Prep report: 7AA hockey contenders Rock Ridge, Grand Rapids tie

Goalie makes stop. — Rock Ridge goalie Wyatt Jonassen (29) stops a Duluth Marshall shot in the first period of the game at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth on Tuesday evening, Jan. 7.

By Staff reports

January 30, 2025 at 10:49 PM

Prep hockey fans looking for a potential clue for if Rock Ridge and Grand Rapids meet in the Section 7AA final at Amsoil Arena got no early indications on Thursday night as the teams skated to a 4-4 tie at Yanmar Arena in Grand Rapids.

Both sides came out blazing, with Ander Rajala putting Rapids in the lead after just 12 seconds elapsed. A pair of Jameson Duell goals 92 seconds apart later in the period handed the hosts a 3-1 lead.

The Thunderhawks carried a one-goal edge into the third period only for Derik Dahl to bag an equalizer for the visitors 2:01 into the third frame, a score that held up through nearly 15 minutes of the third period and through overtime.

Wyatt Jonassen piled up the saves in Rock Ridge’s net, stopping 43 shots. Cal Scott scored and added two assists for the Wolverines (17-3-2), whose unbeaten streak now stands at 15.

Rajala (goal, two assists) and Nathan Garski (three assists) had three-point games for Rapids (14-6-1). Carter Casey made 26 saves.

Proctor 3, Superior 2

Proctor’s Austin Bryant settled a duel of late goals by scoring a game-winner with 1:12 left in regulation, just 89 seconds after Superior’s Braydon Hurtig evened the game at 2.

There was another exchange of goals early in the third period, as Brayden Severin of Superior and Caleb Lanthier of Proctor scored barely a minute apart.

Logan Peterson had Proctor’s other goal, while Tanner Ross added a pair of assists and goalie Brayden McLean made 22 saves. The Rails (10-9-1) have won three straight games.

Hunter Sidorowicz stopped 38 shots for Superior (4-14-1).

Bemidji 3, Duluth East 0

Nolan Nygaard made 47 saves for the Greyhounds, but that couldn’t spark any offense on the other end on Thursday night in Bemidji.

Christian Hill of the Lumberjacks blanked East (2-20) on 17 shots.

GIRLS HOCKEY

Superior 5, Duluth 2

Makaela Reinke finished a hat trick with a third-period penalty shot to put away the Northern Stars on Wednesday at Essentia Duluth Heritage Center.

The third goal came just 56 seconds after Nora Good scored for Duluth on the power play to make it a 3-2 game.

PaisLee Lystig had two assists for Superior (16-3), which got 31 saves from Kaylie Nault.

Aaili Anttila made 23 saves for Duluth (9-9-5), which also got a power play goal from Jessie Paulson.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Northwestern 63, St. Croix Falls 37

The Tigers made it six wins in a row with a road win on Thursday night.

Boden Teal led the Northwestern scoring effort with 16, while Tysen Teal added 14 and Kam Kroll 11. Austin Lahti pulled down 15 rebounds for the Tigers, now 10-4 overall and 8-2 in the Heart O’North Conference.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Cromwell-Wright 48, Chisholm 44

In a game that could be repeated in a month deep in the Section 7A tournament, the Cardinals won a defensive struggle of 15-win teams on the road in Chisholm.

Isabella Anderson’s 16 points for the Cardinals (16-2) were key, while Emelia Dahl aded 12.

Josie Baumgard scored 12 to lead Chisholm (15-5).

Esko 81, Moose Lake/Willow River 54

Four Esko players scored in double figures as the visitors won going away in Moose Lake on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Maya Johnson put up a game-high 21 for Esko (9-12), which outscored the Rebels 46-24 in the second half. Kaitlyn McConnell had 18 and Clara Swanson 14.

Madison Wasche led MLWR (9-8) with 20 points, while Brooklyn Wasche scored 13 and Tyler Orvedahl 12.

Proctor 63, Braham 42

Chloe Carlson scored 16 points and drilled four 3-pointers as the Rails rolled to a 19th victory on the season.

Presley Tapani added 14 and Lily Smith 12 for Proctor (19-2), which has two weeks to prepare for its next game, a Feb. 13 home showdown with Class AA No. 2 Crosby-Ironton and Minnesota recruit Tori Oehrlein.

Mountain Iron-Buhl 84, Cherry 39

Anna Neyens connected five times from 3-point range as the Rangers took down Iron Range rivals Cherry on Thursday night.

Her 29 points led all scorers, and Izzy Wiita added 23.

MI-B (17-2) has won 11 consecutive games.

Duluth East 49, Minneapolis Southwest 46

A pair of 13-point games from Sierra Fuller and Veada Davidson helped the Greyhounds grab a narrow victory from their trip to meet the Lakers in Minneapolis on Wednesday night.

Maggie Winesett kicked in nine for East, now 8-10 and on their second three-game winning streak of the season.

By Staff reports

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.