DULUTH — It happens several times every season, according to Duluth Northern Stars coach Ali Randall.
Inevitably, multiple players will approach Randall and ask some version of “what do I need to do to play varsity.”
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It’s not a bad thing, Randall said. It shows a willingness to advocate for themselves and a desire to improve and expand their hockey skills, but there is one question she asks that — at minimum — provokes a pause.
The question?
“Do you work as hard as Gracyn Schipper?” Randall said.
Schipper, the Northern Stars' senior captain, leads the team with 14 goals and 29 points. But to indicate that’s the only way she leads the team is to sell Schipper short. Very short, according to Randall, and the players know it too.
“You can see a little bit of a wheel turning and then they smirk — they know exactly what we’re talking about,” she said. “We’ll blow the play dead in practice and she’s still chopping away at someone else’s stick … She never takes a shift off. It’s awesome because you just know she’s not going to give up on you and she’s not going to give up on the team.”
Two years ago, the Northern Stars won 14 games, their first winning season in more than a decade, and earned a home playoff game for the first time in 15 years.
The expectations were sky-high heading into 2023-24. Grace Karakas was coming off a DNT All-Area selection in 2023 and Mae McCall — who is tied with Schipper for the most assists on the 2024-25 team with 15 — was an up-and-coming sophomore.
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Unfortunately, Schipper missed almost the entire season with a broken collarbone and the Northern Stars recorded just nine wins. The record forced them to travel to perennial section champion Andover for the Section 7AA quarterfinal, which they lost 8-0.
That forced break opened Schipper’s eyes to how much she enjoyed hockey.
“Taking time off, it really made me realize how much I missed it and what I took for granted,” Schipper said. “I learned a lot just standing on the bench and watching the girls, but it’s really good to be back. It’s refreshing.”
Schipper’s example to the rest of the team has been key for the Northern Stars, Randall said.
“She sets a great tone, not only just how to treat a human, but also how to be a damn good hockey player,” she said. “Her teammates can trust her and her coaches know she’s going to do the right thing even when we’re not looking.”
In a 1-1 tie Thursday against Elk River, the Northern Stars managed only four shots in the first period. However, they came back out in the second and kept the pressure on Elks goalie Abby Huselid. The Northern Stars outshot Elk River 45-16 over the final two periods and overtime, they just couldn’t slip another shot past Huselid.
It wasn’t a tongue-lashing from Randall that got the team moving in the second, according to sophomore Bailey Theis, it was the positivity of Schipper.
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“She’s very encouraging to us between periods, before the game and at practice — she’s very uplifting,” Theis said. “I know a lot of people look up to her and aspire to be a leader like her on this team.”
It doesn’t hurt that the on-ice play is absolutely impeccable, Theis said.
“She’s a really good playmaker,” she said. “She’s always setting up plays, passing at the perfect time for perfect opportunities. If you pass to her, she’ll get the puck in — you can depend on her.”
Encouraging the next generation
Last week at the end of practice, the Northern Stars had some special guests at Seitz Arena.
The 10U and 8U teams from the Duluth Icebreakers girls youth program came out and played some games with the Northern Stars.
It was something Randall tried to incorporate into the program as soon as she took it over three seasons ago.
“That was one of the first things we did when we started,” Randall said. “We said we’re going to start doing some nights with our youth team.”
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While the Duluth East and Duluth Denfeld boys play as the Greyhounds and Hunters, respectively, at the youth level, that continuity doesn’t exist between the Northern Stars and Icebreakers. The hope is they will get to know the Northern Stars players and they will aspire to be a part of the program.
Charlee Yentsch, 6, said she enjoyed playing “sharks and minnows,” “asteroids” and warming up on the ice with the Northern Stars.
Toward the end, the youth players started mobbing one person in particular — Schipper.
“I love working with them,” Shipper said. “I feel like my generation never connected with the high school team, so it just feels really good and it’s important to me. I want to make the kids want to play for the Northern Stars … Plus I want them to find their love for hockey and get to know us personally as players — they can come cheer us.”
The Trust Project
