You can't miss Shakopee boys hockey coach Jeff Vizenor's excitement when he talks about this year's team.

He remembers how the team improved last year and how it played at the end of the year. He also saw how well the athletic programs at Shakopee did this fall.

With those two things, Vizenor is ready for the hockey season to start.

"Our goal is to win a conference title," he said. "Can we do that? That's going to depend on how good of goaltending we get and how many kids can score goals and how much we get better throughout the year. We don't want to be the only ones without a banner up in the gymnasium."

The Sabers return a large group of players that won 10 games last year, including their top two goalies, three defensemen and three of their top four scorers.

The area where the Sabers are probably the strongest is in net. They return two senior goalies in Richard Suel and A.J. Dvorak.

Both played well last year and are expected to share ice time this year.

On defense the Sabers return seniors Scott Hauer and Ben Scott and junior Zak Hoffman.

"I trust those three a lot," Vizenor said.

Spencer Markgraf and Tony Valiant also played defense at times last year, giving Vizenor some depth at the blue line.

Up front, Shakopee returns Davis Madren, Andrew Boyce, Keegan Fjelstad and Joey Cazares.

Those four provided 28 goals for the team last year.

Other returning players are Nick Lindstrom, Jordan Girtz, Riley Burke and Daniel Hespenheide.

"We have a lot of kids battling for ice time," Vizenor said.

Conference

The question at the beginning of most years in the conference is, who will finish second behind Holy Angels?

That hasn't changed this year as Holy Angels is once again expected to be one of the top teams in the state and dominate the Missota Conference.

Vizenor concedes that the Stars are the team to beat but is ready to try to be the team to knock them off.

"Until somebody knocks them off they are the team to beat," he said. "We have to come ready and belief that we can beat them."

The Sabers open up the season on Friday at the Woodbury Tournament.

The Shakopee girls hockey team bounced back from its first defeat of the season with a tight win against Cretin-Derham Hall.

The Sabers lost to Hopkins 3-2 last Thursday but bounced back two days later to defeat the Raiders 2-1.

In the win against Cretin-Derham Hall, Shakopee quickly took a 1-0 lead at 1:49 of the first period when Lauren Hespendheide scored a power-play goal on assists from Anna Kubes and Riley Siddorn.

The score stayed at 1-0 until 11:53 of the second period when Alyssa Haws struck for the Sabers on assists from Allie Anderson and Abbey Leffler.

The Raiders made it 2-1 at 8:52 of the third but goalie Kailey Gansen shut the door for the 2-1 Sabers victory.

Gansen stopped 22 shots in the victory.

In the game against Hopkins, Shakopee's late rally fell just short.

The Royals built up a 3-0 lead early in the third period before the Sabers scored twice in the final five minutes to cut the lead to 3-2.

That's as close as they would get and the Sabers suffered their first loss of the season.

After a scoreless first period, Hopkins scored at 2:45 of the second period for a 1-0 lead.

In the third, Hopkins scored twice in the first 1:18 of the period, including a goal just 14 seconds into the period.

With the score 3-0, Leffler cut the lead to 3-1 at 11:21 on assists from JoJo Lindstrom and Anderson.

Just over two minutes later, Siddorn scored a power-play goal on an assist from Amy Menke.

The Sabers couldn't get the tying goal and suffered their first loss of the season.

Gansen stopped 31 shots in the loss.

Two days earlier, Shakopee scored a late third-period goal to top Eagan 5-4 at the Shakopee Ice Arena.

The win against Eagan improved Shakopee's record to 3-0 in their first three games.

Shakopee built up a 3-1 lead after the first period on goals from Hespendeide, Leffler and Menke.

The two teams exchanged goals in the second period and started the third period 4-2.

Eagan scored a power-play goal just a minute into the third and then tied it at 4-4 at 11:26 of the period.

Shakopee regained the lead when Menke scored a power-play goal at 13:00 on assists from Taylor Back and Hespenheide.

Gansen stopped 35 of 39 shots in the win.

Last year, the Shakopee girls basketball team turned up the heat on the defensive end and it resulted in one of the best seasons for the Sabers in years.

Shakopee finished the 2010 season 17-10 and second in the Missota Conference behind that defensive effort.

Head coach Juan Mitchell said this year's version of the Shakopee Sabers will look a lot like last year's in that they will rely on their defense to carry them through.

It also doesn't hurt that three starters and eight players with varsity experience return.

"Expectations are big," Mitchell said. "We expect to compete for a conference championship."

The returning players helped the Sabers win 12 of their last 15 games last year, giving the team confidence heading into this season.

"We've got good experience returning and those returners were key players from last year's team," Mitchell said.

One of those players is senior Rachel Hentges.

Mitchell said Hentges will be used in a lot of ways this year. She will be asked to score, run the point guard spot at times, rebound and provide leadership to the team.

Also returning for Mitchell and the Sabers are guards Gracie Vaughan and Hannah Zerr and post players Danielle Dreier and Rachel Boegeman.

Players who saw action last year and are expected to step in and play well this year are Cara Zastrow, Ashley Carlson and Sam Root.

Mitchell said Boegeman is going to be a big part of the team this year. She has grown to about 6-foot-3 this year and gives the Sabers a big target in the post.

The past couple of seasons Shakopee has struggled to score enough points to reward their strong defense.

That's still a concern for Mitchell,  just not as much.

"Offensively, we've gotten a lot better," he said. "We should be able to put five players on the floor that can score and shoot. We haven't had that in the past."

Mitchell said he hopes to use the defense to create more scoring opportunities.

"We really want to get in transition a lot more," Mitchell said. "We've got players that can really run and shoot so we want to try and push it."

