Sports

Ringing in the New Year Outdoors in the Northland

With most people enjoying the day off of work, some spent the holiday outside.

DULUTH, Minn. – With most people enjoying the day off of work, some spent the holiday outside. FOX 21 photojournalist Marcus Asmus caught up with outdoor enthusiasts at the Hartley Nature Center in Duluth. Categories: Features, Great Outdoors, News

Greyhounds Boys Hockey Fall at Home to Cougars

Duluth East falls to 5-5 on the season.

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth East boys hockey team struggled at home on the last day of 2019, as Lakeville South got the 8-0 win on Tuesday. The Greyhounds fall to 5-5. Duluth East will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 3 at Stillwater and will return home on Monday, Jan. 6 against Duluth Denfeld. Categories: High School, Sports

Wilderness Pick Up Home Win on New Years Eve

Hermantown native Tyler Watkins scored twice for the Wilderness in the win.

CLOQUET, Minn. – The Minnesota Wilderness got off to a fast start and held on late to get the 5-3 over the St. Cloud Blizzard in their annual New Years Eve game. Tyler Watkins scored twice while Mitch Allard, Jonathan Morrison and Alec Cokley all scored once for the Wilderness. Kaleb Johnson finished with 28 saves. The Wilderness will be…

UMD Women’s Basketball Looking to Stay Perfect in Conference Play After Holiday Break

The Bulldogs are currently 6-0 in NSIC play and will host Bemidji State on Friday night and Minnesota Crookston on Saturday afternoon.

DULUTH, Minn. – The holidays are over for most college athletes as teams are returning to practice to get ready for upcoming games. After eight days off, the UMD women’s basketball team hit the court on Monday to start preparing for the second half of the season. After finishing non-conference play at .500, the Bulldogs got things together for NSIC…

UMD Men’s Hockey Ends 2019 With Non-Conference Sweep of Merrimack

Cole Koepke and Justin Richards both scored their second goals of the weekend as the Bulldogs improve to 5-5 in non-conference play.

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 10 Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team closed out the decade in a big way, getting the 5-1 win over Merrimack College to sweep the road series and improve to 5-5 in non-conference play. Cole Koepke scored his second goal of the weekend in a personal-best three-point afternoon. Justin Richards also scored his second goal…

College Women’s Basketball: Yellowjackets Sweep Superior Shootout Holiday Classic; Saints Fall to Lions

Marissa Ruiz and Eva Reinertsen led the way with 14 points each for UWS while Karli Skog led St. Scholastica with 15 points.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The hosts Wisconsin-Superior women’s basketball team dominated on the final day of the Superior Shootout Holiday Classic, getting the 83-45 win over Waldorf on Monday afternoon. Marissa Ruiz and Eva Reinertsen led the way with 14 points each, while Pashia Scott chipped in with 12 points for the Yellowjackets. UWS (7-5) will return to action on Wednesday,…

Northern Star: Grace Kirk

For this week's Northern Star, we hear from the captain of the Duluth Marshall girls basketball team.

DULUTH, Minn. – Back in March, the Duluth Marshall girls basketball team had their season end at the hands of Proctor in the Section 7AA title game. Nearly nine months later, that loss is still stuck in the minds of the Hilltoppers, even more so with senior guard Grace Kirk. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had…

College Women’s Basketball: Saints, Yellowjackets Win on First Day of Superior Shootout Holiday Classic

The St. Scholastica and Wisconsin-Superior women's basketball teams picked up wins on day one of the Superior Shootout Holiday Classic.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – On the first day of the Superior Shootout Holiday Classic, the St. Scholastica women overcame a slow start to get the 68-51 win over Waldorf, while the hosts Wisconsin-Superior women used a big fourth quarter to top Finlandia 64-55. In the first game of the day, the Warriors led the Saints after the first quarter, but the…

Wisconsin-Superior Men’s Hockey Skates to 4-4 Tie, Marian Wins Superior Showdown in Shootout

Cloquet native Dylan Johnson scored two goals for the Yellowjackets.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Wisconsin-Superior men’s hockey team continued to battle back, but in the end, Marian won the 2019 Superior Showdown in a 1-0 shootout win. Dylan Johnson finished with two goals for the Yellowjackets, including the first goal and the last goal with just 30 seconds remaining to force overtime. Troy York and Artur Terchiyev scored the other…

Bulldogs Men’s Hockey Scores Four Unanswered to Top Merrimack College

Down 1-0 in the second, Cole Koepke scored shorthanded to start the comeback and give UMD the win.

