[December 14, 2009] John and Marnee’ Herd’s Christmas card: Probably pretty unique – they sent the two boys, Drake and Reid, to Breck, a private school in Minneapolis, but kept the baby girl, Shanee’, home in Alex. All three played for state champion hockey teams. Shanee’, now a grizzled freshman, was only a 7th-grader, but a starter on defense, when the Alex girls won the state championship. [Editor’s note: Marnee’ has always been a leading hockey mom in taking care of the Super Fans – always available with valuable information such as where the restrooms are at the various venues.]
[December 20, 2009] Alexandria – 80, Minnewaska Area – 27
Uffda, part II. We were sitting with Denny Kalpin, the longtime Cardinal football coach, at the basketball games the last two nights. He noted the Cardinals are undefeated in football against two teams in the state: 2 – 0 against Cretin-Durham Hall, and 3 – 0 against Wayzata. Who’da thunk it. He also said Kyle Gearman, a wide receiver who played in the two wins against Cretin in the early 2000’s, could have played D-1 football. Kyle, who worked summers at the AGC, always said his little sister Kate was the best athlete in the family. Kate is a starting guard, with Gracie Bruzek, on the basketball team this year. She is perfect for the Cards get-it-and-go offense – she’s a whippet who’s always the first one down the floor (and lead-off hitter for the softball team). Kalpin agreed with me that Angela is the best shooter, boy or girl, we’ve seen play for the Cards.
Uffda, forgot all the tie-ins. While we were in Cherry Street Books waiting for the Rainbow Strings (who I subsequently watched with Fiddlin’ Sam’s Dad), Coach Kohler came in. So, we had a little chat about the team. She is really excited about the team’s play and it’s high energy, particularly on defense. We got the entire injury poop about Angela (Wendy said it was a badly broken nose) and Allie – she thought Angela could play in the tournament beginning the 29th, probably with a protective mask.
[December 19, 2009] Alexandria – 80, Minnewaska Area – 27
This is the final Cardinal sports report before Ruthie kidnaps me and hauls me off to Indiana. The Card girl basketball team, the sports equivalent to a tsunami, won yet another game in blowout fashion – with only 9 players in uniform. Alli Haar (yes, Martin’s granddaughter – I think we saw him signing autographs at the half), a 6’0″ junior, is a terror at the point of the Cardinal press – she scored the 1st 10 points of the game. The Laker fans do not sit until their team scores, so we had to keep looking around them . . . the score reached 20 – 0 before they scored, and even the Alex fans cheered because everyone was finally seated! Alli had 24 points at the half – more than Minnewaska, as the score was 54 – 23. As in previous games, with the game well in hand, the Cards took off the press in the 2nd half (the video is from the start of the 2nd half, they still kept pulling away). Games go to running time when there is a 35-point lead, so the 2nd half went fast. The Lakers only had 4 points in that half. Despite playing little in the 2nd half, Alli finished with 30; Lauren Trumm, Sam’s little (5’9″) sophomore sister, had a double-double; and 8 of the 9 players scored.
The Cards leading scorer, Angela Christianson, did not play because of a broken nose in the previous game (a 76-38 win at Sauk Rapids) – Lauren started in her place. Allie Thul, in the regular 8-player rotation, received a concussion in that game and also did not play tonight. Those two stayed in a St. Cloud hospital when the team returned home. They both should be back for the big holiday tournament hosted by the Cards on the 29th & 30th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6axtiXqoP3Y
[December 23, 2009] Girls Hockey [Editor’s note: While the supervisor and I we’re off on Christmas break, the cub reporter-in-training, Bob “Weakie” Annen, filed the following report.]
Our girls did it; beat the big city team 4 to 1 last night. Last goal on an open net by Shelby. You won’t believe this, Jack Juettner went to the game – reason: his granddaughter is their star center.
At last night’s game I got to talk to the following girls: Abby, Roadblock, Ashley, Dell and Brittany Lind. You may never get back here as we are going to 2 ft. of snow.
[December 31, 2009] Moorhead – 65, Cards – 59
[Editor’s note: The following game report included a certain amount of by-play between Pat Osterberg, “Weakie,” and brother Cam.]
