LEGGING IT OUT--Baraga’s Dan Henning, left, finished his heat in the boys 100 in second place. Both the boys and girls teams took third place at a cold, foggy and rain-soaked Condin Field. Baraga is at Hancock again Friday for a Lake Linden-Hubbell Invitational and will travel to Calumet on Tuesday, May 6 for a Copper Country Conference meet.

   Despite cold, fog and rain, Baraga’s two varsity track teams were in Hancock April 25 to make up the cancelled Hancock Asphalt Invite which had been postponed three days prior due to thunderstorms.
   Because of safety concerns, several events had to be scratched from the meet. Included were the long jump and pole vault. When the final event was over, both the boys and girls teams placed third.
   The teams were at Houghton as the paper went to press Tuesday evening, will travel back to Hancock on Friday, May 2 for the Lakes Invitational and visit Calumet on Tuesday, May 6 for a Copper Country Invitational. All three meets begin at 4 p.m.

   L’Anse Golf Coach George Cram has a very seasoned boys golf crew returning this spring, and the team believes it’s got a shot at the West PAC crown. And for a change, the girls have nine players out, after not fielding a full team in recent years.
    “The boys believe they can win the conference,” Cram said. “I told them you don’t win it on paper–you win it on the golf course. It’s all going to be in how they play. We’re looking forward to having a good season. They’re confident, but we’ll see how they play.”

   Baraga’s high school golfers are expecting to make themselves heard in the Copper Country Golf Conference in the upcoming season.
   The Viking boys have the best shot at challenging Class D teams for conference glory as a seasoned corps returns. The Vikette girls are also looking to continue improving and post some solid scores.

   C.J. Sullivan Elementary students will join others from both across Michigan and around the world May 7 participating in All Children Exercising Simultaneously (ACES).
   According to Sullivan Elementary physical education teacher Fred Teddy, this year’s event will take place at 10 a.m. At that time, approximately 450,000 Michigan school students from around 1,000 schools will join in the effort which has spread to not only all 50 states, but 50 countries as well.

   Katie Pynnonen of L’Anse has completed another successful season with the University of Michigan synchronized skating team. Her collegiate team qualified and traveled to Providence, RI and won their first national medal, fourth place in the country. The team competed in the Midwestern Sectionals in Nashville, TN, in February and qualified in the top eight teams with a fourth place finish. They also skated at the Mid-America competition in Fraser, MI, and the Dr. Porter competition in Ann Arbor in early December.
   Pynnonen is a senior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, and is majoring in communication studies and psychology.

   The Finlandia University “Point Guard College” basketball clinic, originally scheduled for April 12, has been rescheduled.
   The basketball clinic will take place Sunday, June 1, 2008, from noon to 7 p.m., at Finlandia’s Paavo Nurmi Center gymnasium, Hancock.
   All athletes who plan to attend, including those who previously registered, should contact Curtis Wittenberg, Finlandia head women’s basketball coach, at 906-487-7214 or curtis.wittenberg@finlandia.edu.
   The Point Guard College basketball clinic is designed for the dedicated athlete. It aims to improve leadership, develop fundamentals, and create a deeper understanding of the game.

LAID BACK--Tyler McGaha takes flight over the high jump during last week’s track meet at the Superior Dome in Marquette. Baraga didn’t earn honors in that event, but the Vikings took three finishes in the long jump finals, including a sixth place, by McGaha.

   The Hornet varsity track team opened the season with its first complete meet Wednesday, April 20 at Marquette’s Superior Dome. Moving up to Division II this year, the girls team finished fourth in the field of eight schools while the boys came in eighth place.
   Regular-season competition starts this Friday, April 25 with L’Anse taking a long road-trip to Ironwood for the Kramer Invitational. Tuesday, April 29, a trip to Ishpeming is on the schedule.

   Baraga’s two varsity track teams found themselves at a very busy Superior Dome Thursday, April 17 as part of an 16-team meet hosted by Superior Central. When the day was completed, the boys finished in ninth place while the girls came in 13th. Baraga competed in Division III or Class D schools from across the Upper Peninsula and Northeastern Wisconsin.
   The team was at Hancock as the paper went to press Tuesday afternoon for its only meet of the week and is scheduled for another Tuesday meet on April 29 at Houghton.

   How’s this for consistency?
   The L’Anse Golf Club opened for the season precisely at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2008. It was the same date the club opened in 2007!
   “It’s a little wet out there in places but we came through the winter real good,” Club Manager Paul Sintkowski said. “We’re in much better shape on the course than we were last year.”
   And once again the L’Anse course is among the first golf courses in the Western UP to open. Don’t be surprised to find a few foursomes from places like Calumet and Ontonagon out there these days!

   Carney-Nadeau High School invites participants to its annual 4-on-4 basketball tournament for boys and girls. All games will be played full court and are 22 minutes long.
   This will be a two or three-day tournament (depending on the amount of teams) to be held the weekend of May 9-11, 2008. This is a double elimination tournament. Rosters are limited to five players per team and will be divided into teams of grades 1-2; 3-4; 5-6; 7-8; 9-10; 11-12.
   The cost is $50 per team.

SEASON OPENER--L’Ansevarsity track and field athletes got an early start to the 2008 season with an April 10 meeting at Michigan Tech’s indoor track. Many events were shorted or eliminated. Danny Perrault, third from right and teammate Dennis Anderson, second from right are pictured running the 60-yard dash instead of the usual 100 yard’er

   L’Anse’s varsity track teams opened the season April 10 with a meet at Michigan Tech. Out of the field of seven schools, the girls placed fourth and the boys fifth.
   Both teams have a large Division II meet in Marquette today, Wednesday, April 16. They will compete with most of the other Class C schools in the UP.
   “Our biggest thing is that we thought we would do a little better and score a little more as a team,” said coach Darren Voskuhl about both squads. “We didn’t have enough people to fill the field events. We have some work to do in our running events but I thought we did a pretty good job.”

   Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) officials say the organization may not be able to offer its full range of services to students, coaches, administrators and officials due to its sports season litigation battle.
   MHSAA has been ordered to pay just over $4.5 million in attorneys fees and legal costs to the plaintiffs who brought suit over the girls high school sports seasons.
   The ruling is the ultimate result of a complaint filed in 1998 alleging MHSAA violated Title IX by playing girls basketball in the fall and boys basketball in the winter, among other sports season issues. The case was settled last year when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear MHSAA’s appeal.

   L’Anse High School seniors David Pynnonen and Matt Salli have been invited to participate in the USA Junior Nationals International Sports Festival in Columbus, OH this summer.
   Both athletes, who led the 2007-2008 Hornet varsity cagers in scoring this season, participated in a March 23, 2008 USA Junior Nationals basketball competition at Eastern Michigan University. Based on their performances at that event, both were invited to Columbus July 21-27, 2008.

   The annual four-day Finlandia University Boys and Girls Fundamental Basketball Camp will take place May 5 to 8, 2008, in the gymnasium at Finlandia’s Paavo Nurmi Center, Hancock.
   The camp is open to youth in grades three to nine.
   On each of the days, grades 3 and 4 will meet from 5 to 6:30 p.m.; grades 5 and 6 will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; and grades 7, 8, and 9 will meet from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
   The basketball camp will be directed by Finlandia men’s and women’s basketball coaches Charlie Kemppainen and Curtis Wittenberg.
   The cost of the camp is $35 per player. Each camper will receive a basketball.

   The first-ever Covington Kick Ball Tourney started out on a 1-2 foot packed snow base but ended with more than a half-foot of slush and water along the baselines! The April 5, 2008 event included eight teams with Hyde’s Team eclipsing the Playground Bullies for the first-place trophy.
   The event was a fundraiser for the L’Anse Sports Complex and played at Covington’s multi-purpose facility.
   “It was a beautiful day . . . with temps hovering around 50,” said event organizer Harry Miron. “However, as the sun rose, the conditions worsened but also made it extremely challenging. It was truly not for the light-hearted as slush started to make even the best teams crumble!”

