Sports Roundup: Feb. 5

• Fans

Fans cheer on their favorites during a recent basketball doubleheader between Two Harbors and Silver Bay. The hockey teams also met last week. Jill Innis
• Casey Fitzpatrick and Shane Loeffler

Casey Fitzpatrick of Two Harbors and Shane Loeffler of Silver Bay go after the puck in a recent match. Jill Innis
• Sierra Tietge

Sierra Tietge, of the Agates, battles with a Silver Bay defender during a recent game. Jill Innis
• Haiti Relief Effort

Students from the Two Harbors student council and the football team helped raise more than $1,100 last week for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Half of the money will be donated to the Salvation Army while the other half will go to the Haiti Mercy Mission. The following businesses helped by allowing collection jars at their place of business: The Lake Bank (both branches), Wells Fargo, True Value, Napa, Auto Value, Dixie, Country Inn and Black Woods. Collections were held in each homeroom at the high school for the fund (they were also collected at Minnehaha Elementary). Collection efforts also took place at home sporting events during the week. Mike Creger

Talk about it

Silver Bay/Cook County came back from a 2-0 deficit with five unanswered goals to skate away with a 5-2 victory on their home ice against Lake County rival Two Harbors last Thursday. This turned out to be a very fast paced contest that was a clean, hard hitting affair.

Both teams did a great job of back-checking and it was a case of where if you slowed up you got left behind. The place was packed with a loud boisterous crowd that was very well behaved.

The Agates took the lead at 14:09 of the opening period on hard work and nice puck movement where Jake Homick and Ben Ruberg set up Scott Comrie for the score. At 8:28 of period two, Ruberg took a shot on goal and did what you’re supposed to do when he followed the puck to the net. By doing so he picked up the loose puck and deposited it in the other side of the net for a 2-0 Agate lead.

Then the Mariners started their comeback. Cody Vadnais hit Drew Holmen with a long breakout pass for a breakaway and Holmen scored with a nice deke to the backhand. Three minutes later the Mariners tied it up at two when Hunter Panetti scored via a penalty shot at 15:37 of the period. Panetti, who was hauled down on a breakaway for the penalty shot call, went upstairs with a backhand for the score. After two periods of play the scored was tied at two and the difference on the shot clock was only two.

The Mariners carried some of their momentum from the second period into the third. After Agate net-minder, Aaron Lee stopped Panetti on a breakaway 45 seconds into the period, the Mariners took the lead for good 13 seconds later.

Tyson Fultz took the draw in the Agate defensive zone, picked up the loose puck and quickly slid it home for what proved to be the game-winning goal.

Not too long after that the momentum shifted back in favor the Agates.

While the Mariners had a 10-2 advantage in shots at one time in the final period the final results were 13-10 as the Agates came back with determination but could never find the equalizer.

A power play for Two Harbors with 4:44 left saw them get four to five shots on goal only to see Mariner net-minder Darryl Hansen stop every one of them.

The Mariners iced the contest with two unassisted goals 18 seconds apart late in the game by Shane Billings and Holmen. Billings roofed one in from a very tough angle and Holmen scored via another breakaway.

Hansen picked up the win with 25 stops in the Mariner nets and Aaron Lee had 27 stops for the Agates.

Girls basketball

Last Friday, the Mariners girls basketball team renewed their rivalry with Two Harbors losing in blowout fashion 80-18.

Mariners head coach Larry Otterblad said the team has had shooting woes lately and the Agates bench outperformed the Mariners bench.

“They keep playing and they don’t quit,” said Rick Ray, Agates assistant coach. “We shot really, really well.”

The Agates came out on fire in the first half outscoring the Bay by 41. It was much the same in the second half as Two Harbors poured in 28 compared to the Mariners seven.

Katrina Davis led the Mariners with seven points and four rebounds while Alexi Jacobson scored six.

Abby Ray scored 17 with 10 rebounds and four steals for the Agates, while Katelyn Adams pumped in 16 with five steals.

Kristy Olson also hit two three-pointers and had four assists. Kaley Peterson had eight rebounds in the game for the Agates.

Boys basketball

The Mariners boys basketball team squeaked out a two-point win 48-46 over the rival Agates last Friday.

The Mariners came out hot outscoring Two Harbors by 10 in the first half.

Low and behold, the Agates came back with a fury in the second half only to come up a couple points short.

Luke Thun led the Mariners with 17 points while Kyle Blood put in 12 and Sam Otterblad had seven.

On the Agates side, Ryan Guentzel scored 13 and Jon Nevala-Plagemann and Jon McDannold each put in 10.

Swimming

Four Two Harbors swimmers will compete at the state YMCA swim meet for a Duluth team.

Last week, Zachary Deming, Emilie Deming, LeAnn Fynboh and Mara Boulanger competed in the Northern Sectional swim meet at the Superior High School with YMCA teams from Duluth, Superior, Brainerd and Grand Rapids.

Swimming in the following events will be:

Zachary Deming: 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 free relay and 400 free relay.

Emile Deming: 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 100 freestyle and the 100 individual medley.

Fynboh: 200 medley relay, 200 breaststroke, 50 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay

Boulanger: 200 medley relay, 50 fly, 50 breaststroke, 400 individual medley and the 400 freestyle relay.

Swimmers from Duluth are also on the team.

The Minnesota YMCA State Meet will be held Feb. 14 at the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Center.