Even with that added emphasis on the transition game the Sabers aren't going to forget about their bread and butter.

"We work on our defense everyday," Mitchell said.

That defense carried them last year and that shouldn't change this year.

"It's a team thing," Mitchell said. "Everybody is going to have to contribute."

Conference

The Missota Conference race is wide open this year.

The defending champion, Prior Lake, is no longer in the league but added this year are strong programs from Chanhassen and Chaska.

When asked who the conference favorite is, Mitchell started with Chaska, Chanhassen and New Prague but went on and said Red Wing, Farmington and Northfield should be very good. That's six of the eight teams in the league that Mitchell mentioned.

"We should be right in the thick of it," he finally said.

The Prior Lake girls hockey team can't seem to find any offense under first-year coach Jaime Grossman - at least not yet.

The Lakers have just three goals in their first four games, including getting shutout in its first-ever South Suburban Conference game Nov. 23. Eighth-ranked Lakeville South held Prior Lake to just nine shots on goal in a 4-0 home win.

Prior Lake dropped to 0-4 on the season. The Lakers scored just one goal in each of their first three games.

Lakeville South peppered the Lakers' net most of the game, finishing with 42 shots on goal. Ninth-grader Lexi Brandt made 38 saves for Prior Lake, including 16 in the first period.

Prior Lake had just one shot on goal in the first period.

The slow start is certainly not what the Lakers were hoping for following its school-record 15-win campaign last winter. However, Prior Lake has played a tough schedule to start this year, including losses to No. 15-ranked Eden Prairie, No. 5 Roseau and to Warroad, the No. 1-ranked team in Class A.

Meanwhile, Lakeville South was a 21-win team last season.

Prior Lake will get a week off to try to find its offense before it plays at Rosemount in a conference game Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. The Irish are off to a 3-0 start, having outscored its opponents by a 19-5 margin.

Prior Lake will return home Dec. 4 to take on Eastview in a conference game at 5:30 p.m.

 

The Burnsville girls hockey team is off to a struggling start, including losing its first South Suburban Conference game.

The Blaze dropped to 0-3 on the season, following a 6-2 loss at Lakeville North Nov. 23.

It was the third straight game Burnsville had allowed five or more goals. In three games, the Blaze has given up 17 goals.

The shots on goal were pretty even - Lakeville North held a 26-22 advantage. Blaze senior Kasey Evans tied the game at 1-1 with a goal 5:18 into the second period.

But Lakeville North scored three goals in just 55 seconds, starting at the 12:41 mark of the second period, to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Evans scored her second goal of the game just a minute after the Panthers' fourth goal.

But that was it for the Blaze's offense. Lakeville North scored 2:40 into the third period and never looked back.

Junior Jennifer Maloney assisted on both Evans' goals. Senior Megan Killmer had one assist.

Eighth-grader Madison Schertler made her second career start in goal for the Blaze and stopped 22 shots.

Burnsville, the defending Section 3AA champs, will try to get its first win Saturday, Nov. 27 at Park of Cottage Grove in a non-conference game at 3 p.m.

 

The Prior Lake boys hockey team won 15 games last season - the most it has won since becoming a Class 2A school at the start of the 2003-04 season.

 

However, the competition is about to get much tougher for the Lakers. Repeating 15 wins won't be easy.

 

The Lakers will be playing in the new South Suburban Conference (SSC) this winter against nine former Lake Conference schools (Burnsville, Eagan, Apple Valley, Bloomington Jefferson, Bloomington Kennedy, Eastview, Lakeville North, Lakeville South and Rosemount).

 

"We are entering into the unknown," said Lakers second-year coach Joe Pankratz. "We have a lot of good talent back, but the level of competition we are going to face is going to increase big time."

 

Four SSC teams are ranked in the preseason Class AA poll - No. 7 Apple Valley, No. 9 Eagan, No. 11 Burnsville and No. 13 Jefferson. Prior Lake went 1-2 against teams from the new conference last year, beating Kennedy and losing to Rosemount in the regular season.

 

In the Section 2AA playoffs, the Lakers fell 11-0 to Jefferson. Prior Lake is 0-7 in section quarterfinal games since moving up to the bigger class.

 

With No. 1 Edina, Burnsville, Jefferson and No. 15 Holy Angels in this year's section field, the Lakers face a tough task in trying to get that first-ever Class AA quarterfinal playoff win.

 

But don't bet against the Lakers just yet. There's some good talent back from last year's 15-11 team, including the team's top-four offensive players - senior Ryan Dorn and juniors Thomas Vidmar, Tim Mueller and Kyle Krueger.

 

"We'll be very competitive," said Pankratz. "The top teams in the conference will give us all we can handle. We just have to keep taking baby steps and continue to improve. The new conference is exactly what we need to get better down the road."

 

Dorn led the Lakers in points last year with 38 (18 goals and 20 assists). Vidmar chipped in 17 goals and 13 assists, while Mueller had 14 goals and 14 assists.

 

Krueger tied Dorn for the team lead in goals scored, adding eight assists. Junior Derek Johnson added 10 goals and nine assists.

 

The Lakers' biggest losses from last season were on defense, where the team lost three of its top five. Seniors Jesse Durfee and Brandon McCarty are back on the blue line, while senior Devin Metz will see time there after playing forward last season.

 

Ninth-grader Connor Bump and sophomores Joey Kleven and Sam Taylor also figure into the defensive mix.

 

"We're a little light on the defensive side," said Pankratz. "We have a lot of good forwards. I think we'll be able to score some goals."

 

Prior Lake returns all three of its goalies from a year ago - seniors Max Messelt and Jak Justen and junior Kyle Miller.