   This year’s L’Anse varsity track team has several good things going for it. Included are high numbers for both the boys and girls teams.
   As of April 7, 2008, 18 boys and 17 girls were on the official roster. The team will again be coached by Darren Voskuhl with John Jacobson serving as assistant coach. High school cross country coach Matt Dennis has volunteered and will assist both varsity teams with distance events, Voskuhl said. He and Jacobson will focus on all other events.

IN CONTROL--Finlandia PG Ryan Artley brings the ball up as he takes a moment to scan the situation. The Lion senior is now Finlandia’s men’s basketball’s leading career scorer.

   Finlandia University senior Ryan Artley landed a first team berth in D-III All-Independent men’s basketball voting by non-conference college coaches. Artley capped his four-year career at Finlandia as the Lions’ scoring leader this season averaging 22 points per game.
   The Baraga native became Finlandia’s all-time scoring leader with 1,657 points. Artley is the son of Scott and Jean Artley of Baraga. He was a stand-out Baraga Viking basketball player and proved his college coach’s hunch was right. Charlie Kemppainen has coached Artley at Finlandia.
   “Charlie came to me when I was a senior in high school. He took me out to lunch and sort of talked me into going there,” Artley said. “Charlie gave me the best opportunity I could have ever had in college. He knew how I played and had confidence in me. I started my first nine or ten games as a freshman.”

   Baraga varsity boys track coach Scott Schwarz and girls coach Deb DeShambo said conditions haven’t allowed either team an opportunity to work on times and, in the case of field events, do much beyond conditioning with the season opener just over a week away.
   Both teams will participate in Division III competition at Marquette’s Superior Dome on Thursday, April 17. Both coaches said they have some idea of who will be doing what events–especially with returning athletes. However, neither coach could be 100 percent certain.

   Both Baraga and L’Anse high school athletes participated in the March 30, 2008, UP State Powerlifting Championship held at the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base facility near Gwinn.
   Baraga’s varsity boys finished first in the event with 56 points, L’Anse placed third with 23.
   Baraga female varsity lifter Elisa Reynolds participated in the event giving the Vikes a third in that division with four points.

Land-clearing for the L’Anse athletic complex--before Monday night’s snowfall. See Sports, page 14, for an update on the project.

   For those who haven’t seen what’s going on behind the L’Anse Area Schools’ complex since February, take a look! Work is in high gear on the proposed school sports complex.
   Dave Tembreull, owner of Huron River Contracting and Mike Delene of MD Inc. Have been quite busy clearing a large section of property for what will become not only a sorely needed new football field, but those involved with the project hope will include a soccer/football practice field, two baseball diamonds, tennis courts, bleachers and field house, track and field facilities and outdoor basketball court.
   That’s the overall project plan and a lot of volunteers are determined to make it a reality. Since February, MD Inc. and Huron River Contracting have been clearing the area of logs, brush and stumps and hauling the stuff for the past three weeks, Tembreull said. Terry Kahkonen of KCo donated use of a excavator as long as needed and Chuckie Cavanaugh also jumped in to help with brushing and clearing the land.

   Three Finlandia University student-athletes were named to the Midwest College Hockey Association (MCHA) All-Tournament Team following the Harris Cup championship game March 1, 2008 at the Kern Center in Milwaukee.
   Freshman goalie Ryan Donovan (Pinckney, MI) was named the Harris Cup Tournament MVP. Junior forward Ryan Sullivan (Marquette) and sophomore defenseman Tiger Marcotte (L’Anse), were also among the seven players named to the 2008 MCHA All-Tournament team.

   The fourth annual Finlandia University Spring Soccer Clinic will take place Saturday, April 19, 2008, at the Paavo Nurmi Athletic Center, Hancock.
   The clinic will focus on fundamental footwork development. Matt Griffith, head men’s and women’s soccer coach, and the Finlandia Lions soccer teams, will instruct clinic participants.
   The soccer clinic is for youth ages 8 to 18.
   The 8-11 age group will meet from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The fee for the 8-11 age group is $15.
The 12-18 age group meets from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The fee for the 12-18 age group is $25.

   Lauren Beeler of L’Anse High School led a contingent of seven Baraga County basketball players named to the 2008 All-Upper Peninsula basketball teams. Beeler was named to the five-player girls Dream Team. Five L’Anse Hornets and two Baraga Vikings earned honors on the All-UP teams.
   Matt Salli of L’Anse High received the highest honors among Baraga County male players on the teams. Salli was named to the second team in Classes A, B and C combined. Their berths on the two teams gave Beeler and Salli automatic tickets to participate in the Upper Peninsula high school all-star basketball games to be played in June.
   Two other Hornettes, Lauren Bianco and Jessica Kemppainen, joined Beeler on the All-UP girls team. These three players formed the nucleus of L’Anse’s team which compiled an 18-2 regular-season record and was ranked third among ABC teams in the UP. Bianco and Kemppainen were both named special mention on the All-UP team.
   Elisa Reynolds of Baraga High School was tabbed special mention on the girls All-UP Class D team. Tyler McGaha of Baraga High was named special mention on the Class D boys All-UP team.
   David Pynnonen of L’Anse joined his teammate, Salli, on the Class ABC boys team, being picked as an honorable-mention choice. Salli and Pynnonen paced the Hornettes to a 13-7 overall record and 7-3 second-place finish in the WestPAC.

   Eight L’Anse High School athletes came home with hardware from the March 15 UP Power-lifting Championship held in Newberry.
   Hornet varsity football coach Mark Leaf said eight players attended and all placed in the top four for their weight divisions. Included were JV athletes Nick Mayo, Josh Truesdell, Cody Dingeldey, Parker Miller and Nic Hendrickson. Shawn Smith, Charlie Johnson and Cameron Aten participated in the varsity division.

BARAGA POWERLIFTERS--A growing crew of JV powerlifters is filling the ranks for the Vikings. Front, l-r, Joe Mattfolk, Kelly Shanahan, Steve Johnson, Mike Niemi, Shane Maki and Dillon Kilpela. Back, l-r, Paul Tahtinen, Tyler McGaha, James Reynolds, Matt Velmer, Matt Santti, John Paul Jukkala and Jon Boever.

   A number of dedicated athletes have worked through the winter to represent Baraga High School in UP Powerlifting. Although there were only five varsity lifters at the March 15 powerlifting event in Newberry, the Baraga JV crew came through with 10 guys and a second place overall finish.
   The UP Powerlifting season continues with a second meet on Saturday, March 29, in Gwinn. The event is hosted by the West Branch Fitness Center at Sawyer.
   The Great Western Conference meet has traditionally been hosted by Ontonagon. This spring Baraga will stage that powerlift at BHS on Saturday, April 19. The Copper Country powerlift has been hosted on the first Saturday in May and Baraga coach Doug Hodges is considering organizing that meet at BHS, too.

   L’Anse varsity boys basketball coach Art Engel said finishing the year with a 13-7 regular-season mark was a little better than he expected at the start of the 2007-2008 campaign.
   “We weren’t picked to beat Calumet and we beat them both games,” said Engel. “We weren’t picked to beat them and I think most people picked us to finish fourth in the conference.”
   But instead of a fourth-place West PAC finish, the Hornets finished the season with a second-place trophy. Engel said both Copper King victories were something to cherish as was the team’s second game against West Iron County as it won 47-46 at the buzzer.

   For the third year, Finlandia University leads the Midwest College Hockey Association (MCHA) All-Academic Team with 12 players.
   They are sophomores Brandon Vanacker (3.558) and Bryan Solander (3.475); juniors Matthew Krueger (3.974), Marc “Tiger” Marcotte (3.668), and Blake Miller (3.581); and seniors Travis Hanson (3.725), Mike Parks (3.713), Matt Lindgren (3.713), Ryan Sullivan (3.512), Lucas Alberer (3.450), Josh Paquette (3.321), and C.J. Fisher (3.245).

   Jerry Bugni said there are still one or two team openings for a planned Saturday, April 5 kick-ball tournament at the Covington Multi-purpose facility.
   The event is a fundraiser for the ongoing improvements to Meadowbrook Field, home of the Hornet football team. Bugni said the tourney is a single-elimination, co-ed event.
   Entry fee is $100 per team and the event is limited to the first eight teams. Entry fees can be sent to Harry Miron, tournament manager, 14051 Section 16 Road, Covington, MI 49919.