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 10 UMD men’s hockey team returned from the holiday break in a big way, getting the 4-1 road win over Merrimack College in the series opener. After being off for three weeks, but Bulldogs took some time to get going and went down 1-0 early in the second. The Bulldogs then scored four unanswered…

Yellowjackets Men’s Hockey Hangs On Late to Win Superior Showdown Opener

Andrew Durham and Troy York scored early to give UWS a 2-0 lead after the first period.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Wisconsin-Superior men’s hockey team jumped out to an early lead and then held on late to get the 2-1 win over Tufts and advance to the Superior Showdown championship game. Andrew Durham and Troy York scored for the Yellowjackets in the first period. Oscar Svensson finished with 21 saves. UWS will play Marian in the Superior…

Prep Boys Hockey: Hunters Win Heritage Holiday Classic in Overtime; Hilltoppers, Hawks End Holiday Classic With Wins

Griffin Lehet scored the game-winner in overtime for Duluth Denfeld.

DULUTH, Minn. – Griffin Lehet scored the game-winner in overtime as Duluth Denfeld rallied back to get the 2-1 win over Owatonna to win the Heritage Holiday Classic. Kade Shea scored the other goal for the Hunters early in the third period. Duluth Denfeld (9-2-1) will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 3 hosting Bloomington Kennedy. At the final…

Hawks Girls Basketball Takes Home Third Place at Esko Coaches Classic

Hermantown improves to 9-1 on the season.

ESKO, Minn. – The Hermantown girls basketball team bounced back in a big win on Saturday, getting the 56-35 win over hosts Esko to take home third place at the Esko Coaches Classic. Hermantown improves to 9-1 and will be back in action on Jan. 7 at home hosting Duluth East, while Esko (7-4) will host Moose Lake-Willow River on…

Prep Boys Hockey: Hunters, Hawks Win Holiday Classic Games, Hilltoppers Fall at Home

Griffin Lehet lifted Duluth Denfeld past Roseville in the second round of the Heritage Holiday Inn Classic, while Hermantown domianted Fort Frances in the second day of the Hilltopper Holiday Classic.

DULUTH, Minn. – Griffin Lehet finished with a hat trick as the Duluth Denfeld boys hockey team got the 6-2 win over Roseville in the second round of the Heritage Holiday Inn Classic. The Hunters will take on Owatonna in the championship game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. In the Hilltopper Holiday Classic at Mars Lakeview Arena, Hermantown dominated Fort…

Prep Girls Basketball: Lumberjacks, Hawks Fall in Holiday Classics

Hermantown suffered its first loss of the season, while Cloquet lost at home in the first day of the Wood City Classic.

ESKO, Minn. – The Hermantown girls basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, as St. Anthony Village got the 62-58 win in the second round of the Esko Coaches Classic. The Hawks (8-1) will play hosts Esko in the third place game on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. In the first day of the Wood City Classic in Cloquet,…

Coaches Corner: Stephanie Erickson

For this week's Coaches Corner, we sat down with Duluth Marshall girls hockey head coach Stephanie Erickson.

DULUTH, Minn. -For this week’s Coaches Corner, we sat down with Duluth Marshall girls hockey head coach Stephaine Erickson to talk about the start of the season and what it will take to get the Hilltoppers back to the section 7A title game. Duluth Marshall will be back in action on Saturday against Warroad and will be back home on…

Proctor Basketball’s Sam Parendo Commits to Wisconsin-Superior

Parendo will head across the bridge to play at the collegiate level next season.

PROCTOR, Minn. – Proctor girls basketball senior guard Sam Parendo has decided to stay close to home for college and committed to playing college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Superior Parendo holds the record for all-time assists at Proctor and has been a key part of the team’s offense, where she helped lead the Rails to the state tournament last…

Superior’s Jarrett Gronski Commits to Bemidji State University

The Big Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year led the Spartans to the state semifinals for the first time since 1990.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior quarterback Jarrett Gronski announced on Twitter on Thursday that he has committed to play college football at Bemidji State University. Gronski pulled off multiple impressive comebacks while leading the Spartans to the state semifinals this past season. In 13 games, Gronski completed 42 passes for 753 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 57.9 passing yards per game….

Denfeld Takes Game One of the Heritage Holiday Inn Classic

The Denfeld Hunters beat the Depere, WI Voyageurs 5-3.