[Osterberg] 1963 arguably the best line ever in Minnesota high school hockey – Rob Shattuck, Greg Hughes (has a summer place on west Lake Carlos) and the best of the three, Mike Crupi (dating my cousin Marcy Osterberg when he was killed in a car accident on his way from the farm club in Erie, PA to the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings). I was a “***-goalie” with the Fergus Falls Otters from ’62 to’ 65 where we lived when my dad got sick and tired of being the youngest brother in the restaurant. Marcy was a cheerleader at the U and in the summer the guys from the Gopher hockey team would come up to my uncle’s cottage on west Little Darling. I’d get them to shoot on me. I guess I wanted to affirm that I was as “***” as I’ve mentioned. At any rate that is how and why Greg Hughes bought a place in Alex, and how I heard about the great program at St Paul Johnson. Sorry for the novel.
[“Weakie”] I’m glad you informed Cam of his glaring error. I can remember the days when Johnson dominated Minnesota hockey.
[Osterberg] That would be the Governors of ST. PAUL JOHNSON (Steve Sherwin would be mortified to be compared to the ‘wimps” at Central).
[Cam] As many of you know, I hold living in Minnesota in winter in very low regard. It was windy as hell last night, and very humid. A bad mix, freezes you to the bone. It is now minus 5 on my backyard thermometers, so I’ll wait until it goes above zero before I go up on the roof to shovel off the south facing eaves, starting to get ice dams. There is still well over a foot of snow on that side of the roof!
I digress, but in my absence last night, the high scoring and under-ranked(5th) Knightettes of Irondale killed the Hill-Murray Pioneerettes in their championship game, 5 to 2. Yes, Gena McDonald did pour in 2 more goals and added 2 assists. She’s a senior on her way to play collegiate hockey at Harvard in the fall! I guess the Gopherettes couldn’t capture the top scorer in the state for the second year in a row!
The Hopkins Royals lost finally. The Governors of St. Paul Central beat them. Central is very good, a couple D-1 prospects.
[Me, finally, on the game] Despite a Super Fan-like turnout, the Card girls basketball team came out flatter than a Yuletide piece of lefse last night for their tournament championship game against Moorhead. Gretchen and Don Nelson, Barb and Roger Riley, Gary Otto, Bob (Black Cloud) Annen, and Martin Haar and family – with a half-time visit from past Cardinal hockey star, Brittney Bruzek (Bud’s eldest) – watched the Cards struggle for three-quarters of the game trying to find their legs. They were behind by double-digits within the first several minutes, and it stayed that way until about 8 minutes were left in the game. Then someone finally hit the “on” switch, and they began to play the way they must – full-court, racehorse basketball. It was just too late. They finally started creating the turnovers they had been committing all game and gradually worked their way back into the game. They had three good shots to pull within 2 with about 45 seconds left (then anybody’s game) but none dropped. To the Spuds credit, they made almost all their free throws – and that decided the game (they were 10-11 in the second half, made 16 for the game – twice as many as the Cards). The Spuds have a 6’2″ center is who is very good – and the refs give her the Shaquille O’Neal treatment, meaning any time the ball was passed to her in the post, they would automatically call a foul on Alex for being in her vicinity (that’s our story and we’re sticking with it). And she made free throws. I think she had 24 points. Alex again was led by Angela Christianson, wearing a facemask over her broken nose, who scored 30 (61 for the two tourney games) displaying a wide variety of shots. But the Cards got back into the game with energy supplied off the bench by Lauren Trumm and Cara Wood [and indication of things to come, as they led the Cards to the state tournament in 2011]. On a brighter note, the boys’ hockey was up at in a tournament in Roseau and had a couple of impressive wins. Regarding the following note from Brother Cam, the troglodyte. Apparently he wimped out – believing it too cold to venture outside.
[December 30, 2009] High School sports today:
[Cam] Go-go full day today! I’m going to Edina for the championship game of the Abra Tournament. This will be girls hockey at it’s best (oxymoron!). It’s the high scoring Knightettes of Irondale versus the mighty (oxymoron!), Pioneerettes of Hill-Murray! This game starts at 4 o’clock. Then I need to go over to Augsberg, assuming I awaken from my nap at Braemar, to catch the championship boys’ basketball game in that tournament. That will be number one ranked Hopkins, that’s right, number one with a whole new starting five from last year’s state champions, and a very strong St. Paul Johnson team that killed Sibley yesterday. How ’bout those Hopkins Royals? Isn’t open districting great? Reh-eh-eh!