   As always “The Name Game” ice show featured a number of accomplished local skaters who performed solo routines. Soloists included Madeline Etelamaki, skating to “Flintstones”, choreographed by Dana Graff; and Nicole Rossi skating to “Charlie Brown”, choreographed by Martineau.
   Tara Meleen skated to “Jack And Diane”, choreographed by Martineau. Advanced skater Kelsey Brennan was scheduled for a solo and other perfromances but a knee injury prevented her from skating in the show. Two duets were also performed. Nicole Delene and Rebecca Augustine skated to “Rosemary’s Granddaughter”, choreographing their own number.

   It’s no secret that the combined L’Anse-Baraga high school hockey program is not on equal footing with many other local and regional programs. The hockey Hornets never have a roster of seasoned A-level travel team players coming up to the high school ranks. The area’s youth hockey feeder program will never be on par with Calumet, Houghton or Hancock.
   And despite L’Anse and Baraga schools combining talent, even a small school like Jeffers has more schools to draw players from with its cooperative program.
   But the Hornets stood up to some talented teams, including the Calumet Copper Kings who won Region 17, the quarter-final with Sault Ste. Marie, and eventually, a state hockey championship.

   Baraga’s varsity boys basketball team improved somewhat in the record book this winter, but the rebuilding program has more going for it than winning a half-dozen games in the last three months. Scott Artley returned as coach after a four-year absence, and set on and off-court goals for his team.
   Before the season Artley stressed improved sportsmanship and respect, playing with intensity, better shot selection and cutting turnovers as major Viking goals.
   “We have made some real good strides in being respectful and establishing the kind of sportsmanship we want in this program,” Artley said. “The way we handled adversity, how we interacted as teammates, how we interacted with referees, we improved. We had some tough situations throughout the season and handled them well.

   Keweenaw Bay Hockey’s Mite Cougars are three-for-three after another tournament championship last weekend. The Snyder Drugs-sponsored Mites won the Iron River tournament March 15-16, 2008. The team coached by Dave Miller, Kevin Fish and Jeremy Francois won the Calumet Invitational, and a 12-team Green Bay tournament earlier this winter.
   Last weekend Snyder Mites went to overtime to defeat the Iron River Ice Hawks 2-1 in the championship game.
   “Our kids have a tendency to send the big games into overtime. In the Calumet tournament we won the championship 2-1 on a goal by Keegan Julio, assisted by Ashok Ravindran in overtime,” Coach Dave Miller said.

   Both L’Anse and Baraga athletes grades 3-6 were well-represented at the March 8-9 L’Anse Hoops 2008 Elementary tournament.
   Despite frigid starts on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, teams from Ishpeming, Ontonagon, Iron River and Negaunee joined the “home town favorites” in the double elimination event. Competition was broken down by grade level and into boys and girls divisions.
   Plenty of hardware stayed in Baraga County after all the games concluded. The Baraga girls third grade team came away with a second-place trophy as did the L’Anse sixth-grade girls.

   Over the course of this year’s Baraga boys basketball season several people who have dedicated years to the program have been honored.
   Longtime loyal Viking fans Jim and Mae Loman were honored, as was veteran Viking basketball coach Nick Lindemann (see recent Sentinels.)
   Three more people who have been dedicated to the program have been honored at boys basketball home games. Each received a framed certificate of appreciation.
   Clyde Santti is simply the ultimate Baraga fan! At the Baraga-North Dickinson district tournament game at BHS on Feb. 25, Santti was perched in his familiar top-row seat in the bleachers. It was his 189th consecutive Viking home game since 1989!
   Twenty-year girls cage coach Dennis Ruuspakka is credited with helping spark the boys program through the success of his Vikette state semi-final girls teams of 1991 and 1992.
Ruuspakka has run the clock and kept the scorebook at boys and girls games for at least 25 years. He also helped run basketball camps during and after his coaching career.
   BHS alumnus and longtime Baraga board member Bob Koskinen is also appreciated. He’s been a familiar face on the scoring bench, operating the clock and keeping the book for about 30 years. He also helps with the annual elementary tournament.

   The Keweenaw Bay Cougars gave it all they had and missed a state Bantam B hockey championship by the closest of margins last weekend.
   After opening the three-day tournament with a 4-2 victory over the Tawas Thunder Friday afternoon, the Cougars were defeated by the same team, 3-1, in the championship game Sunday evening, March 9, 2008.
   The tournament was hosted by Iron Range Hockey at Negaunee, and the Negaunee Ice Arena was packed with L’Anse-Baraga fans and supporters for Sunday’s championship game.

   L’Anse girls varsity basketball standout Lauren Beeler has been named to the 2008 Associated Press Class C All-State basketball team as selected by Michigan sports writers and broadcasters.
   The 5’11” utility player for this year’s 18-3 Hornette squad averaged 18.9 points per game hitting 45 percent of her two- point attempts and 33 percent from outside the arc.   Beeler also led the team in rebounds with a 9.3 per game average, blocks with a 3.0 per game average and steals with a 3.5 per game average. She was second on the team in assists averaging 2.6 per game.

   L'Anse-Baraga Figure Skaters have been busy this winter honing their skills and anticipating this year’s ice show on March 15-16. The Saturday-Sunday shows are always attended by hundreds packed into Meadowbrook Arena in L’Anse.
   Skaters participated in several testing events sponsored by United State Figure Skating Association over the course of the winter. Young skaters have worked through the Basic Skills levels at the L’Anse rink since last fall.
   Advanced skaters have worked under their coaches’ guidance to prepare for USFSA testing, and various competitions in which they skate against other figure skaters from around the region.

   The six-member L’Anse High School bowling team just wrapped up its second season with a second-place finish in Division II of the UP Bowling Association Congress.
   Coach Cheryl Dingeldey could field six bowlers this year. The change in girls sports seasons took a bite out of her pool of prospective players. But she was quite pleased with the season’s outcome. This winter’s team included returners Steven Brunet and Frankie Tehako, along with newcomers Josh Truesdell, Frank Cangemi, Ryan Etelamaki and Jessica Walitalo.

   Two games and a total of 16 points kept the varsity Hornette cagers from at least a piece of the West PAC title for 2007- 2008.
   The team finished the year with an impressive 18-2 regular-season record and 18-3 overall. While most fans felt things ended abruptly and too soon for the seemingly almost unstoppable Purple and White, coach Shawn Hendrickson said in his almost 20 years of coaching, he’s never experienced such a quality group of young ladies.
   “All of these girls were excellent, quality people. Their parents should be commended for who they raised,” Hendrickson said. “In all my years of coaching, this is the funnest team by far. I have really enjoyed this group.”

   Baraga’s girls basketball program continues to improve in its multi-year rebuilding program. Under the leadership of coach Beth Koski the work ethic is strong and the results are slowly but steadily stacking up in the right column of the record book.
   The varsity Vikettes posted a 7-13 overall record this season. That’s coming off years of 3-18, 1-20, and 0-21 records.
   “Overall the girls did improve, especially when you look at the two or three year picture,” Koski said. “Defense had been our focus (playing an intense man-to-man) but this year we focused more on the offensive end–because we had to!”

   The kids are ready. The coaches are ready. The parents are ready. Let’s get on with it already!
   Keweenaw Bay Hockey’s Baraga Telephone Bantams are eager to take on the state’s best Bantam B teams in the state championship tournament this weekend in Negaunee. The KB team qualified by winning its UP Finals back on Feb. 1-3 in Ontonagon.
   And they were ready then, not only defeating longtime rival Ontonagon in a well-played 2-0 shut-out, but thumping the field of UP Finals opponents by a total score of 34-2!

   Although the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (UPSSA) “All UP” meeting is several weeks out, both the boys and girls varsity teams collected post-season honors at the conference level.
   Matt Salli, David Pynnonen, Joey Jossens and Jaron McIntyre were recognized by the West PAC boys coaches. Lauren Beeler, Jessica Kemppainen, Lauren Bianco and coach Shawn Hendrickson collected accolades from girls conference coaches. All seven players are seniors. All statistics are for the 20-game regular season.