DULUTH, Minn. – The Heritage Holiday Inn Classic high school hockey tournament kicked off on Thursday at the Essentia Duluth Heritage Center. The Denfeld Hunters took on the Depere, WI Voyageurs. Denfeld ended up winning 5-3 they take on Roseville on Friday night at 7 p.m.. Categories: High School, Sports

UMD Looking to Pick Up Non-Conference Wins This Weekend

The Bulldogs stressed in a press conference Thursday that they are looking to change their losing non-conference record which stands at 3-5.

DULUTH, Minn. – With 22 days between games for the holidays UMD men’s hockey is back and prepping for this weekends clash with Merrimack College. The players got some much needed break and most got to go home and see their families. The Bulldogs stressed in a press conference Thursday that they are looking to change their losing non-conference record…

Hawks Prevail Over Warriors in First Day of Hilltopper Classic

Hermantown beats Brainerd 4-1.

DULUTH, Minn. – After having the day off for Christmas, the Hermantown Hawks were back in action at the Hilltopper Holiday Classic at Mars Lakeview Arena. Captain Blake Biondi scored two goals in the second including a short-handed goal. The win puts the Hawks to 7-1-1 on the season. They will play Fort Frances on Friday at 4:30 in the…

Mini Mushers at the Secret Forest Playschool

GREAT OUTDOORS: Ryan Redington Takes Preschoolers Mushing

DULUTH, Minn. — Dog sledding was widely used by those traveling from village to village along the north shore and later by mail carriers. One legendary mail carrier in particular, John Beargrease, is still recognized and honored here today. With the Beargrease race just weeks away, in this weeks great outdoors Fox 21’s Brittney Merlot takes us mushing with a…

Duluth Marshall Hockey Looking to Holiday Tournament to Bounce Back

The holiday classic gives Marshall a chance to get plenty of experience with teams they would not normally play.

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Marshall is hosting its annual Hilltopper Holiday Classic hockey tournament at Mars Lakeview Arena. The tournament is drawing six teams from as far away as Fort Frances in Canada to compete. Other teams featured will be Hermantown, Brainerd, Burnsville, and Buffalo. The holiday classic gives Marshall a chance to get plenty of experience with teams they…

Hermantown Hockey’s Christmas Eve Alumni Game Brings Together Decades of Tradition

A family is how many have described the hockey community in Hermantown, and this is just another way the Hermantown community continues its traditions.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Hermantown is all about hockey, many years of tradition is on display each Christmas Even when alumni come back to take on the current varsity team. “We have Division-oners playing with guys that never played a day after high school and it’s just great to see everybody and it just keeps the community going that hockey community…

UMD Women’s Hockey Coach Maura Crowell Making History

With Scott Sandelin coaching the World Juniors team, it marks the first time two head coaches from the same school will be coaching national teams at the same time.

DULUTH, Minn. – UMD women’s hockey coach Maura Crowell will be far from home this Christmas. She is coaching the US Womens U-18 team at the IIHF World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia. Along with the honor of coaching the team for the second straight year, she is making history as well because Bulldog’s men’s hockey coach Scott Sandelin will be…

Northern Star: Braelyn Sathers

For this week's segment, meet a Proctor/Hermantown defender who isn't letting a slow start hold her back.

PROCTOR, Minn. – While many of the pieces have changed, senior defender Braelyn Sathers has been a consistent part of the Proctor Hermantown Mirage blue line this season. “She’s a tall girl, she takes up a lot of space just with her size and her stick and her positioning. Every game she’s been bringing it and she’s really doing a…

Prep Boys Hockey: Hawks and Greyhounds Nab Big Wins

Hermantown and Duluth East both beat tough teams on Saturday.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – The 5-1-1 Hermantown Hawks boys hockey team hosted last year’s state third place finisher Mahtomedi in a big matchup. The Zephyrs had a record of 7-1 coming into the game. Hawks would dominate the Zephyrs 9-2. Hermantown captain Blake Biondi helps his team out and scores his eleventh and twelfth goals of the season as well. Meanwhile…

Prep Boys Basketball: Friday Night Wins for Eskomos, Blue Devils, Hilltoppers

Esko and Duluth Marshall earn wins at home, while Virginia hangs on for the road win over Proctor.

ESKO, Minn. – James LaGarde and Payton Wefel combined to score 31 points as the Esko boys basketball team knocked off Two Harbors 76-35 Friday night. In other boys action, Virginia picked up a close road win over Proctor 68-65 and Duluth Marshall ran past Lakeview Christian Academy 92-35. Categories: Friday Night Frenzy, High School, Sports

Coaches Corner: Greg Polkowski

For this week's segment, we catch up with the head coach of the UWS men's basketball team.

