicking her ass. While Puck was off crying and getting married, Ellen and Tonya found time to take a little cruise in the trusty paddleboat. My wish from last week came true as plenty of nudity was shown this week including Aneesa's blurred chest which earned me mega points in the BOTS Fantasy Challenge


Orono Boys Hockey Improves to 18-2
By Matt Thomas (From 02/04 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

After a third place finish in last year’s Class A State Tournament, the Orono Spartans have tasted success. A core of talented returning players like Glenn Ylitalo, Pat Dynan and Ryan McClure have the Spartans eyeing another State Tournament appearance as the team sits with an 18-2 record entering the month of February.
The Spartans notched two more impressive victories last week, including a 4-0 shutout of Litchfield-Dassel Cokato.
The Spartans got things going early with two first period goals. Junior forward Josh Pauer broke a scoreless tie when he scored with assists from Drew Armstrong and Sam Kelley.
Just over a minute later the Spartans leading scorer on the season, Ylitalo, intercepted a lazy Dragons pass and scored to make it 2-0.
“Our line with Glenn Ylitalo, Pat Dynan and Will Smith really moves the puck well,” Armstrong said. “They’ve been playing together since they were squirts I think and they bring a lot of offensive intensity for us.”
Ylitalo is among the top five in the state in scoring this season with 22 goals and 33 assists on the season.
The Spartans saw their scoring chances dwindle in the second period as penalties kept the Spartans shorthanded.
With 2:21 left in the period, however, Dynan snuck behind the Dragons defense and scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway.
Special teams have been huge for the Spartans this season as their power play and penalty killing units have played well all season.
“Our power play is a little over 30 percent and our penalty kill is at 95 percent,” Armstrong said. “So our special teams have been really good.”
The Spartans went into the locker room after the second period with a three goal lead after killing off three Dragon power plays.
With McClure in net the Spartans had scored all the goals they needed, but 1:20 into the third period they added another from senior Jonathan Skoog to make it 4-0.
McClure made 22 stops in goal to earn his fifth shutout of the season.
“Ryan has been unbelievably consistent,” Armstrong said. “He doesn’t give up bad goals. He stops everything he should and makes a couple of saves beyond that. When you get goaltending like that you win a lot of games.”
Despite the 18-2 record, the Spartans still have a sore spot on their minds: A 4-2 loss to conference rival Benilde-St. Margaret’s.
“We’ve been playing better the last couple weeks,” Armstrong said. “We really didn’t play well against Benilde so I think our kids are really looking forward to the rematch to see if we can give them a better game this time.”
The Spartans and Red Knights will face off on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Orono Ice Arena at 7p.m. The Spartans need a victory if they want to win or share the Metro Alliance Conference title.
“We need to stay away from odd man rushes because we gave up four open breakaways and at least a dozen odd man rushes the first time we played,” Armstrong said. “You just can’t do that against good team because they bury you.”
Looking past the end of the conference season and into section playoff time, the Spartans should be favored to advance to the State Tournament out of their respective section. Armstrong knows, however, getting to state will not be an easy task.
“Shakopee, Prior Lake and Mound Westonka could all come out of the section along with ourselves,” Armstrong said. “We’ve played both Prior Lake and Shakopee and both were one goal games.”

Blake Tops Rival Breck 5-1
By Matt Thomas (From 02/04 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)
If you asked most sports fans what the biggest sporting event in the past two weeks was you would probably hear the words Super Bowl. Unless, of course, you attend Blake or Breck high schools in which case last Tuesday’s boys hockey game between the Bears and Mustangs would be the answer.
“Every year we look forward to this game on our schedule,” Blake junior forward Will Engasser said. “It’s the first thing we look for.”
After the Mustangs grabbed an early 1-0 lead, the Bears scored five unanswered goals to earn a hard fought 5-1 victory. The win not only gives the Bears bragging rights for now, but it also puts them atop the standings in the Tri Metro Conference.
“I knew we could come back, because we’ve been down by one before in tough games,” Engasser said. “We were all positive on the bench and it all worked out.”
“Breck is a tremendously talented team and they worked very hard,” Bears head coach John Hamre said. “Some nights you’re fortunate enough to get some breaks, so I give the kids on both teams credit because both sides competed extremely hard.”
After the Mustangs took the early lead, Engasser took it upon himself to even the score at one. With 3:14 left in the first period, the Bears six foot, two inch, 220 pound forward got the equalizer on a nifty move around the net.
“I came down and the puck was loose in the slot,” Engasser said. “I came across the net and I had most of the net so I just laid it in.”
Engasser’s goal appeared to be just what the Bears needed to boost their confidence. After a fairly even first period, the Bears took control of the puck for a majority of the rest of the game.
The Bears took their first lead of the game with 6:27 remaining in the second period when junior Andrew Schremp scored unassisted.
Less than four minutes later, Engasser gave the Bears a two goal cushion with his second of the game.
“There was a clutter in front of the net and I just got my stick on the puck for another backhand goal,” Engasser said.
After outshooting the Mustangs 15-8 in the second period, the Bears had all the momentum going into the final period.
Juniors Rob Page and J.T. Wyman added third period goals for the Bears, while junior goaltender Justin Kowalkoski played superbly in net.
“[Justin] was unbelievable tonight, I’ve never seen him play any better,” Engasser said.
Kowalkoski stopped 21 of 22 shots on the night to earn the victory. Mustangs goalie Troy Ciernia stopped 31 of the 36 shots the Bears sent his way.
“Tonight Justin played just tremendously and made a couple of big saves in both the second and third periods,” Hamre said. “I give Justin tremendous credit for his work ethic and efforts.”
The victory gives the Bears a 15-3-1 record overall and a perfect 4-0 mark in the Tri Metro Conference.
While the team will enjoy being in first place for now, they know they have to travel to Breck’s home rink on February 15.
“I think they’re going to come back with some intensity, and I think we should be able to match it if we play our game,” Engasser said.
The Bears have four games on their schedule before they collide with the Mustangs again, and those games are what Hamre is focusing on right now.
“We’re looking to take things one day at a time,” Hamre said. “We’re looking to improve, to get better, to work hard and to have fun one day at a time.”
The Bears will host St. Paul Academy on Thursday, Feb. 6 before traveling to Red Wing on Saturday, Feb. 8.