   L’Anse took a shot at making Hornet hockey history with a trip to the Region 17 championship game last week, but the cards played out how most would expect–with a Calumet-Hancock battle for the crown.
   The Hornets put themselves in position to make some noise with a 5-3 opening round victory over Jeffers on Monday, Feb. 25 at Michigan Tech. L’Anse was eager to face off with Calumet on Wednesday, Feb. 27. After all, the Hornets had taken Calumet to overtime at the Coliseum on Jan 24, ultimately losing 2-1.

   L’Anse varsity boys basketball coach Art Engel said his team performed well defensively against Houghton, but couldn’t get anything going offensively in the Feb. 27 Class C District 93 semi-finals. The Hornets fell to the Gremlins by a 49-30 decision ending their season with a 14-8 overall mark.
   Engel said he felt his team had prepared well for the Gremlin match-up.

SUCCESS!--L’Anse-Baraga Figure Skating Club members celebrate their success in recent testing and competition. Skaters from toddlers to high school-age will showcase their advancing skills at the popular ice show at L’Anse on March 15-16.

   The L'Anse Baraga Figure Skaters have been busy this winter honing their skills and anticipating this year’s ice show on March 15-16. Skaters participated in a CCSA sponsored test session held Feb. 16 and 17 at the SDC in Houghton. They also participated in the annual Marquette Invitational Open competition held Feb. 22 and 23, 2008.
   Additionally, a high school figure skating competition was held February 24 in Marquette.
The annual L'Anse Baraga Figure Skating Club ice show will be held on Saturday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m. at L'Anse Meadowbrook Arena.

   About 45 elementary school basketball teams filed through the Baraga school and Ojibwa Community College gyms last weekend for the Baraga Booster Club basketball tournament.
   The athletic booster club sponsors the event and it gets lots of volunteer help from parents and the coaches in Baraga schools’ basketball program. It’s a long weekend with game after game as boys and girls battle in third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade and six grade levels in boys and girls divisions. The Feb. 29-March 2 event drew more than 500 young basketball players.

   Two area youth--Kelsey Ross and Brian Fedie, have earned the right to advance to regional-state competition in the annual Knights of Columbus (KC) Free Throw Competition.
   According to John Juntunen of KC Council 2934 of L’Anse, shooters as young as nine years old participated at the local level held in early February.
   Local winners included: John Carl Smith and Autumn Swanson (age 13), Keith Denomie and Ross (age 12), Jacob Ostermeyer and Madissen Swanson (age 11), Jacob Fedie (age 10) and Brian Fedie (age 9).

   Finlandia University Lions junior ice hockey defenseman Tiger Marcotte of L’Anse, has earned a second MCHA Defensive Player of the Week award.
   On Friday, Feb. 15, 2008 Marcotte helped the Finlandia defense shut down Lawrence University of Appleton, WI, limiting them to an 0-for-7 showing on the power play. Then, on Saturday, he had two assists in the win while limiting Lawrence to a 1-for-8 showing on the power play.

   Hornet varsity boys basketball coach Art Engel said it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. That’s just what L’Anse did in Monday night’s District 95 opener. A 63-47 victory advanced the Purple Gang to tonight’s (Wednesday, Feb. 27) semi-finals where Houghton awaits.
   L’Anse also faced both Hancock and Chassell in the last two games of regular-season play.

    Baraga had opportunities but couldn’t cash in Monday night in the District tournament in its own gym. The Vikings watched North Dickinson explode in a 22-10 third quarter and pull away, eventually winning 60-41.
    The loss ends the Vikings’ season at 6-15 overall. Baraga showed improvement from its previous one-win season and continues to rebuild its program. Meanwhile District 126 Class D contenders Crystal Falls Forest Park and North Dickinson are still looking ahead, rather than reviewing their season.

HUGE GAME--L’Anse senior goalie Joe Kayramo gloves another Jeffers shot to keep his Hornets in Monday’s first-round regional game. Dillon Borgen scored twice for L’Anse. The Hornets finally broke a 3-3 tie late in the game to earn a shot at Calumet on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. The Kings barely beat L’Anse earlier, 2-1 in OT.

   It took plenty of persistence but the Hornets got the job done Monday night, defeating Jeffers by a 5-3 count for the second time in less than a week. And this time it counted in a big way as L’Anse advanced to the second round of the regional hockey tournament at Michigan Tech.
   L’Anse is setting its sights on the Calumet Copper Kings. Traditionally a tournament underdog, the Hornets have every reason for confidence against the Kings when they meet Wednesday night at 6 p.m. L’Anse saw Calumet only once this season, and the Kings barely beat them in their own arena, 2-1 in overtime.

   “They out-hustled us everywhere we needed to be. That’s something we pride ourselves in and didn’t do,” said L’Anse girls basketball coach in explaining his team’s 49-42 defeat to Hancock in District 95 action.
   L’Anse entered District play with an 18-2 record–its two losses coming against Houghton. The team had beaten the Bulldogs twice in regular season. The first win on Jan. 31 was a 49-35 decision. The second meeting of the two teams on Feb. 12 produced a 42-35 L’Anse victory.

    Baraga’s varsity Vikette season came to an end in the team’s opening district tournament game on Monday, Feb. 18, but the Vikettes have every reason to be proud of their accomplishments in rebuilding the Baraga girls program. Just ask North Dickinson Nordic coach Mike Roell.
    Roell and his Nordics beat Baraga 56-45 in the district opener, and went on to claim the Dist. 126 Class D crown by defeating tournament host Crystal Falls Forest Park, 46-35 on Wednesday, Feb. 20. That put the Nordics at 20-2 this year. They were scheduled to take on the Chassell Panthers in the first regional game in Kingsford on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

    Baraga placed two Vikings on the Copper Country Conference basketball honor roll as league coaches met last week for the all-conference balloting. Tyler McGaha, Baraga’s junior inside force, earned first-team all-conference honors. Junior Beau Johnson garnered honorable mention.
    The Vikings depend on 6-2 McGaha for his post presence. He’s developed into a potent scoring threat in his junior season and third year playing varsity ball. McGaha led the Vikings on the scoreboard this year, averaging 13.5 points per game.

   The Baraga Viking varsity cagers headed into their Baraga-hosted district tournament on the heels of three losses to end the regular season. The Vikings endured a busy week, losing on the road to Ontonagon in a make-up game last Monday, Feb. 18, watching the Jets soar past them in Painesdale on Tuesday, Feb. 19, and then closing at home with another frustrating loss to Ontonagon on Thursday, Feb. 21.
    “It’s been frustrating for us. Our defense has not been good enough lately,” Coach Scott Artley said.

   The varsity Hornet basketball team secured a second-place finish in the West PAC Feb. 19 with a 65-46 win over the hosting Gremlins. The Purple Gang finished up regular-season action on the road with a 65-51 win over Chassell on Jan. 21.
   The team opened up District 95 action Monday night against Hancock (see separate story in sports). The Hornets are hosting this year’s District games.

   The Hornet JV basketball team wrapped up the year with a 66-45 victory over host Chassell Feb. 21. The team also had a meeting with Hancock Feb. 19 falling to the Gremlins by a 49-48 decision.

    Baraga’s JV boys basketball team went 2-1 in a busy final week pushing its season record to 13-7. The Vikings stumbled in a make-up game at Ontonagon on Monday, Feb. 18, went to Jeffers and grounded the Jets Tuesday night, and then recovered very nicely to defeat Ontonagon by 20 points Thursday night, Feb. 21, at home.
    Coach Jon Young was very pleased with his crew’s strong finish, and the team’s significant improvement over the second half of the season. Baraga went 9-1 in the final 10 games.

   The hockey Hornets tuned up for the Region 17 high school hockey tourney with a confidence-boosting 5-3 victory over the Jeffers Jets last Thursday, Feb. 21, at Meadowbrook Arena. The game was added to the Hornet schedule recently. L’Anse and Jeffers battled in the opening game of the regional tournament Monday night, Feb. 25, at MTU. (See separate story.)
   Last Thursday’s contest saw the Hornets build a 2-0 first period lead and maintain the lead throughout the evening. The officials got a break as they whistled only one two-minute minor penalty (a tripping call against the Jets) all evening.

