Staff
The Northern Storm 14U regional girls’ hockey team went 2-1-1 en route to the championship at the “Battle by the Bay” tournament in Duluth, Mn. over the weekend.
Facing Machine Orange in Sunday’s final, the Storm used a pair of second-period goals to eke out a 2-1 victory.
Autumn Cooper bulged the twine while the other Storm goal scorer was not identified.
Marie Moran replied for Machine Orange in the third period.
The Northern Storm opened play Friday by doubling Green Bay 4-2 on the strength of three first-period tallies.
After Green Bay struck first, Isabelle Taylor, Raechel Painovich, and Gillian Johnson all bulged the twine to put the Storm up 3-1.
Aleah Bienek then made it 4-1 in the second before Green Bay rounded out the scoring later in the period.
The squad then was blanked 2-0 by Machine Orange on Saturday.
Taylor Larson and Bella Shipley provided all the offence their squad needed in that one.
But the Northern Storm rebounded by rallying for a 2-2 tie against Thunder Bay later in the day.
Trailing 2-0 in the second, Saige Macleod finally gave the Storm some life when she bulged the twine to cut the deficit in half.
Emma Welch then tallied in the third to knot the score, with neither team able to capitalize after that.
The 8U Northern Storm squad, meanwhile, nabbed silver at the same tourney after falling 9-2 to Machine Orange in Sunday’s final.
Greta Nelson opened the scoring for the Storm in the first but Machine Orange responded with eight unanswered goals.
Taylee Manion trimmed it to 8-2 in the third but Addison Heinicke notched her second of the game to cap the scoring.
The Northern Storm opened play Saturday with a 7-4 victory over Hometown (Minnesota).
Manion netted a hat trick in that one while Raegan Hogenson and Avery Milbridge both tallied twice to pace the offence.
The squad then was dumped 10-1 by Machine Orange, with Manion scoring the lone goal in the first period.
But the Northern Storm rebounded with a 9-0 drubbing of Grand Rapids early Sunday to reach the final with a 2-1 record.
Manion was electric in scoring seven of the goals, including four first-period markers.
Milbridge had the Storm’s other two tallies.