 

Messelt played the most minutes last season, appearing in 12 games. He had a 3.60 goals-against average.

 

Other forwards expected to contribute are: senior Matt Andrews, juniors Matt Crist and Matt Gabbard and sophomores Dylan Zins and Austin Hill.

 

Prior Lake opens the season Dec. 2 at Eagan in a conference game at 7:30 p.m. The Lakers' home opener is set for Dec. 4 against New Ulm at 3 p.m.

 

Maria Hauger of Shakopee High School will compete at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships Midwest Regional race on Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wis. 

Hauger returns to compete against some of the best runners in the region for a coveted spot in the national finals. Hauger, a sophomore, placed 15th in last year's regional race.

The 5,000-meter seeded race begins at 10:40 a.m. for the girls and at 11:25 a.m. for the boys. The top 10 boys and the top 10 girls in the seeded races qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals on Saturday, Dec. 11 at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.

Thousands of the nation's top runners are expected to compete in the 32nd annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. The series consists of four regional 5K races across the country. The South Regional (Charlotte, N.C.) and the Northeast Regional (Kings Park, N.Y.) will also be held Nov. 27.  The West Regional (Walnut, Calif.) will take place on Saturday, Dec.4. 

Runners eligible to compete in the Midwest Regional are all high school students in grades 9 through 12 residing in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and U.S. citizens in Overseas Military Installations.

As the Jordan boys basketball team gathered for their first practice on Monday there is one question lingering about the team.

Was last year's first trip to the state tournament an aberration or sign of a program ready to contend every year?

Nobody knows that question today but the coach, team and town hopes it's the later.

For the team to build on last year's success they will have to do it with a completely knew cast of characters.

The Hubmen return only one starter and one other player that played in their state tournament game last march.

"This is a different type of team," second year head coach Matt Urbanek said. "We can still be very successful and have a good season. I really believe that."

Not only will the team look differently personnel wise but they also are going to look different in the way they play.

"We are going to be a different type of team from last year," Urbanek said. "We are not going to score as many points but I still think we can be a good team."

The main difference is the team is going to try and slow the game down. Last year, they wanted to grab a rebound and get out and run and get the basket.

This year when they have the ball they plan on slowing it down and working hard on their half court offense.

Urbanek said that is a necessity because this team is strong on shooters but doesn't have much size to be able to attack the rim.

That also means the Hubmen will have to play great defense and keep the score low in order to win a lot of games.

"Our strength will lie on the defensive end," Urbanek said. "We have a team that is capable of being a very good defensive team, winning games with hustle and effort. We have to play good defense, have to take care of the ball, we have to run a good offense and manufacture good shoots. IF we can do that I think we can have a good season."

Most of the responsibility to run a good offense and anchor a solid defense will fall on senior guard Tanner Oakes.

Oakes is the only returning starter from last year and brings a lot of experience to the floor. Experience, that Urbanek will lean on heavily throughout the year.

"We hope he can lead us offensively, defensively and be a leader in the locker room," Urbanek said. "We are depending on him a ton."

Urbanek said that Oakes will be asked to run the point guard spot and handle the ball. He also said that once Oakes gets the Hubmen into their offense he wants him to get down and the post and use is 6-4 frame against the smaller guards that should be guarding him.

"We are going to use Tanner in a lot of different ways," Urbanek said.

The only other player will significant varsity experience returning for the Jordan is junior guard Kevin Way.

Way came off the bench for the Hubmen last year and played well down the stretch for them.

"We are looking for him to play a larger role," Urbanek said.

After Oakes and Way, everybody else is trying to make the jump from the junior varsity team or lower.

"We have a lot of spots to fill and that means good competition and that is only a positive," Urbanek said. "There are a lot of question marks."

With all those openings, the first shot at filling them will fall to the seniors out for the team.

Those seniors like forward Blake Hull, Tyler Stepka, Matt Busch and guards Micah Hennen, Dillon Lee, Jeff Buresh Felix Marinos and Sunny Walli had a strong year in junior varsity last year and look to bring that success with them to the varsity level.

"We are going to really going to look at our seniors and see what they can do and if they can take that next step," Urbanek said.

Juniors such at Kurt Schansberg, Andy Schrader, Will Poston, Coltan Chilson, Francis Stier, Kane Elliot, Ethan Kelly and Paul Steckman will also get a chance to prove to the coaching staff that they deserve playing time.

One player that Urbanek is really looking at and hopes he can make the jump up from JV to varsity is Schansberg.

Why? Because he is 6 foot 4 and really the only size the Hubmen have.

"We lost a ton of size," Urbanek said. "We need him for defense and rebounding. Anything else he gives us will be a bonus."

The other big body for the Hubmen is Chilson, who also sits at 6-4 but is coming off an injury last year.

That's a lot of players for the coaching staff to shift through but the competition should be strong and the season interesting.

"Our goal is to improve every game and be playing our best at the end of the year and do some damage in the playoffs," Urbanek said.

Schedule

The Hubmen begin their quest to return to the state tournament at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec.  4 at Blue Earth.

Blue Earth is the team the Hubmen defeated last year to qualify for the state berth. They are also one of the favorites in the section, Urbanek said.

Their first Minnesota River Conference game is against Montgomery-Lonsdale on Friday, Dec. 17 at home.

Saturday's Class AA State Swim/dive meet started with a surprise as Eden Prairie Head Coach Kelly Boston inserted Rachel Bootsma into her team's 200-medley relay lineup.

 

What was a surprise was that Bootsma wouldn't be swimming the backstroke or the butterfly, easily her two best events. Instead, she'd swim the breaststroke.

 

So?