DULUTH, Minn. – For this week’s Coaches Corner, we spoke with UWS men’s basketball coach Greg Polkowski about his team’s hot start to the season. The Yellowjackets are 6-4 on the season, including a perfect 4-0 in the UMAC. They’ll be back in action next weekend for the Nicolet National Bank Holiday tournament in De Pere, WI. Categories: Coaches Corner,…

Hilltoppers Girls Hockey Fall to Red Knights at Home

Duluth Marshall could not get on the board against the Red Knights.

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Marshall girls hockey team had no answers for Benilde-St. Margaret’s as the Red Knights blanked the Hilltoppers 4-0 Friday night at Mars Lakeview Arena. Mary Zavoral scored twice, while Lily Mortenson and Sophie Melsness also scored for the Red Knights. The Hilltoppers fall to 5-5 on the season as they will host Minneapolis on Saturday….

Jingle Bells For A Good Cause

ACTIVE ADVENTURES: Volunteer Salvation Army Bell Ringing Taken To The Next Level

DULUTH, Minn. — In this weeks Active Adventures Fox 21’s Brittney Merlot and Brett Scott donated their time to help the less fortunate this holiday season. Volunteering to bell ring for Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive at Mount Royal turned out to be a fun experience, check it out. Brittney Merlot wanted to take it to the next level with…

UMD Hockey Moms Help Out Jennifer Kuhlman After Car Accident

In about ten days, the page is almost at its goal of raising $12,000.

DULUTH, Minn. – Earlier this month, Jennifer Kuhlman, the mother of former UMD captain Karson Kuhlman, was involved in a car crash in the United Kingdom where she currently works for the U.S. Air Force. Her injuries include her foot, wrist and pelvis. Almost immediately, a GoFundMe page was set up by Patricia Samberg, current UMD defenseman Dylan Samberg’s mom,…

Hermantown’s Morgan Schroeder Commits to Northwestern College Volleyball

The Hawks standout will be joining the Red Raiders next season.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Thursday, Hawks volleyball standout Morgan Schroeder signed her National Letter of Intent to join the Northwestern College volleyball team. The campus is located about 50 minutes north of Sioux City, IA. Schroeder says her family will be moving just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota which will make the trip to see her play much easier. “They…

Prep Girls Basketball: Hawks, Hilltoppers Stay Undefeated

The Hermantown and Duluth Marshall girls basketball teams each stayed undefeated with wins Thursday night.

DULUTH, Minn. – Gianna Kneepkens led the way with 23 points while Grace Kirk chipped in with 22 points and 11 assists as the Duluth Marshall girls basketball team got the home win over Cherry 69-52 Thursday night. And across the bridge, Hermantown held off a late rally from Superior to get the road win 61-54. Both the Hilltoppers and…

Prep Boys Basketball: Greyhounds Top Hunters; Eskomos Get By Spartans

Duluth East would win the rivalry showdown over Duluth Denfeld while Esko got the road win over Superior.

SUPERIOR, Minn. – 32 points from Joey Barker would not be enough as the Superior boys basketball team fall short to Esko 69-68 Thursday night. Payton Wefel and James LaGarde combine to score 41 for the Eskomos who improve to 4-2 on the season. They’ll host Two Harbors Friday night. In other prep boys basketball action, Duluth East got the…

Prep Boys Hockey: Hunters, Greyhounds Winners at Perkins Frenzy

Duluth Denfeld would comeback against Superior while Duluth East blanked Duluth Marshall.

DULUTH, Minn. – Cooper and Connor McClure would each score in the third period as the Duluth Denfeld boys hockey team earned the comeback win over Superior 3-2 Thursday night at the 2019 Perkins Frenzy. Griffin Lehet also scored for the Hunters while the Spartans got their goals from Drew Scharte and TJ Sitek. In the other game of the…

Duluth Marshall Girls Basketball Open Season With Five Straight Wins

In their five victories so far, the Hilltoppers are winning on an average margin of victory of over 40 points per game.

DULUTH, Minn. – It’s really hard to go undefeated for an entire season. But it’s even harder to glance over how well the Duluth Marshall girls basketball team has been playing so far this season. The Hilltoppers are currently 5-0 on the early season, which started a little later than most did in the Northland. And while both Grace Kirk…

Rails’ Cole Johnson Commits to Bemidji State Football

The big-bodied wide receiver helped Proctor advance all the way to the section semi-finals

PROCTOR, Minn. – Proctor’s Cole Johnson announced Wednesday morning on Twitter that he has committed to playing college football at Bemidji State. The big-bodied wide receiver helped the Rails advance all the way to the section semi-finals and was a big part of Proctor’s win over Hermantown in the “Battle for the Hammer”. Johnson also plays basketball and baseball for…

Prep Basketball: Greyhounds Boys Fall at Home; Rails Girls Top Blue Devils

Duluth East fell short at home against Cambridge-Isanti while Proctor won big against Virginia.