    L’Anse senior captain forward Dillon Borgen was voted to the second team of the Lake Superior High School Hockey Conference by league coaches last Friday. Also earning recognition from L’Anse were goalie Joe Kayramo and forward Darren Heikkinen, both seniors.
    “I really though Dillon should have been first-team, but sometimes its hard to compete with all the numbers. Hancock had so many kids that scored so much,” Hornet coach Bill Rosseau said. “But Dillon was our leading scorer and our captain. He was one of the top forwards in the league.

   The varsity Vikettes fell to a tough North Dickinson team in round one of the District 126 Class D tourney Monday night at Crystal Falls.
   The Vikettes game the Nordics all they wanted but fell, 56-45. The loss ends Baraga’s season at 7-13 overall. That represents a significant improvement as Baraga proved it could be competitive throughout the season. Details on the district game next week.

   Baraga junior Elisa Reynolds landed a spot on the Copper Country Conference girls basketball First Team. Coaches met recently to vote on the post-season honors. Reynolds is the only Vikette to receive an all-conference honor.
   Reynolds has played on Baraga’s varsity squad since her freshman year. She’s learned to put her height to work under the basket, going against some of the best players in the conference. Reynolds averaged 9.8 points per game this season and led her Vikettes and the conference with over 10 rebounds per game.

   L’Anse’s girls varsity basketball team put the wraps on a second-place finish in the West PAC Feb. 12, 2008 by downing Hancock 42-35. The win leaves the Purple and White with an 18-2 mark in regular-season play.
   The team will hit the hardwood tonight (Wednesday Feb. 20) at Hancock. L’Anse has the early game starting at 6 p.m. and will face the home-town Bulldogs in it’s first game. If L’Anse takes care of Hancock, it will advance to finals action Friday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.

COMING TOGETHER--L’Anse has been playing solid hockey lately, and assembled a 9-1 romp over the Ironwood Midgets at Meadowbrook Monday night. Above, the Hornets, including Shane Maki, 14, are all over Ironwood goalie Cody Cunico in the first period. Parker Miller had 23 saves in 24 shots for the Hornets. Meanwhile L’Anse launched 48 shots at Cunico. L’Anse hosts Jeffers Thursday before meeting the Jets in the regional tournament’s opening game next Monday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. at Tech.

   L’Anse heads to the Region 17 state high school hockey tournament with some momentum after playing well in recent action. The Hornets will meet the Jeffers Jets in the first game of the tourney at Michigan Tech’s MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Monday, Feb. 25, 2008, at 7 p.m.
   That’s the only game that night as the rest of the teams in the region–Calumet, Houghton and Hancock–drew byes.
   “We play Jeffers on Monday and then we’ll play Calumet on Wednesday night after we beat Jeffers!” L’Anse coach Bill Rosseau said. “That’s probably the way it should have worked out if it was seeded. Houghton and Hancock play each other and Calumet plays the L’Anse-Jeffers winner.”

   Baraga’s JV boys basketball team put up some big numbers in a pair of victories last week. Coach Jon Young’s cagers nailed down a 77-44 win over Chassell last Tuesday night at home, and then cruised through Watersmeet by a 78-30 count on Friday night.
   The JV Vikes have a busy final week with a twice-rescheduled game in Ontonagon Monday, a trip to Jeffers on Tuesday night, and a home engagement with Ontonagon on Friday, Feb. 21. The Vikings were 10-6 going into the last week of their season.

   Baraga’s varsity boys basketball team entered a busy final week of the regular season with a 6-11 record after a split last week.
   The Vikings met conference rival Ontonagon in a twice-rescheduled game on Monday, Feb. 18, losing 50-43, and bumping the season record to 6-12.
   Coach Scott Artley’s team was set to travel to Painesdale on Tuesday, Feb. 19, for a CCC game with the Jeffers Jets, and will finish the regular season hosting Ontonagon on Friday, Feb. 21.
   Baraga hosts the District 126 boys Class D basketball tournament beginning on Monday, Feb. 25. The Vikings drew a talented North Dickinson unit in their first district game.

   The L’Anse varsity boys hoop team took another step to a second-place finish in the West PAC Feb. 14 as they came home on the top side of a 62-45 win over host Ironwood.
   The team plays its last two regular-season games this week. Both are on the road. As the paper went to press Tuesday, Feb. 17, L’Anse was at Hancock and the team travels to Chassell for the final game before Districts start.
   L’Anse is hosting District 95 action and will face Hancock for a third time on Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

   The Hornette JV cagers capped a 7-12 season against visiting Hancock on Feb. 12 with a 40-36 conference win.
L’Anse 40, Hancock 36
   Coach Tyler Lloyd said his team came out flat to start the contest and trailed 15-11 after the opening quarter. The gap widened by one as the Bulldogs went into the locker room with a 22-17 edge.

   The boys Hornet JV basketball team fell to host Ironwood on Feb. 14. It was the only game on the schedule for the week.
   L’Anse was headed to Hancock as the paper went to press Tuesday evening. The season wraps up for the JV squad on Friday, Feb. 21 at Chassell.
Ironwood 70, L’Anse 46
   The first meeting of these two teams back on Jan. 3, resulted in a 49-46 Hornet defeat. Coach Jason Koski said he thinks the team stayed on the bus for the game.

   Baraga’s JV Vikettes wanted to knock off Calumet in the final game on Valentine’s Day but had to settle for a 10-7 overall record after the Copper Kings crowned them, 57-33.
   “They wanted to finish with a win but we still had a winning season,” Vikette JV coach   Tammy Crittenden said. “We only had one sophomore this year, Paige Maskill. The rest of them are freshmen. I told them they had a lot of basketball yet to play. They did a good job this season. They’re competitive and they work hard.

   The Hornette varsity girls basketball team chalked up another pair of wins in its last two outings. The 70-48 win over visiting West Iron County Monday night, combined with the 57-45 Feb. 7 victory over visiting Ishpeming improved the Purple Gang’s record to 17-2.
   L’Anse wrapped up the regular season last night (Tuesday, Feb. 13) as the team welcomed Hancock to “The Nest”. The team will have a week off before District 95 action starts. Ironwood is hosting this year’s event and will take on West PAC champs Houghton Monday, Feb. 18.

   Baraga’s varsity boys boosted their record to 5-10 as the season draws near a close. Baraga slipped by Dollar Bay last Tuesday, Feb. 5 at home, and then survived the long road trip to Wakefield-Marenisco on Friday night, Feb. 8.
   The Vikings’ rescheduled trip to Ontonagon had been set for Monday, Feb. 11, but it’s been pushed back another week to Monday, Feb. 18. This week the Vikings were set to host the high-flying Chassell Panthers as the Sentinel went to press on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and will take a long jaunt to Watersmeet on Friday, Feb. 15.

AT THE BUZZER!--Hornet varsity cager Matt Salli sunk the game-winning basket in his team’s 47-46 West PAC win over visiting West Iron County. L’Anse has just one game on tap for this week heading to Ironwood on Thursday, Feb. 14 for another important conference contest. The team finishes on the road next week in Hancock and Chassell.

   The varsity Hornet boys basketball team is coming off back-to-back conference wins in recent play. Friday, Feb. 8, L’Anse sent West Iron County home on the short side of 47-46 after an “at the buzzer” shot from Matt Salli. Feb. 5, the team returned home with a 51-45 win over Calumet.
   The team has a long trip to Ironwood on tap for Thursday, Feb. 14. The game was originally scheduled for the following evening but changed at Ironwood’s request. Tuesday, Feb. 19, the team heads to Hancock. Coach Art Engel said if his unit continues to perform up to its capability, it has a chance at eying second place in the conference behind Houghton. But to do that, L’Anse needs wins in both of the above West PAC contests.

   The varsity Vikette basketball team had a little field goal shooting trouble but put out a good effort in a 50-38 loss at Ontonagon on Thursday, Feb. 7. The Vikettes will take a 7-11 record into the final regular season game at Calumet this Thursday, Feb. 14.
   A game scheduled at Bessemer for Monday, Feb. 11, was canceled. Copper Country Conference coaches were scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Feb. 12, to select all-conference teams. Baraga’s Class D district tourney will begin on Monday, Feb. 25, in Crystal Falls.