 

Eden Prairie (Katie Bootsma, Sarah Coolidge, Rachel Bootsma and Ellie Suek) opened the meet by breaking an All-Time state record (1:44.80).

 

"Not in a million years did Edina think we'd put Rachel in the breaststroke," said Boston, while adding that the 200 medley relay is a race Edina had owned (Edina held the previous All-Time record).

 

Amazingly, that was the first of a number of amazing swims.

 

Included on this list was Rachel Bootsma's 100-yard butterfly, which she swam in state-record time.

 

"It was just off the national record," sad Boston, of Bootsma's finish (52.73).

 

Eden Prairie would also shine in the 500-yard freestyle, where they'd place two (Kira Zubar), six (Suek) and nine (Alyssa Swanson).

 

One race later, Zubar, Suek and Swanson would team with Kaitlin Hanahoe to place ninth in the 200-yard freestyle relay. If you do the math, that's 22 laps in, well, in a very short time.

 

"To get faster in every race, from sections to preliminaries to Saturday's state finals, is unbelievable,' said Boston. "That's not supposed to happen, especially not to girls who tapered for sections."

 

The race of the day, however, occurred in the 100-yard backstroke where Rachel Bootsma set a national record with a swim of 51.53 (the old record, set by California's Cindy Tran, was 51.85).

 

"I've been doing this for 60 years," said the head official, "and I've never seen a national record."

 

Ironically, Boston has. "My friend broke the national backstroke record in 1987," she said. "She swam in it 56-something."

 

Acknowledging that this was indeed something truly special, the crowd gave Bootsma a standing ovation as she accepted her first place medal.

 

But the drama wasn't over. With one race remaining, Eden Prairie found itself needing to finish ahead of the defending state champion Stillwater Ponies in the 400-yard freestyle relay in order to finish runner-up. Eden Prairie entered the race with a 189-188 lead (barring a DQ, Edina was going to be the overall winner).

 

As expected, second place would go down to the finish (Rachel Bootsma was trying to chase down Stillwater's Hannah Bowen, a state record holder in her own right).

 

So?

 

Bootsma passed Bowen just before the finish. As a result, Eden Prairie finished second overall (223 points). Stillwater finished third with 220 points.

 

Edina, runner-up the last two years, won the meet with 247.5 points.

 

When asked about the three-point difference, Boston talked of how many times her swimmers "stepped up."

 

Zubar, for example, moved up from fifth to fourth (1:53.29) in the 200-freestyle and from third to second (4:58.72) in the 500-yard freestyle.

 

 Alyssa Swanson would also make a move. As an 11 seed in the 500-yard freestyle, she finished ninth (5:05.44). In addition, Swanson would move from 13th to 10th in the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.99).

 

Katie Bootsma finished sixth in the 200-yard medley (2:07.33) and fourth in the 100-yard backstroke (56.80).

 

Suek finished 16th in the 50-yard freestyle (24.99). Rachel Baker finished 16th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:00.36).

 

Lastly, when asked to put a label on her team's performance, Boston started with a "wow" and then added "great all the way around."

 

Three games into its 2010-11 campaign and the Eden Prairie High School girls hockey team has already had its share of would'ves, could'ves and should'ves.

 They opened their season on Tuesday, Nov. 16, with a 4-1 victory over Prior Lake, but the margin of victory could've been greater as the Eagles outshot the Lakers 36-24.

Eden Prairie's Becky Sear scored her first-ever varsity goal. Lauren McMahon, Allie LaCombe and Karissa Olsen would also score goals.

"It was the first game for both of us," said Eden Prairie Head Coach Tim Morris, "so there was a lot of emotion.

"We had a lot of shots on goal," he adds, "but didn't score a lot of goals. Last year, we did that to a lot of teams."

Friday, Eden Prairie hosted Cloquet in its home opener. And they did it with style, scoring 27 seconds into the game (Olsen). Unfortunately, they'd give up the tying goal two minutes later.

One minute later, Eden Prairie (Bizzy Schmelzle) would go up 2-1. This time, it only took Cloquet 13 seconds to score the tying goal.

"Can't do that," adds Morris.

Cloquet took the lead with a second-period goal; Eden Prairie (Schmelzle) scored the tying-goal in the third.

"We had chances to score the winning goal in regulation and then again in overtime," laments Morris. "Sometimes, all you need is a break. Friday, we didn't catch one."

Saturday, Eden Prairie defeated Proctor/Hermantown/Marshall 8-0. LaCombe scored three goals; McMahon scored twice; Schmelzle, Olsen and Alison Peluso scored lone goals.

"We were efficient," said Morris, on scoring eight goals on 30 shots. "Like I said before, sometimes you need a lucky break; Saturday, we caught a bunch of them."

The win lifted Eden Prairie's record to 2-0-1.

"Hoping for 3-0," adds the coach, "but I'll take it."

Friday, Eden Prairie faces Irondale in the first round of Irondale's Thanksgiving Tournament (6 p.m., Irondale High School). If they win, they'll then face the winner of Coon Rapids vs. Mounds View.

Eden Prairie plays its next home game on Tuesday, Nov. 30 (Hill Murray, 7 p.m.).

The Burnsville wrestling team had prided itself on work ethic and conditioning over the years and that won't change this season.

 

"We'll be out there competing hard," said Blaze coach Bill Soderholm. "This group is used to working hard and we'll be well conditioned.

 

"We are gong to what we need to do to compete," added Soderholm. "Right now, it's a question of experience."

 

The Blaze returns two wrestlers who competed in the Class AAA individual state tournament last year - ninth-grader Bill Underhill and junior Andy Underhill.

 

Andy Underhill went 2-2 at state at 112 pounds, finishing the season with a 31-12 mark. He's ranked No. 5 in the preseason Class AAA individual poll at 119 pounds.