Siverling Leads Armstrong to Victory
By Matt Thomas (From 02/04 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

With over a dozen players seeing varsity minutes this year for the Armstrong girls basketball team, it has been a balanced effort in the scoring column. Somebody different seems to step up each time the Falcons earn a victory and last Friday that somebody was junior Holly Siverling.
The Falcons and Minnetonka Skippers were facing each other for the second time in conference play this season after the Falcons won the first contest 54-43. The second time around was no different as poor shooting plagued the Skippers and gave the Falcons a 55-37 victory.
The Falcons got off to an 8-0 start as the Skippers missed their first eight shots from the floor. Five different Falcons scored in the first period, led by senior Katie Oxborough’s five points as the Falcons took a 14-7 lead.
The Skippers got back on track in the second period as junior Leslie Anderson came off the bench to hit two three pointers.
The Falcons, however, maintained a one point lead at halftime thanks to their ability to get to the free throw line. The Falcons made 8-11 first half free throws to take a 23-22 lead into halftime.
At halftime, Siverling had only five points, but that was about to change. The Falcons started the second half on a 13-3 run as Siverling made four of eight shots from the field.
“We realized that our running game was better, so we really tried to push the ball up more without committing turnovers,” Siverling said.
The smaller Skippers had a hard time defending the Falcons posts in the paint, as the Falcons jumped out to a 38-29 lead.
“I saw a lot of good things from all the posts tonight,” Weldon said. “Holly definitely had her best game tonight at both ends. She can be our go-to girl and she made some good decisions out there.”
The Falcons continued to work their inside game in the fourth quarter and put things away by outscoring the Skippers 17-8.
“I just tried to let them bang me and draw fouls and that seemed to work tonight,” Siverling said.
Until the Skippers hit two three pointers in the final minute, they went 1-21 from the floor in the fourth quarter.
Siverling finished with a game high 18 points on 6-11 from the floor and 6-8 from the line. Oxborough added nine while Becky Andrus chipped in eight.
The Skippers never got on track shooting the ball as they went 13-58 as a team from the floor. Free throws weren’t any easier for the Skippers as they went just 6-14 from the line.
The Falcons shot only 19-46 from the field, but earned the victory at the free throw line where they went 16-23.
The Falcons are now two games above .500 at 10-8 overall while they sit at 4-3 in conference play.
The Falcons have a challenging week ahead of them as they face two teams ahead of them in the conference standings, Wayzata and Hopkins.
“We have a big week with Wayzata on Tuesday and Hopkins on Friday,” Weldon said. “We didn’t know how to finish games early in the season and I think we have truly turned the corner here and we’ll see what we can do.”
No team in the conference has come with 15 points of beating Hopkins, and the Falcons know they will have to play an almost perfect game to beat the Royals.
“We know they are a fast team, but we have some pretty quick guards who can push the ball up too,” Siverling said. “We obviously have to try and stop (Leslie) Knight and (Jordan) Barnes because they are their best players.”

Ambrose, Dolland Return to Minnesota
By Matt Thomas (From 02/04 edition of The Lakeshore Weekly News)

Two Blake School alumni returned to Minneapolis on Sunday, Feb. 2 as part of the Northwestern women’s basketball team.
Sophomore Kristin Ambrose and senior Leslie Dolland took on the 15th ranked Golden Gophers at Williams Arena last weekend. The Gophers prevailed 67-56.
Ambrose kept the Wildcats in the game in the first half as she came off the bench to score nine points. The Gophers held her scoreless in the second half, but Ambrose finished 4-6 from the field with five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in 25 minutes of action.
Dolland also made an impact by playing 11 minutes off the bench. The senior from Bloomington scored four points and gathered two rebounds.
Amrbose originally attended the University of Virginia, but decided to transfer to Northwestern after her freshman year.
After sitting out a year, she is fourth on the Wildcats in scoring at 5.7 points per game. She is shooting 32 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line.
Dolland is averaging 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Wildcats who are now 6-15 on the season after losing their ninth straight game.