   The Hornet JV boys basketball team split its last two outings. L’Anse downed host Calumet 40-30 on Feb. 5 and dropped a 58-45 decision to visiting West Iron County Feb. 8.
   The team takes to the road this week starting on Thursday, Feb. 14 against Ironwood. The game was originally scheduled for the following evening but Ironwood needed to move it back one day. Tuesday, Feb. 19, L’Anse travels to Hancock.

   Baraga’s JV girls cagers lost the first quarter in Ontonagon last Thursday, Feb. 7, but stayed with the Gladiators the rest of the night. Although the Vikettes broke Ontonagon’s press and were much more competitive than in the first meeting of the conference rivals, Baraga fell, 48-34.
   The Vikette JV season is coming to a bit of an early conclusion as the 10-6 Baraga unit will finish the 07-08 schedule this Thursday, Feb. 14, in Calumet. A scheduled game with Bessemer on Feb. 11 was cancelled, an earlier game at Jeffers was turned into a scrimmage, and Watersmeet did not have a JV team back on Dec. 20. Vikette JV coach Tammy Crittenden is priming her team for a positive performance in Calumet.

   L’Anse’s hockey team slipped to 4-16 with a couple of tough losses in the past week. The Hornets fell at Negaunee, 5-2, on Monday, Feb. 11. More details next week.
   The hockey Hornets absorbed a tough overtime loss to conference rival Jeffers at Michigan Tech’s MacInness rink on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The Jets and Hornets skated to a 2-2 tie in three periods before Jeffers scored in overtime to win, 3-2.

    The Hornette JV cagers dropped their last two outings falling to visiting West Iron County Monday evening by a 32-17 decision and dropping a 54-34 decision to visiting Ishpeming Feb. 7.
    The season wrapped up last night for the squad which took a 6-12 record into the game against visiting Hancock. L’Anse won the first round with the Bulldogs 33-30 on Jan. 31. Details next week.

   The Copper County Skating Academy’s Northern Ice Pre-Juvenile Synchronized Skating team earned the silver medal (second) out of nine Pre-Juv teams this past weekend in Beaver Dam, WI.
   The Pre-Juv team is comprised of seven skaters from L’Anse and two skaters from the Copper Country. Team members are Terra Erkkila, Madeline Etelamaki, Joslyn Hatfield, Lauren Hendricks, Allison Koskinen, Karli Michaels, Rebecca Mills (co-captain), Nicole Rossi and Autumn Swanson (co-captain).

   Matt Cowling, a senior at L’Anse High School, has signed with Michigan Technological University to play football starting next fall.
   Cowling, a four-year starter for the Hornets, was named to the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (UPSSA) “Dream Team” in 2007 from his defensive tackle position and collected First Team West PAC Defense honors as well.
   Cowling signed with MTU to play at defensive tackle on Feb. 6 and will major in exercise science.

   Baraga’s Junior Varsity Vikings added a pair of victories in the past week and pushed their win streak to four games. Coach Jon Young’s Vikes are 8-6 going into a couple of promising games this week. The Vikings were set to host Chassell on Tuesday, Feb. 12 as the Sentinel went to press. Baraga travels to Watersmeet on Friday, Feb. 15. The JV Vikings have handily defeated both teams this season.
   “We beat Chassell 67-17 in the second game of the season,” Young said. “We beat Watersmeet 45-33 in the third game. We’ve got to be careful and stop Watersmeet’s Aschenbrenner. He had 16 points against us.”

   Before cars, snowplows or other modem means of forging through the snow, the Norwegians relied upon skis to get around. Cross-country skiing is now a favorite pastime and popular family activity. Members of Sons of Norway Lodge 5-620 want to share the fun by sponsoring a Barnelopet, a Norwegian word meaning, "the children's race."
   The Barnelopet children's cross-country ski event is open to anyone through age 13. The event will be held at the Maasto Hiihto cross country ski trails, Hancock, from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008. Registration begins at 10 a.m.

    A special group of hockey players will get a shot at its third Michigan Amateur Hockey Association “B league” title. The Baraga Telephone-sponsored Keweenaw Bay Cougars waged an inspired weekend of hockey at the Bantam B UP Finals in Ontonagon and won the right to play in the state Bantam B championship next month.
    Although winning the UP Finals and making the state tourney often involves a flurry of parental fundraising, bus transportation and housing arrangements for a 500-mile downstate adventure, this year’s Bantam B tourney will be down the road in Negaunee. Iron Range is hosting the state championship at the Negaunee Ice Arena on March 7-9, 2008.

1,000 AND COUNTING--L’Anse girls varsity basketball stand-out Lauren Beeler (32) not only passed the 1,000 point mark in her high school career against Hancock, she scored the team’s first 19 points of the game. There are three regular games left plus playoffs so expect that total to increase significantly. She is pictured above against the Bays.

   Hornette cager varsity standout Lauren Beeler eclipsed the 1,000th point-mark of her career on Thursday, Jan. 31.
   The Hornette senior sharpshooter poured in 27 points, including the first 19 for the Purple and White, to help left L’Anse to a 49-35 conference win over host Hancock. It was just the third loss of the year for the Bulldogs.
   Monday night, the Hornetes traveled to Ironwood, coming home with a 55-25 win.

   Baraga snapped a five-game varsity girls basketball losing streak last week with home victory over conference rival Lake Linden-Hubbell on Thursday, Jan. 31.
   Baraga hosted Ewen-Trout Creek on Monday night, Feb. 4 and scorched the nets with 46 percent shooting to win, 45-22.

   The varsity Hornet cagers are coming off a rough week. The team fell to two top-rated teams–Houghton and Ewen- Trout Creek but did enjoy a comfortable win over Lake Linden-Hubbell in between.
   L’Anse fell to the Gremlins 71-30 on Jan. 28, one-sided the Lakes 90-49 Feb. 1 and dropped a 76-49 decision over visiting Ewen-Trout Creek Monday evening.

   The undefeated Ewen-Trout Creek Panthers boys basketball team stayed that way after a walk over Baraga last Friday. The varsity Panthers left town with a 63-26 victory.
   Baraga traveled to Hancock on Monday, Feb. 4 for a rescheduled contest with the Bulldogs. The Vikings brought back a 51-36 win behind Tyler McGaha’s monster 27 point, 10 rebound, eight steal performance. Details next week.

   The Hornet JV boys basketball team split in its last two outings. The team hosted and beat Ewen-Trout Creek Monday night by a 57-39 decision. Feb 1, the team dropped a 49-43 decision to Lake Linden-Hubbell.
   L’Anse will wrap up its home stand for the regular season this Friday, Feb. 8 when West Iron County comes to town. As the paper went to press Tuesday, L’Anse was heading to Calumet. Both are conference contests and coach Jason Koski noted that the Hornets dropped the opening rounds to both teams.

   A Milwaukee Midget hockey team and the Bay Port-Pulaski school team claimed the “Wisigan Cup” in the annual tourney between L’Anse and Jeffers and two Wisconsin teams. The traveling trophy stayed in the Copper Country for the past year, but the Shaw Midgets and Bay Port-Pulaski got the job done at Michigan Tech’s MacInnes Ice Arena last Friday and Saturday.
   L’Anse didn’t compete effectively, losing 4-0 on Friday night to Bay Port and then falling 10-2 on Saturday to Shaw.

   Not much detail was available on the JV Hornette cagers last two basketball games. L’Anse did emerge with a 33-30 win over host Hancock on Jan. 31. The team also disposed of host Ironwood 41-20 Monday evening.
   L’Anse has three games on tap this week. All will be at home and the last, Tuesday, Feb. 12 against Hancock, will wrap up the 2007-2008 season. In between now and then, L’Anse will entertain Ishpeming tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 7 and play host to West Iron County Monday, Feb. 11.

   Baraga’s JV boys basketball squad downed Ewen-Trout Creek last Friday at home, and then hit the road north to Hancock for a make-up game on Monday night, Feb. 4. Results were unavailable.
   Coach Jon Young’s JV Vikings were set to host Dollar Bay as the Sentinel went to press on Tuesday night, Feb. 5. The Vikings beat the Bays 61-51 a couple weeks ago but watched the Bays come back from a 21-2 Baraga lead. The Vikings travel to Wakefield-Marenisco on Friday night, Feb. 8. Baraga handily dispatched the Cardinals, 75-33, on Dec. 13.