DULUTH, Minn. – In a father-son coaching match-up, Mike McDonald and Cambridge-Isanti hang on to beat Rhett McDonald and Duluth East 69-65 Tuesday night. And in girls action, Proctor would get the home win over Virginia 63-28, holding the Blue Devils to just four points in the second half. The Rails improve to 6-1 on the season as they will…

Prep Hockey: Hawks Boys Top Hunters; Mirage Blast Spartans; Northern Stars Upset Lightning

Hermantown boys, Proctor/Hermantown and Duluth girls all picked up wins on Tuesday night.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – In a battle of two of the top teams in Section 7A, the Hermantown boys put the clamps down on Duluth Denfeld to get the win 6-1, thanks to four goals from Blake Biondi. In girls action, it was Proctor/Hermantown all over Superior 13-0 and the Duluth Northern Stars pulled off the upset as they held on…

Duluth East’s Edwards Twins Sign NLIs for North Dakota State Baseball

Both say it was just an added bonus that they are both becoming Bison when they head off to college.

DULUTH, Minn. – There are many people who believe that twin telepathy is a real thing, where twins can feel exactly what the other is thinking. For those who don’t believe it’s real, here’s “Exhibit A”: Duluth East baseball standouts Caden and Jaxon Edwards. Tuesday, the twin brothers signed their National Letters of Intent to join the North Dakota State…

Prep Basketball: Eskomo Boys Top Grizzlies in Battle of Section Champs; Greyhound Girls Fall at Home

The Esko boys basketball team got the home win over North Woods, while the Duluth East girls lost at home to Osseo.

ESKO, Minn. – In a battle of two teams who made it to the state tournament last season, the Esko boys basketball team used a strong push late in the second half to get past North Woods 95-77 Monday night. The Eskomos got 30 points each from James LaGarde and Payton Wefel to help pick up their third win of…

Hot Start Has UWS Men’s Hockey Atop WIAC Standings

The Yellowjackets are currently tied with UW-Eau Claire for the best record in the WIAC.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Momentum is a big part in how successful a team can be. There’s momentum within a game and even between games as well. But what about momentum from one season to the next? That seems to be the case for the UWS men’s hockey team. After a strong end to last season, the Yellowjackets are currently tied…

Northern Star: Nate Pionk

For this week's segment, meet the St. Scholastica men's hockey captain who's creating his own legacy within the program.

DULUTH, Minn. – Hermantown high school hockey is a program that will always stand out across the state of Minnesota. “It’s a hockey community. You see it all over the news in the state of Minnesota. Just growing up there and playing there, you always had a target on your back, teams would want to beat you being one of…

College Athletes Hang Out with Local Kids at UWS Holiday Party

As part of Week of Giving, families were invited to spend the day with Yellowjackets.

SUPERIOR, Wis.- As part of UWS Athletic Department’s 4th Annual Week of Giving, kids could come and use the campus as their playground, as they spent the afternoon with college athletes. “Superior’s obviously a smaller town and we want the community’s support, and in order to get that you gotta support the community,” said Andrew Durham, a Senior on the…

Yellowjackets Basketball Splits Doubleheader Against Vikings

Eva Reinertsen finished with 20 points in the women's game to give her 1,000 career points.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Eva Reinertsen scored her 1,000th career point during the second quarter of Saturday’s game and finished with 20, but Bethany Lutheran was able to hang on late for the 69-68 win over the Wisconsin-Superior women in a rematch of the UMAC title game. Emily Carpenter finished with 17 points while Marissa Ruiz had had 12 and Pashia…

Prep Girls Basketball: Hilltoppers, Agates, Hawks, Spartans Pick Up Wins at Lake Superior Conference Day

Duluth Marshall and Hermantown stayed undefeated while Two Harbors and Superior also picked up wins at Lake Superior Conference Day in Cloquet.

CLOQUET, Minn. – Cloquet Middle School was home to the 2019 Lake Superior Conference day with four girls basketball games happening throughout the day and saw Duluth Marshall, Two Harbors, Hermantown and Superior picking up wins. Duluth Marshall stayed undefeated with a 71-39 win over Ashland and Hermantown also stayed undefeated, getting the 47-32 win over previously undefeated Proctor. In…