 

Bill Underhill competed at state at 103 pounds, losing both his matches to finish the season with a 23-12 record. He's ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll at 103.

 

The Underhill brothers are Burnsville's only two ranked wrestlers. "Both have high expectations for themselves," said Soderholm.

 

Soderholm also has high hopes for senior D'Narius Lewis, who will wrestle at either 130 or 135 pounds. Lewis had a 27-12 record last year.

 

"D'Narius has been up and down," Soderholm. "He needs to be more consistent. That's been his biggest weakness. It's certainly not from a lack of effort or technique."

 

Other wrestlers back for the Blaze include: junior Harrison Bramley (140 pounds), senior Garrett Larson (160) and sophomore Lucas Grossoehme (145).

 

Ninth-grader Jack O'Brien will also be one to watch at 112.

 

"We have some younger guys in the upper weights, so we'll see how they pan out for us," said Soderholm. "We have 50 kids out, so it's a crowded room. We have some numbers."

 

Burnsville faces a daunting task in its season opener Dec. 2. The Blaze will be on the road at No. 1-ranked Apple Valley in a South Suburban Conference dual at 7 p.m.

 

How dominant is the Eagles' program?  Apple Valley has won 11 of the last 12 Class AAA state team titles and 18 total since 1983. The team won last year's crown 54-12 over St. Michael-Albertville and was also ranked No. 1 in the nation.

 

Apple Valley has also won 28 straight section team titles. The Eagles are in Section 3AAA with the Blaze.

 

Overall, Apple Valley has won the most-ever individual state titles with 64, including seven last year. The Eagles have 10 ranked wrestlers in the preseason individual poll, including nine who are ranked No. 1.

 

Meanwhile, Prior Lake will is also part of the new conference and the Lakers are ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll with six wrestlers ranked.

 

"We're definitely in the toughest conference in the state," said Soderholm. "There's no question about that."

The Burnsville girls basketball team will be rebuilding mode this season.

 

The Blaze lost four of its top-five scorers from last year's team, including standout Molly Duehn. She finished her Blaze career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,662 points.

 

Duehn was a member of the varsity as an eighth-grader. She averaged 18 points per game last year, leading the team to a 16-11 record.

 

"We are totally rebuilding," said Blaze coach Steve Ray. "We lost a lot of talent from last year. You just don't replace a player like Molly."

 

Duehn is playing Division I this season at the University of Northern Colorado.

 

Meanwhile, Ray will also have to replace guard Rachael Moen, who was also a varsity player since eighth grade. She's playing Division II at St. Cloud State.

 

Take away your top rebounder (Tori Dixon) and one of your best three-point shooters (Emily Youngman) and there are plenty of holes to fill for the Blaze.

 

But there is some talent back, led by senior guard Jermisha Watson, who is entering her fourth varsity season. Watson is arguably one of the top defenders in the South Suburban Conference. She averaged 7.8 points per game last year and nearly three steals per contest.

 

"We relied so much on Molly and Rachael last year," said Ray. "We need to others to step up and pick up their scoring slack. We'll be competitive. We'll get after teams. We just have to keep growing as the season goes on."

 

Ray expects bigger contributions this season from juniors Jessica Ranke and Jessica Buck. Ranke will start in the backcourt with Watson, while Buck will be at one forward spot.

 

Junior Danielle Donchetz will be one to watch for the Blaze. She injured her knee midway through last season and was the rest of the season.

 

"Danielle is a hustle player," said Ray. "She works hard and does a lot of the dirty work. We expect good things from her."

 

Seniors Mariah Dobbins and Ashley Ihenacho and ninth-grader Georgi Donchetz will also see their minutes increase, along with junior Clare Mulloy and senior Asha Knight.

 

"We don't have much size," said Ray. "We need to work as a team and figure out way to get points on the board. And that is going to have to come through our defense. We are going to have to put these kids in positions where they can have success."

 

The Blaze will open the season Dec. 4 at home against Owatonna in a non-conference game at 7 p.m.

 

Burnsville's first conference game is Dec. 17 at home against Prior Lake, a 21-win team last year who has four starters back. The Lakers are part of the new 10-team conference with the Blaze, along with eight other former Lake Conference schools.

 

Lakeville North is also in the new league and the Panthers are the defending Class 4A state champs, who return one of the top players in the state in Rachel Banham. The senior guard will play Division I next year at the University of Minnesota.

 

Lakeville North, Eastview and Prior Lake are expected to be the top three contenders for the conference crown, while Bloomington Kennedy is also expected to be strong again.

 

On paper, the Prior Lake wrestling team looks pretty formidable this winter, especially in the lower weights.

 

The Lakers have six ranked wrestlers in first eight weight classes and four of them were state entrants last year - seniors Brady Johnshoy and Tanner Carlisle, junior Matt Kahnke and sophomore Ben Rock.

 

The Lakers are also ranked No. 9 in the Class 3A preseason poll.

 

But rankings are one thing. Results are another. And Prior Lake coach Joe Block understands a lot can change from now until February.

 

"Our numbers are down this year, so we are thin," said Block. "I think we will be very competitive this year as long as we keep our grades up, our noses clean and nobody gets hurt."

 

Prior Lake had a 15-19 dual-meet record last year, losing in the Section 2AAA semifinals to Northfield.

 

The Lakers are the only team ranked from Section 2AAA in the preseason poll. But that doesn't matter all that much to Block.

 

"The section is wide open this year," said Block. "Northfield is the team to beat solely based on the fact that they are the defending champions. I think Shakopee will be knocking on the door as well."

