outlook2003A7

2002-2003 CLASS A SECTION OUTLOOK

Section 7A
International Falls (20-7-3) was a team with one big line last year that carried them to the State Class A tournament. Even though the Broncos lost one-third of that big line in Tom Biondich, who netted 52 goals in 2001-2002, Falls may be a better team this year. The Broncos lost only one other graduate that saw extensive ice time. Senior forwards Ben Gordon and Ross Johnson, the other two-thirds of that one big line, return. Gordon was the leading scorer in the state last year, after all tournament games, with 31 goals, 59 assists and has been signed by the U of Minnesota for the 2004-2005 season. The Broncos also have four other senior forwards and one junior forward returning which should make them better scorers with one more year of experience. Senior defenseman Josh Meyers is currently playing at Bozeman in the AWHL, but Falls returns two other defensemen plus senior goalie Jared Baldwin. Baldwin started all but two games last year and is capable of shutting other teams down.
Eveleth-Gilbert (13-12-1) should be one of the top teams in Section 7A this year. The Golden Bears lost only one forward and return 13 seniors. The Golden Bears are anchored by sophomore defensemen Chris and Carl Babich. Although they are only sophomores, the twins are two of the best Class A defensemen in the state. Chris led Eveleth-Gilbert in scoring last year while Carl was the #4 scorer. Senior forwards Ryan Smith and Joe Torkkola, two of the other top scorers last year, are back to lead the offense. Senior Nate Garland will give Eveleth-Gilbert some more scoring punch and sophomore Scott Hawley looked good as a freshman a year ago. Both goalies also return. Seniors Jesse Lind and John Flanigan have split time in goal for the past two seasons.
Duluth Marshall (17-8-0) returns some offense but lost alot on defense. Even though the Hilltoppers lost their top two scorers, they have three senior forwards and three junior forwards returning. Back are seniors Nic Williams and Conlan McConnell along with junior Bryan Sederberg. On defense, three defenders and the top goalie graduated leaving a big hole. Duluth Marshall usually picks up a couple transfers each year, so they may improve themselves that way again this year.
Hermantown (19-8-2) lost mainstay BJ Radovich who has played regularly since he was a freshman. Also gone is Brent Palmer, the Hawks #2 scorer for the past three seasons, their top defenseman, and their top goalie. These losses could Hermantown into a .500 team; however, the Hawks have five solid scorers returning. Senior Jake Carlson and junior Nick Kemp are the top returning forwards. The defense will have to replace Nate Buck in goal.
Silver Bay (17-7-2) lost their top two scorers but return plenty of good players. Junior forward Devin VanHouse and sophomore defenseman Jesse Downey were the #3 and #4 scorers last year. Downey is one of the top sophomore defensemen in the state. Junior forward AJ Skalsky and senior defensman Nate Timm should also score big for the Mariners this year. Senior Alex Conboy returns for his third year between the pipes.
Hibbing (9-14-2) was an early season pick last year to be a top ten team in the state but that never materialized. Hibbing should be respectable this year with returning big scorers senior Jesse Vesel and junior Drew Walters. Sophomore Shea Walters will also contribute some offense. Senior Brad Kern leads the defense with senior Danny Tomassoni in goal.
Ely (14-10-0) lost their big three, Luke Stellmach, Nick Levar, and Bobby Fink. Those three were some of the best scorers in the state last year and accounted for 80% of the Timberwolves' scoring.
Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl (10-13-0) returns their #2 and #4 scorers in juniors Nate and Nick Hedley. Sophomore Matt Niskanen is a top-notch defenseman.
Mesabi East (9-17-1) has senior forwards Mike LaFrenier and Kevin Christensen who have been two of their best players since they were sophomores.
Chisholm/Cook (7-18-0) top returners are seniors Steve Amundson and Joel Urdahl and junior Alex Hejda. Freshman Dustin Potter scored 4 goals with 10 assists as an eighth grader last year.

Section 8A
East Grand Forks (18-11-2) finished fifth at the State Class A tournament last year after an opening round loss to eventual champion Totino-Grace. The Green Wave lost some key players but still return enough for a possible third straight Section title. Back on offense are seniors Jason Ellis, Chris Spicer, and Eric Gast. Three top junior forwards include Matt Stengl, Jared Kouba, and Chris Ranten. The defense will be led by junior Tyler Scholand, and although the Green Wave lost their #1 goalie, junior Tyler Johnson has alot of potential,
Lake Of The Woods (17-9-0) has a team that could challenge East Grand Forks. The Bears return three of their top five scorers and they're all juniors. #1 scorer junior forward Brent Olson led Lake Of The Woods in scoring last year and juniors Brett Nylander and Darrin Becklund finished close behind. The Bears lost three solid graduates on offense and two on defense; however, senior defenseman Brandon Ballard returns with all three goalies, seniors Brady Hasbargen, and Colin Heynes with junior Corey Olson.
Thief River Falls (16-10-1) is another team that could challenge East Grand Forks for the Section 8A title. The Prowlers return five of their top eight scorers including leading scorer junior Aaron Bendickson. Also returning on offense are seniors Dane Kjono and Jeff Schneider. The defense looks solid with two of the three top scorers back in seniors Jason Tuthill and William Forney. Also returning are both goalies; senior Ben Worker, who started most of the games last year, and junior backup Justin Klinkhammer.
Detroit Lakes (14-10-1) moved from Section 4A to Section 8A last year and found the competition much tougher. The Lakers had a decent team last year but were dumped soundly by Warroad in the quarterfinals. Detroit Lakes may be ready to advance farther this year. The Lakers return their top scorer, senior Tim Serviss, along with three other quality senior forwards, Ben Noah, Chase Conley, and Mike Christensen. Detroit Lakes also returns their top two scoring defensemen in seniors Garrett Raboin and Matt Havenkamp. The weakness for the Lakes will be in goal where last year's starter graduated.
Warroad (15-11-1) lost heavily with eight graduates, including four forwards, two defensemen, and two goalies. The Warriors have leading scorer senior Tony Selvog returning along with senior Alex Mohrbacher, who played defense last year but can play forward as well.
Crookston (13-14-0) lost their four top scorers. The top returning scorers are junior Matt Hann and senior Travis Stortroen. The Pirates may depend heavily on senior goalie Nick Noah who has been the starter for the past two seasons
Kittson Central (9-13-1) is a team that should improve this year. They have everyone back from last year. In 2001-2002, forward Donovan Haugstad led the team in scoring as a freshman. Also returning up front are senior Teal Plaine and junior Reed Huntunen. Junior defenseman Brett Sobolik scored 25 points from the blueline last season and junior Fabien Lizee also returns. Senior goalie Kyle Bergh started all games, except one, last year.
Red Lake Falls (8-17-0) should get some scoring from senior forwards Steve Zutz, Mac Knott, and Keith Kleven. Zutz led the team in scoring last season. Junior goalie Charlie Schmitz played well and improved last year.
Park Rapids (6-17-0) has their top two scorers back in senior Alex Koester and junior Tyler Lehrke.
Bagley/Fosston (6-15-0) returns junior Brandon Cavness who led the team in scoring last year as a sophomore.