   Baraga’s JV Vikettes picked up a pair of victories, downing Ewen-Trout Creet and Lake Linden.
   Monday Baraga beat E-TC 42-21. Nicole Keranen had her biggest game of the year with 17 points, including three three-point buckets. Andrea Heikkinen added 10 points, DeAnna Varline hit six and Paige Maskill added four. Baaga got two each from Serena Goodreau and Deana Velmer, and a free throw from Jade Chaudier.

    The varsity Vikings stayed with host L’Anse for about three quarters in the Jan. 22 non-conference battle before the Hornet’s pressure defense wore Baraga down as L’Anse went on to win 57-40.
    L’Anse also entertained Hancock Jan. 25 and traveled to Houghton Jan. 28. The Vikings headed to Dollar Bay Friday, Jan. 25. See separate stories on both schools elsewhere in sports.

    The Hornette varsity cagers regrouped nicely after suffering their second loss of the year on Jan. 21. Jan. 24, L’Anse bested Calumet 46-34. Jan. 28, the team left Iron River on the top end of a 64-45 score over West Iron County.
    L’Anse hits the road for its next two outings. Jan. 31, the team is in Hancock while Monday, Feb. 4, L’Anse has a long bus ride to Ironwood. The Purple and White hasn’t faced Hancock yet this season. The Hornettes blew by Ironwood 76-20 when the Red Devils visited back on Dec. 21. Both of the upcoming contests are conference games.

   The L’Anse Hornets skated into Calumet to face the always-tough Copper Kings last Thursday, Jan. 24, and put out a very solid night’s effort. The Hornets came up against the same scoring drought that has caught them in recent games, but gave the Kings all they wanted, losing 2-1 in overtime.
   “The kids played well–probably their best game of the year,” veteran Hornet coach Bill Rosseau said. “We had chances to win it. We had a couple break-aways and a couple shots that went wide. With three minutes to play and the score 1-1, (Dillon) Borgen took his defenseman wide and got a shot but the goalie (Michael Harri) made the save. If he scores we’re up 2-1.

   Included in the three games the Hornet JV cagers had on their schedule over the past week was a Jan. 22 48-35 non-conference win over Baraga.
   L’Anse also hosted Hancock Jan. 24 and came home from Houghton on the Jan.29 (see separate story elsewhere in sports on the latter two games)

   Baraga stayed with host Bays at Dollar Bay last Friday, Jan. 25, forcing overtime with the score at 35-35 after four quarters. But the Bays’ big gun, Jay Busser, drilled a half-dozen points in OT as the Bays finished with a 10-2 overtime run to win, 45-37.
The Vikings were set to hit U.S. 41 northbound to Hancock as the Sentinel went to press on Tuesday, Jan. 29. Baraga will have a huge assignment at home this Friday, Feb. 1, when Ewen-Trout Creek blasts into town.
   “Hancock seems to be a little down this season, like us,” Artley said. “That will be battle going up there. They didn’t play well against L’Anse and I’m sure they’ll be ready for us.
“Friday we play Ewen-Trout Creek, one of the best Class D teams in the UP. We’ll have to put in a game plan for that one!” Artley added.

   Baraga’s varsity Vikettes absorbed a couple of conference defeats last week, falling to Chassell and Jeffers. The Vikettes didn’t do too badly on defense, giving up 43 points to each opponent. But they couldn’t hit 30 points of offense in either last Monday’s game at Chassell or last Thursday’s home meeting with the Jets.
   “Like the last couple of games, we just couldn’t get any rhythm in our offense,” Baraga coach Beth Koski said. “You have to be looking to score, reading situations and breaking down defenses.”

   Jane Summersett from L'Anse, with ice dancing partner Todd Gilles of Colorado Springs, CO, placed fourth in the Senior Free Dance behind Belbin/ Agusto, Davis/ White, and Navarro/Bommentre. They took fifth in the Original Dance battling back after a fall in the Yankee Polka Compulsory Dance. This placed them in sixth place overall to land them the first alternate's position for the Four Continents Competition in Korea.
   The 2008 US Figure Skating Championships took place last week in St Paul, MN. Summersett and ice-dancing partner Gilles have been training together in Colorado Springs since April of 2007 under Patti Gotwein with the Broadmoor Skating Club.

1,000-POINT CLUB INDUCTEES--Pictured l-r are Gerry Gerard, Steve Tollefson, Terry Kent, Bob Tonkin, Tyler Lloyd and Ed Danner. Kent was representing Dean Kent, Tonkin his son Brad and Danner his son Derrick. All six former L’Anse High School basketball players eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in their careers and were honored at the Jan. 25 L’Anse-Hancock boys varsity hoop game. Gerard is the school’s leading point getter with 1,726 points followed by Danner with 1,302, Lloyd with 1,218, Tollefson with 1,185, Kent with 1,164 and Tonkin with 1,011. Players and their reps were presented with plaques and game balls. The balls were placed in the high school trophy case.

    In addition to the Jan. 22 home game against Baraga (see separate story elsewhere in sports), the Hornet varsity cagers hosted Hancock Jan. 25 and collecting a 58-18 win along the way and traveled to Houghton Monday night coming home 71-30 loss. Details on that game will be featured in next week’s paper.
    The team has another busy week on tap. Friday, Feb. 1, L’Anse travels to Lake Linden-Hubbell for non-conference action. Monday, Feb. 4, the Hornets host Ewen-Trout Creek and the following evening–Feb. 5, a road trip to Calumet is on the docket.

    Baraga’s junior varsity girls split a pair of basketball games to Copper Country Conference opponents last week. The Vikettes traveled to Crystal Falls Forest Park on Monday, Jan. 28, returning with a disappointing 50-19 loss.
    Coach Tammy Crittenden’s Vikettes are now (8-5). Baraga hosts Lake Linden this Thursday, Jan. 31. The Vikettes fell to the Lakes on the road in the season opener, 47-33.

    The girls JV basketball team is coming off a pair of losses in recent outings after beating Baraga 48-35 on Jan. 22 (see separate story in sports). L’Anse fell to host West Iron County 56-33 Monday evening and dropped a 63-59 decision to Calumet on Jan. 24.
    The team takes to the road this week starting with a Jan. 31 stop in Hancock. Monday, Feb. 4, L’Anse is scheduled for a bus trip to Ironwood.

    The Hornet JV boys cagers dropped a heart-breaker to host Houghton in overtime Monday evening falling to the Gremlins 64-61. Jan. 25 the team downed Hancock 54-40 and defeated Baraga 48-35 Jan. 22 (see separate story).
    The team has a busy week on tap starting Feb. 1 at Lake Linden-Hubbell. Monday, Feb. 4, the team hosts Ewen-Trout Creek and the following night, a trip to Calumet scheduled.

   Baraga’s junior varsity boys cagers appeared to be in the driver’s seat last Friday in Dollar Bay.
   Coach Jon Young’s Vikings commanded with a huge 23-8 first quarter lead. Everything with going Baraga’s way.
   The Vikings spent the rest of the night watching the Bays chop away at the margin. After Dollar Bay made it a one-point game in the fourth the Vikings put the heat on and finally escaped the Bay gym with a 61-51victory.

   The varsity Hornette cagers’ 10-game winning streak came to a halt Monday night by the only team to have beaten L’Anse all year–Houghton. The visiting Gremlins escaped back home on the top side of a 50-43 score although the game was much closer than that.
   The Hornettes also tangled with Baraga last Thursday (Jan. 17) coming home on the top end of a 48-17 score (see separate story below).
   The loss to Houghton gives L’Anse a 11-2 mark with the meat of its schedule remaining for the rest of the season. Six of the last seven games are conference match-ups.