 

Prior Lake will also be part of a new conference this year - the South Suburban. In the 10-team field is perennial power Apple Valley, ranked No. 1 in the state.

 

How dominant is the Eagles' program?  Apple Valley has won 11 of the last 12 Class AAA state team titles and 18 total since 1983. The team won last year's crown 54-12 over St. Michael-Albertville and was also ranked No. 1 in the nation.

 

Apple Valley has also won 28 straight section team titles. The Eagles are in Section 3AAA.

 

Overall, the Eagles have won the most-ever individual state titles with 64, including seven last year. Apple Valley has 10 ranked wrestlers in the preseason individual poll, including nine who are ranked No. 1.

 

So winning a conference title would be a monumental accomplishment for the Lakers.

 

"The new conference will be good for us," said Block. "It should be a challenge, but one that will benefit us in the end."

 

Prior Lake won't face Apple Valley until its last dual meet of the season - Feb. 10 on the road.

 

The Lakers open the season Dec. 4 in the Hastings Duals at 9:30 a.m. Prior Lake's first conference dual is Dec. 10 at home against Lakeville North at 7 p.m.

 

Johnshoy is the Lakers' highest ranked wrestler going into the season. He's ranked No. 2 at 135 pounds. Johnshoy finished 40-4 last year, finishing third in the state at 119 pounds. He was making his third state appearance and is three-time place-winner (top six).

 

Meanwhile, Carlisle starts the season ranked No. 3 at 145 pounds. He finished 34-10 last year, taking fourth at state at 145.

 

If Carlisle gets back to state this year, he'll be the only wrestler in Prior Lake history to be a five-time state entrant. He took fifth at 103 pounds as an eighth-grader, but did not place as a ninth-grader at 112 pounds and as a sophomore at 135.

 

Kahnke, ranked No. 10 at 140 pounds, went 31-8 last year, earning his second state trip. He was 0-1 at state a year ago at 130 pounds.

 

Rock, ranked No. 8 at 125 pounds, was a first-time state entrant a year ago at 112, finishing with a 24-12 mark and losing his only state match.

 

Prior Lake's other two ranked wrestlers are: sophomore Tanner Johnshoy (No. 10 at 103) and ninth-grader Sean O'Neil (No. 9 at 112).

 

"We do bring a lot of guys back with some varsity experience," said Block.

 

Others back with some or minimal varsity experience include: ninth-graders Blake Carlisle and Ryan Norton, juniors Tucker Brietung, Jacob Kuntz, Sayed Rahmani, Travis Sampson, Tom Bremner and Ross Larson and seniors Mike Mello, Mike Von Arx, Brian Bellis, Tristan Johnson and Sean Turner and sophomore Hunter Clayton.

 

Senior James O'Brien and ninth-grader Robbie Schultz also figure into the mix for the Lakers.

 

For complete state individual and team rankings go to: http://www.theguillotine.com/highsch/ratings.html.

 

 

 

If the Burnsville boys hockey team is able to put the puck in the net on a consistent basis this winter, the Blaze could be tough to beat.

 

Burnsville has one of the top goalies in Minnesota in senior Bodhi Engum, who was second-team, all-state last year. In his first varsity season, Engum recorded a 1.85 goals-against average with six shutouts and a .930 save percentage.

 

"It's awesome to have a guy like Bodhi back there between the pipes," said Blaze senior defenseman Sean Madigan. "He's one of the best in the state. He's athletic and flexible. I think he goes from side to side better than any goalie in the state. He's awesome."

 

Engum, Madigan and senior Mike Dockry each played in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League this past fall, which features some of the top seniors from the surrounding states.

 

So there's definitely more to the Blaze than its standout goalie. Madigan and Dockry are entering their third varsity seasons.

 

Burnsville finished 17-7-3 overall last year, losing to Bloomington Jefferson 4-3 in overtime in the Section 2AA semifinals.

 

Blaze coach Janne Kivihalme is entering his fifth season at the helm. He's built Burnsville into a yearly contender with a career record of 71-36-5, winning a section title in 2007 and losing in section title game in overtime in 2008.

 

Kivihalme doesn't shy away from tough competition either. Burnsville's non-conference games are all against the top-four ranked teams in the preseason Class AA poll: No. 1 Edina, No. 2 Wayzata, No. 3 Eden Prairie and No. 4 Hill-Murray.

 

The Blaze also faces No. 15 Holy Angels in the first round of the Schwan Silver Club Dec. 28 in Blaine.

 

Burnsville is ranked No. 11 going into the season. Meanwhile, the South Suburban Conference features three other ranked teams: No. 7 Apple Valley, No. 9 Eagan and No. 13 Jefferson.

 

"We want to play the tough teams," said Madigan. "We want to know where we stand. It's a measuring stick. We feel we can play with any team in the state."

 

Burnsville opens the season at Hill-Murray Saturday, Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. The Blaze plays at Edina Dec. 2 in its second game.

 

Burnsville's first conference game is Dec. 9 at home to Eagan.

 

Madigan is one of four returning defensemen for the Blaze, along with seniors Eddie Wittchow and Nick Senta and junior Hunter Anderson. Junior Jake Maxson and ninth-grader Teemu Kivihalme are also expected to contribute on the blue line.

 

Burnsville lost its top two goal scorers from last year (Adam Smyth with 19 and Charlie Mosey with 17), but there's still plenty of offense back. Dockry had 15 goals and 17 assists a year ago, while senior Jace Childs had 16 goals and 14 assists. Junior Corey Chapman finished with 10 goals and 12 assists.

 

Other forwards expected to contribute are: seniors Quinn Johnson and Aaron Dupre, juniors Kyle Kappel, Jake Senta, Mason Wyman and Nick Bohn and sophomore Daniel Ames.