[January 2, 2010] Way more than you want to know – plus upcoming schedule!
Birthday dinner night for Ruthie (a New Year’s Day baby) at Weston Station tonight. Talked with the new owner, Jim, who said at some point he may re-introduce “Fireside” into the place name. Also talked with the “World’s Greatest” (as in “World’s Greatest Waitress”), Nancy, famed for marrying Victoria Heighter, Mike Thompson.
Then on to the RCC for the hockey game – final score: Cardinals – 5, Cardinals – 0 . . . and neither was Willmar. Our Cards beat the Coon Rapids Cardinals. Have included a few video clips of power play action; the final clip actually caught a goal by Tyler Iverson (No. 4). But it was a highlight game for Thomas Williams, Abby’s little brother. He missed the previous game against Roseau because of a slight (if there is such a thing) concussion. Tonight the Cards were on the power play on the opening minutes, and Thomas (No. 9) scored 6 seconds into the power play on an assist from Ross Thompson (No. 7). In the 3rd period, he would have done big sister proud – he scored two short-handed goals . . . ON THE SAME POWER PLAY (both again assisted by Thompson). So he had a hat trick. Ashton Gronholz scored the 5th goal on a nice speed move. [Dave Harris was back on the radio mike tonight – at one point, he appeared to be interviewing our golf pro, Ron Rebrovich?]
Here at the videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOaLI1lHlWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrH-ZPHegxk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHJSha2ah9I
[January 4, 2010] Home yet?
[Report from Sue Justice, after following Roadblock’s Gustavus team to Europe.] The girls did great! They beat the two club teams easily, but lost to the Swiss National Team. I think the score was 0-9. I’ve included two of the 495 photos I took. I compressed them in photoshop so I hope they are at an acceptable size. If not, I’ll resend them.
[January 4, 2010] There were some concerns expressed by certain unnamed parties . . . [as Super Fans vied for team affections(?) 🙂 ]
Hi Abby,
Thanks – and we hope you had good holidays too! Sorry we missed you and your other teammates in Alex when we were in Indiana. We have every intention of making some games at the new arena next year – we figured you could take us out to dinner. Ha! Talked with your mom at the boys’ game on Saturday. I told her Thomas had an Abby-type game – a hat trick and two shorthanded goals on the same power play – wow!
We hear you really like it at BSU. That’s great. So, now go study and brush your teeth before you go to bed. 😉 The Super Fans should all be at the St. Cloud games tomorrow night.
~ Tom
Those are great looking shirts and sweatshirts!! You will have to come watch a game next year in the new arena; it is looking pretty cool and is scheduled to open at the beginning of the season! Hope you guys had a great Christmas and happy New Year! Keep cheering on those Cards, we missed you at the game over Christmas break!
~ Abby Williams
There were some concerns expressed by certain unnamed parties that we had purposely missed an opportunity to see our hockey alums at the Maple Grove game last week. Not so! We were in Indiana so we could pick up our Beavers sweatshirts from the kids who have property about 25 miles from BSU and thus will become permanent and adoring fans!
[January 9, 2010] Redemption
After the earlier in the week Black Tuesday, Card teams all rebounded (pun unintended) nicely. Boys’ basketball (continuing a nice season) and hockey both won on Thursday – the hockey team a big road win at Fergus Falls. Last night the girls’ hockey team got a very impressive 5 – 2 win at Fergus – the team they are expected to contend with for the section title. After the game the coach said that the team is really coming together now and gaining confidence with each game.
And last night we covered the girls’ home basketball game against St. Cloud Apollo, won by the Cards 72 – 31 (the game went into running time). A very impressive win because Apollo has a good team. The Cards had great balance. Angela Christianson “only” had 15 points but didn’t have to shoot much – she had a lot of nice assists. For the senior golfer snowbirds, the video will show Martin Haar’s granddaughter, Alli (No. 15), a 6-foot junior, wreaking havoc at the point of the press. Because of that position, she can get a little over aggressive and get into foul trouble – kind of like Martin. You can count on the “black cloud” of coverage in that in the 2 1/2 minutes of video, not a single point was scored. But you can get idea of the Cards length and athleticism – they get their hands on and cause a lot of bad passes:
alexandriacardinals 