   L’Anse girls varsity hoop coach Shawn Hendrickson said Baraga played a better game the second time around but was still unable to stop the visiting Hornettes who rolled to a 48-17 non-conference win Jan. 17.
   Both teams had separate contests this week. L’Anse hosted Houghton Monday evening (see separate story) while Baraga was at Chassell. Both teams have home games on tap for Thursday, Jan. 24. L’Anse will entertain West PAC foe Calumet while the Vikes welcome Jeffers.

   The KB Cougar Bantam B hockey team powered through the play-downs last weekend with four straight victories to advance to the upcoming UP Finals. The Baraga Telephone-sponsored Bantams are undefeated with a 26-0-1 record.
   The Cougars will return to Ontonagon, the site of the play-downs, for the UP Finals on the weekend of Feb. 1-3, 2008. If they can win that tournament the Bantams will get a chance to play in the state Bantam B championship. Many of the players already have state championship experience, having won the “B” hockey state title as Pee Wees in March, 2006, and some also as Squirts in 2005.

   L’Anse High School will hold a ceremony honoring its six career 1,000-point boys basketball scorers at halftime of the game with Hancock this coming Friday night (January 25). The six Hornets will be awarded plaques and a basketball with their career points on them. The balls will be placed in the trophy case outside the new L’Anse gym.
   The junior varsity boys basketball game with Hancock starts at 5:45 p.m. in the Hornet gym. The varsity game is expected to begin at approximately 7:20 p.m.
    In order of points scored, the six 1,000-point scorers are: 1) Gerry Gerard, graduated 1967, 1,726 points. 2) Derrick Danner, 2002, 1,302 points. 3) Tyler Lloyd, 2002, 1,218 points. 4) Steve Tollefson, 1977, 1,185 points. 5) Dean Kent, 1968, 1,164 points. 6) Brad Tonkin, 1972, 1,011 points.

   After a 50-49 Baraga victory in the Dec. 14 contest with L’Anse, the local rivals staged a second heart-stopper last Thursday night, Jan. 17. And again the Vikettes pulled it out, holding off the determined Purple Hornettes in a high-scoring 63-59 game at Baraga.
   “It was a big-scoring game both ways for JV,” Baraga coach Tammy Crittenden said. “It was an very exciting game for the fans and we had a lot of people there to watch.”

   The hockey Hornets have been enjoying some success lately, picking up some conference victories as the season enters its final third of the regular schedule.
   L’Anse is 4-11 following last Thursday’s win over Jeffers and Monday night’s loss to Hancock, both at Meadowbrook Arena.
   The Hornets travel to Calumet for a meeting with the Copper Kings on Thursday, Jan. 24. L’Anse will join Jeffers in taking on a pair of Wisconsin teams on the road for the annual Wisigan Cup tourney on the weekend of Feb. 1 and 2.

    The varsity Hornet boys cagers took two on the chin in recent outings. The team fell to Jeffers 60-51 on Jan. 15 and lost to Ewen-Trout Creek 52-40 on Jan. 18.
   The team was hosting rival Baraga as the paper went to press Tuesday evening. L’Anse won the opening battle 61-46 back on Dec. 17. The home stand continues Jan. 25 when L’Anse welcomes Hancock to town for a Wet PAC contest. Monday, Jan. 28, the team has a road trip to Houghton scheduled.

   Baraga’s shooting fell victim to the Calumet Copper King man defense when the Kings visited Viking Country on Tuesday, Jan. 15. The varsity Vikings managed only 27 percent from the field and lost, 52-29. Baraga’s scheduled trip to Ontonagon last Friday night was put off due to the weather. It will be made up on Monday, Feb. 11.
   Baraga was set to travel to L’Anse on Tuesday night as the Sentinel went to press. Coach Scott Artley’s Vikings hit the road to Dollar Bay Friday night, Jan. 25.

    Baraga’s JV boys basketball squad absorbed a pair of recent losses at the hands of Calumet, and couldn’t quite catch Lake Linden-Hubbell in another battle. Despite two losses to the Copper Kings, Viking JV coach Jon Young was very pleased with the improvement his team showed in the second game with Calumet.
    Baraga’s scheduled Friday, Jan. 18 trip to Ontonagon was put off due to the weather. It will be played on Monday, Feb. 11. The Vikings were set to travel around the horn to L’Anse as the Sentinel went to press on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Baraga stays on the road Friday, Jan. 25, for a trip to Dollar Bay.

PEE WEES ADVANCE–The KB Cougar Pee Wee B team sponsored by Selkey’s Mfg. played well last weekend at Baraga, earning a trip to the UP Finals by placing second in the play-downs. The team includes, front, l-r, Braydan Fish, Sara Cerne, Kodi Jahfetson, Zach Hulkkonen and Damien Negrish. Back, l-r, Devin Bowers, J. Lyn Jorgenson, Cody Goldsworthy, Alex Gabe, Dustin Lindemann and Ross LaPlante. Coaches are, l-r, Roger Jahfetson, Jim Gabe and Gerard Lindemann.

   The Keweenaw Bay Cougar Pee Wees put it together last weekend at the play-downs hosted in Baraga. The Selkey’s Mfg. Pee Wees placed second to earn a ticket to the upcoming UP Finals. The UP Final winner will get a shot at a state title later in the winter.
   Although the Pee Wee B team has struggled somewhat this winter it put its best effort on the ice last Saturday and Sunday in the Baraga rink. Selkey’s defeated Iron River, Ontonagon and Calumet to place second and become one of the play-down survivors to continue on to the UP Finals.
   The Finals will be hosted in Ironwood on the weekend of Feb. 8-10. The Pee Wees are coached by Roger Jahfetson, Jim Gabe and Gerard Lindemann.

   The Hornet JV boys basketball team ran its winning streak to three after back-to-back road wins over Jeffers on Jan. 15 and Ewen-Trout Creek Jan. 18.
   The team was entertaining Baraga as the paper went to press Tuesday evening and welcomes Hancock on Friday, Jan. 25. The Purple and White also have a Monday game on-tap as it travels to Houghton.
   Now sitting at 7-3, coach Jason Koski said his players have a good attitude and are working hard.

   Finlandia University Lions ice hockey defenseman Tiger Marcotte, L’Anse, is the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week.
    In last Saturday’s contest against Marian College, (Fond du Lac, Wisc.), Marcotte, a junior-level nursing major, scored one goal and had two third-period assists in Finlandia’s 5-4 comeback win. Marcotte was plus-two on the ice Saturday.

   In addition to the Hornette JV girls basketball team’s 63-59 loss to Baraga (see separate story elsewhere in sports), the team got revenge in a big way against visiting Houghton   Monday evening. The first meeting of the two teams back on Nov. 30 saw Gremlins one-side L’Anse 57-28. In the rematch, the Purple Gang emerged victorious 46-40.
   The team welcomes Calumet tomorrow (Jan.24) and head to West Iron County Monday, Jan. 28. Coach Tyler Lloyd said he and the team are looking forward to the rematch with the Copper Kings who beat his group by just one point 40-39.

    The Hornette varsity cagers got all they could handle against host Ontonagon Monday night. The 58-47 L’Anse win was one of the team’s closer games of the season. The win pushes the Purple Gang’s record to 10-1.
    L’Anse also had two games last week racking up wins over Dollar Bay and E-TC. The nine-game winning streak has become noticed by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (UPSSA) which ranked the Hornettes number three in Class ABC voting.

    The Hornet varsity boys cagers ran their win streak to four straight after a 51-41 non-conference home win on Jan. 10.
    The team has its work cut out this week. As the paper went to press Tuesday, L’Anse was on its way to Jeffers, and will visit Ewen-Trout Creek on Friday. The two teams have just one loss between them and Hornet coach Art Engel said, no doubt, things will be an uphill battle for his group.

UNDEFEATED!--The KB Cougar Baraga Telephone Bantam hockey team is 22-0-1 going into this weekend’s playdowns in Ontonagon. Three of the five teams will advance to the UP Finals Feb. 1-3 in Ontonagon. Front, l-r, Alec Bowers, Derek Meleen, Charlie Beer, Jason Rank, Scott Gerzetich, Casey Richard and Carter Hendricks. Back, Coach Terry Kahkonen, Dillan Hemmila, Joey Richard, Justin Clisch, Dallas Maki, Josh Borgan and Assistant Coach Jeff Rank.