 

Senior Neal Pester will backup Engum in goal.

 

Madigan believes one big difference between this year's team and the previous two will be discipline.

 

"I don't think we have anyone who is going to take bad penalties," said Madigan. "We have talent, but this group will have more composure on the ice.

 

"I think everyone has improved since last year," added Madigan. "I think we will be more of a well-rounded team. All three of our lines will be good and we should be able to put the puck in the net."

 

 

 

 

Saturday's Class AA State Swim/dive meet started with a surprise, as Eden Prairie Head Coach Kelly Boston inserted Rachel Bootsma into her team's 200-medley relay lineup.

 

What was a surprise was that Bootsma wouldn't be swimming the backstroke or the butterfly, easily her two best events. Instead, she'd swim the breaststroke.

 

So?

 

Eden Prairie (Katie Bootsma, Sarah Coolidge, Rachel Bootsma and Ellie Suek) opened the meet by breaking an All-Time state record (1:44.80).

 

"That set the tone," said Boston.

 

Amazingly, that was the first of a number of amazing swims.

 

Included on this list was Rachel Bootsma's 100-yard butterfly, which she swam in state-record time.

 

"It was just off the national record," sad Boston, of Bootsma's finish (52.73).

 

Eden Prairie would also shine in the 500-yard freestyle, where they�d place two (Kira Zubar), six (Suek) and nine (Alyssa Swanson).

 

On race later, Zubar, Suek and Swanson would help Eden Prairie to a ninth place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

 

The race of the day, however, occurred in the 100-yard backstroke where Rachel Bootsma set a national record with a swim of 51.53.

 

"I've been doing this for 60 years,' said the head official, "and I've never seen a national record."

 

Acknowledging that this was something special, the crowd gave Bootsma a standing ovation as she accepted her first place medal.

 

With one race remaining, Eden Prairie found itself needing to finish ahead of the defending state champion Stillwater Ponies in the 400-yard freestyle relay in order finish runner-up. Eden Prairie entered the race with a 189 to 188 lead (barring a DQ, Edina was going to be the overall winner).

 

As expected, second place would go down to the finish (Rachel Bootsma was trying to chase down Stillwater's Hannah Bowen, a state record holder in her own right).

So? Bootsma passed Bowen just before the finish. As a result, Eden Prairie finished second overall (223 points). Stillwater finished third with 220 points.

 

Edina, runner-up the last two years, won the meet with 247.5 points.

The Prior Lake girls swimming team just missed finishing in the top 10 at the Class AA state meet Nov. 20 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

But the Lakers aren't about to complain about all three of their record-breaking relays finishing in the top 16 and sophomore Alex Yaeger earning a top-three finish in the 100-yard butterfly.

Prior Lake ended up tied for 11th in the team standings with Hastings with 59 points. Edina won the title (247.5 points), followed by Eden Prairie (223), Stillwater Area (220) and Wayzata (205).

Yaeger was competing in her third straight 100 butterfly at state. She finished fifth as an eighth-grader and was seventh last year. She was seeded fifth this year and moved up two spots, taking third with a time of 56.28 seconds in the finals.

Yaeger's time was just short of her own school record - 56.20 in which she set in the state finals as an eighth-grader.

Meanwhile, Eden Prairie junior Rachel Bootsma won the butterfly crown with a state-record time of 52.73, which was less than a half of a second off the national high school record (52.41 set in 1996). Bootsma ended up setting the national high school mark three events later in the 100 backstroke with a time of 51.53. The old mark was 51.85 set last May.

Yaeger also competed in the 200 individual medley at state. She ended up 12th with a time of 2:10.53. Yaeger went into state already holding the Lakers' school record in that event. She earned that with a 2:09.46 in the Section 2AA finals Nov. 12.

Yaeger was competing in two individual events at state for the third straight year, but this was her first time in the individual medley. She swam the 200 freestyle the two previous seasons, taking 15th last year and 12th as an eighth-grader.

Yaeger also swam on two state relays for the Lakers. The 200 medley team had the best finish, taking sixth with a time of 1:51.53. The foursome, which also included sophomore Elizabeth Hartell, senior Katie Nelson and ninth-grader Monica Banasikowski, had a prelims time of 1:50.94.

The prelim time was more than a second off the school record (1:49.62) in which the same foursome earned winning the section title.

Yaeger, Banasikowski and ninth-graders Taylor Dessler and Elizabeth Cunningham broke the school record in the 400 freestyle relay. They finished 13th with a time of 3:38.20. The same foursome went into state holding the school mark of 3:38.79 in which they set in the section finals.

The 200 freestyle relay team of Dessler, Banasikowski, Cunningham and seventh-grader Lauren Harris also set a new school record in the section finals (1:40.42). The foursome got close to that time at state. They swam a 1:40.84 in the prelims and a 1:40.96 in the consolation finals, which placed them 15th.

Dessler and Cunningham each swam individual events at state for the first time. Dessler ended up 21st in the 200 freestyle (1:57.54), while Cunningham was 26th in the 200 individual medley (2:15.69).

Senior Stephanie Keller was competing in the state diving competition for the second straight year. She ended up 30th with a six-dive total of 103.35.

 

The Burnsville girls swimming team earned three top-eight finishes at the Class AA state meet Nov. 20 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Sophomore Anna Elling and junior Teresa DiGregorio were each part of two of them.

Elling and DiGregorio earned career-best finishes and both came in the 100-yard butterfly. Elling ended up fifth with a time of 57.48 seconds. She was seeded second going into the meet with a time of 56.08.

DiGregorio finished right behind Elling in sixth (58.25).