Nordic skiing

Last Friday, the Two Harbors Nordic team competed at the Cook County Invitational Pursuit Race.

“Friday was a blast,” said head coach Sara Byrns. “It was a cool day, but it made waxing for the race easy. It was nice for our skiers to get back on ‘good’ snow, after the rain hit the Two Harbors trails. Overall our skiers had a great day of racing.”

Leif Gilsvik finished the freestyle leg in fifth place and was third overall in the classic race, while finishing the pursuit in sixth.

“Having a race like that before sections is a nice confidence boost,” Byrns said.

The top varsity girl was Kaila Carpenter finishing her freestyle race in eighth with the next closest Two Harbors skier finishing at No. 24 (Kiersten Haaversen).

“Carpenter was No. 16 overall in the classic race, struggling with slow skis because her kick wax was extended too far (the problem has been solved),” Byrns said.

Haaversen was 20th in the classic race. In the pursuit Carpenter finished No. 15 overall and Haaversen was No. 22.

SB hockey

The Mariners lost to Virginia/Mountain-Iron Buhl 19-0 last Saturday.

The Mariners gave up four in the first, eight in the second and seven in the third.

Hansen had 34 saves for the Bay while the Mariners only had 10 shots on goal.

The Mariners defeated Ashland 7-6 Tuesday.

Ashland came out hot scoring three goals in the first, before Warren Carter (Shane Loeffler, Holmen) reached the back of the net. That was followed up by a Holmen (Panetti) goal at 8:55. Ashland scored two more in first before Holmen (Panetti) scored again at 14:46.

After the offensive outburst by both teams in the first, there was no scoring in the second.

The Mariners started out the third with an unassisted goal from Fultz. Carter (Panetti) then put one in at 9:08 to tie the game. At 9:35 in the third Billings (Vadnais) gave the Mariners the lead. Carter (Panetti, Holmen) scored an insurance goal at 10:16 before Ashland could put one more in.

Hansen had 37 saves for the Bay.

Girls hockey

The Silver Bay/Two harbors/Cook County Mariners traveled to Grantsburg, Wis. to play the Burnett County Blizzard last Saturday afternoon. The Blizzard are a cooperative of six communities in Frederic, Luck, Siren, Burnett, Webster, Grantsburg and St. Croix Falls.

The Mariners came out and played well from start to finish picking up a shutout for defensive coach Mike Hoff who was sick and remained home. The Mariners scored in every period and goaltender Nikki Mealey stopped all 23 shots.

Taylor Udenberg got things started for the Mariners late in the opening period. She picked up a goal when she quickly knocked in a rebound off a shot by Marina Carter. The second period saw Carter light the red lamp as she charged the net coming off the bench on a line change and thus was in position to put home a pass from Taylor Guzzo.

The final period saw Carter score again, this time with the aid of Shay Viola. Kirstin Sandstrom concluded the game’s scoring via a nice pass from Guzzo for an easy one-timer. The Mariners ended up outshooting the Blizzard 37-23.

The Mariners picked up their second victory in a row for the second time this season with a 6-3 victory over the Superior Spartans on the road Tuesday. The Mariner offense was led by senior Sandstrom with two goals and two assists and eighth grader Anna Carman, who picked up her first varsity goal along with two assists. Udenberg, Carter and Guzzo scored the other Mariner goals. Nikki Mealey picked up the win in the Mariner nets with 13 saves as the Mariners outshot the Spartans 47-16.

TH hockey

The Agates fell to Northern Lakes 4-3 last Saturday.

After no scoring in the first Homick (Ruberg, Matt McDannold) lit the lamp for the Agates at 8:49 in the second. Northern Lakes scored a power-play goal at 16:53 to send the game into the third tied.

Casey Fitzpatrick (Comrie) scored at 8:12 in the third followed by a Comrie (Ruberg) goal at 11:19 to give Two Harbors a 3-1 lead. That wasn’t enough as Northern Lakes scored two with the last coming at 16:08 in the third to send the game to overtime.

Northern Lakes closed out the game in OT with a goal coming at 1:24. Lee had 54 saves for the Agates.

The Agates lost to International Falls 10-0 Monday.

The Falls poured in six in the first, including one on a power play and never looked back. In the second they scored three more and in the third, the Agates slowed them down a bit, allowing just one goal. Lee had 38 saves for Two Harbors.

TH girls basketball

The Agates girls team lost to Deer River 56-45 last Saturday.

Deer River held a five-point lead out of the half and outscored the Agates by six in the second.

Agates assistant coach Rick Ray said the team did not shoot the ball well in the second half.

Adams and Nina Bukowski led the team with 13 points while Ray had 11. Bukowski also had five steals in the game while Ray had four steals with 11 rebounds and three blocks.

TH boys basketball

The girls team wasn’t the only one with some tough luck against Deer River.

In boys action last Saturday, the Agates lost to Deer River, 60-46.

SB girls basketball

The Mariners fell to Duluth Marshall 60-19 last Thursday.

The Hilltoppers took a 26-point lead out of the first half and won the second by 15. Davis had 12 points for Silver Bay while Leigh Lampton had four.

SB boys basketball

Lakeview Christian Academy topped the Mariners 71-67 Monday.

The game was tight throughout as Lakeview held a three-point lead out of the half and won the second by one. Blood led the team with 18 points and three steals. Thun put in 14 with four boards and four steals, while Henry Mitchell scored 10 with five rebounds. The team shot 49 percent from the field.

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