Meanwhile, Eden Prairie junior Rachel Bootsma won the butterfly, setting a new state record with a time of 52.87. That time was less than a half of a second off the national high school record (52.41). Bootsma ended up setting the national high school mark three events later in the 100 backstroke with a time of 51.53. The old mark was 51.85 set last May.

Elling has competed in the butterfly at state three straight years, finishing 20th as an eighth-grader and 12th last year. DiGregioro competed in the butterfly as a ninth-grader, taking 25th.

Elling also competed in the 200 individual medley, finishing 11th with a time of 2:10.35. She was seeded second going into state with a time of 2:06.20, but swam a 2:09.49 in the prelims the day before and missed getting into the final heat (top eight).

DiGregorio swam in the consolation heat in the 100 breaststroke, taking 14th with a time of 1:08.88.

Elling, DiGregorio, senior Natalie Simon and ninth-grader Alexis Dobrzynski made up the Blaze's 200 medley relay team that earned its way onto the medal stand. The foursome finished eighth with a time of 1:52.01. They had a prelim time of 1:50.79, which placed them sixth going into the finals.

Dobryznski also competed in the 100 backstroke, finishing 18th (1:01.45).

Burnsville's 400 freestyle relay team of Elling, DiGregorio, Simon and senior Chelsea Thompson finished 18th as well with a time of 3:43.11.

In the team standings, the Blaze ended up 13th with 58 points. Edina won the team crown with 247.5 points, followed by Eden Prairie (223), Stillwater Area (220) and Wayzata (205).

 

The Prior Lake girls hockey team is still seeking its first win for new coach Jaime Grossman.

The Lakers dropped to 0-3 on the season, following back-to-back losses in a trip up north to face a pair small-school powers.

Prior Lake fell 10-1 to defending Class A champion Warroad Nov. 20, The No. 1-ranked Warriors scored the first nine goals, tallying four times in both the first two periods.

The day before, the Lakers dropped a 3-1 game to Roseau, ranked No. 5 in Class AA. The Rams were sixth at the Class AA state tournament last year.

There's still plenty of season left for the Lakers to get things turned around. However, the schedule doesn't get any easier. Up next for the Lakers is Lakeville South, who won the Lake Conference title last season and had a 21-6-1 overall mark.

Lakeville South and the Lakers are part of the new 10-team South Suburban Conference this winter. The two teams will meet in Lakeville Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.

In the loss to Warroad, senior Kelsey Kuester scored the Lakers' lone goal. Senior Shea Christenson got the assist.

Ninth-grader Lexi Brandt made the start in goal and stopped 33 shots.

Brandt also started in the loss to Roseau and made 39 saves. Roseau led 3-0 going into the third period, scoring two goals in the first period.

Senior Alex Citrowske scored the Lakers' lone goal with ninth-grader Amber Galles and junior Michelle Jeurissen each getting assists.

The Lakers lost 4-1 to Eden Prairie (a section 2AA foe) in their season opener, so Prior Lake's offense has produced just three goals in its first three games.

If the Burnsville girls hockey team expects to defend its Section 3AA title, it needs to play the way it did in the third period at Hastings Nov. 20.

The Blaze rallied for three goals to send the game into overtime. But the Raiders sent Burnsville to its second straight loss, scoring the game-winner 1:21 into the extra session for a 5-4 victory.

It's too early in the season for the Blaze to panic. There's still plenty of season left for the team to get things turned around.

But Burnsville needs to shore up its defense. That was an area of concern for coach Bruce Anderson going into the season. The Blaze has allowed 11 goals in its 0-2 start.

Hastings scored the game's first four goals before the Blaze finally got on the board. Ninth-grader Lindsey Coleman scored just 23 after the Raiders' scored shorthanded. Sophomore Alaina Blair and ninth-grader Emma Wittchow each had the assists.

The goal seemed to get the Blaze some confidence. In the third period, Burnsville controlled the play, scoring three unanswered goals. Senior Jesse Mara scored first, followed by senior Kasey Evans and junior Jennifer Maloney.

Maloney's goal was unassisted and it came with 47 seconds left to play in regulation. Maloney also assisted on Evans' and Mara's goals.

Eighth-grader Madison Schertler made her first career start in goal for the Blaze. She finished with 23 saves.

The Blaze will try for its first win Tuesday, Nov. 23 when it opens the South Suburban Conference season at Lakeville North at 7 p.m. The Panthers are the defending Section 1AA champs.

Holy Family came close to a state championship two seasons ago.

This season, the Fire are still burning brightly.

Holy Family defeated DeLaSalle 35-29 on Saturday evening in the state Class 3A semifinals at the Metrodome.

The 13-0 Fire will face 13-0 Rochester Lourdes for the 3A championship in the Prep Bowl, set for Saturday, Nov. 27 at the Metrodome.

DeLaSalle running back Reggie Gandy ran for 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but the Islanders had only six points for much of the second half. Gandy got in from 3 yards out as time expired at the end of the game.

The Fire had a little extra inspiration due to an unfortunate injury in the fourth quarter. Fire senior Michael Wurm had his helmet knocked off while making a tackle and sustained an apparent neck/head injury. Wurm remained on the field for more than 20 minutes before leaving on a stretcher.

Fire senior Peter Westerhaus scored on a 4-yard rush and on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Jeff Soule on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter for the deciding points.

Peter Vakulskas had a 19-yard rushing touchdown and Soule added a 16-yard TD scamper for Holy Family.

Gandy finished with 274 yards and three TDs on 36 carries.

Mistakes were the key to victory, as the Fire recovered a fumble and snuffed a late Islander drive with an interception by Michael Fritz of a tipped pass inside the Islander 10-yard line.

View a photo gallery from the game here.