Sports

TOUGH DEFENSE - Ely’s Erika Mattson held her ground while Northeast Range’s Thia Lossing tried to get around her during high school girls basketball action Monday.

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -

BREAKING AWAY FROM THE PACK on the course were Ely’s Laura Pasmick, Emma Terwilliger and Ryne Prigge. Photo by Diane Dalberg.

by Tom Coombe -

For the second consecutive season, the Minnesota Warriors will be part of a festive day of hockey in Ely.
This Saturday (Jan. 20) is shaping up to be a big one - dubbed Military Night at the Ely Arena, as a team made up of disabled combat veterans, comes to town to take on two Ely teams.
A team comprised of Ely alumni will tangle with the Warriors’ JV at 5 p.m. and the Warriors’ main team will tangle with Ely’s Heavy Metal All Stars at 7 p.m.
The doubleheader comes on the heels of a 2 p.m. game at the rink, featuring the Ely Timberwolves high school varsity team against Red Lake Falls.
The evening festivities will include a ceremonial puck drop, the presentation of the colors by the Ely Honor Guard, and the national anthem sung by Ely’s Bella Davis.
No admission fee will be charged for the evening games, although donations for the Duluth Warriors will be accepted.

by Tom Coombe
If the Vermilion Ironmen are going to make a run at division and regional championships the next several weeks, their sophomores will no doubt be leading the way.
Second-year players have accounted for nearly all of the scoring and most of the other key statistics this season and again last weekend at the Central Lakes Classic - the final warmups before the start of Northern Division play.
Sophomore Demetrice Mitchell had 28 points in a 90-79 victory over Ridgeater, while VCC’s “big three” of Mitchell and fellow sophomores Denaio Jackson and Bradlee Lewis combined for 57 points as the Ironmen fell 94-87 to Minnesota West in Saturday’s finale.
Vermilion took an 8-5 record into division action, which started Friday night against visiting Mesabi and continues today at Rainy River.

by Tom Coombe
Ely’s high school hockey team has added to its victory total twice in the last week - both times at the expense of Moose Lake Area.
On the heels of an 11-5 victory over the Rebels during the North Shore Holiday Tournament, the Wolves traveled to Moose Lake Tuesday and came away with a 6-4 win.
Nick Mattila’s second goal of the night - an empty-netter with 35 seconds left - secured a hard-fought victory for the Wolves.
Ely improved to 3-6 and was able to make full use of its young roster against the Rebels.
“We came into the game with some confidence knowing we handled them last game,” said Ely Head Coach Ben Johnson. “But we knew they weren’t going to roll over. Both goalies played well and everybody got to contribute. The third and fourth lines got to play quite a bit.”
The Wolves fell behind early in Tuesday’s rematch, but Ely senior Thomas Montana countered late in the first period with back-to-back goals.

by Tom Coombe
Ely’s high school girls basketball team saved its best outing of the holiday tournament for last.
After a sluggish opener, the Timberwolves clicked on all cylinders in the Dec. 28 title game of the Fourth Annual Hoops for Hope Holiday Tournament and clobbered visiting Wrenshall 57-24.
Four Wolves scored in double figures and Ely played exceptional defense, coming up with 28 steals and forcing over 30 turnovers.
Many of those turnovers came early on, as the Wolves improved to 5-3 overall, claimed first-place in the tournament and had a crisp afternoon on the court.
“In the championship game, we were able to use our pressure defense and give our offense some easier shots and get a lot of steals,” said Ely Head Coach Darren Visser.
Sophomore Erika Mattson had eight of those steals to go with a game-high 18 points. She had a pair of three-point basketbs.

DONATION - Local welder and plumber Zack Barton made and donated these mid-sized hockey goals to the Ely Mite hockey team. Pictured with him are Stieg Majerus, Nico Lenci, Owen Marolt and Evan Leeson.

ELY HOCKEY ALUMNI gathered at the Ely Arena Dec. 23 for the annual alumni game. Pictured are (front, l-r) Tony Schaller, Kevin Niskala, David Urbas, Ryan Puzel, Warren Burger, Nate Dostert, Jay Olson, Eric Urbas, Louie Meskill, Joanna Bayers; (back, l-r) Alex Povhe, Ken Hupila, Matt Hupila, Joel Dostert, Jon Henning, Chris Schlosser, Harry Homer, D.J. Lindstrom, Travis Erzar, Damian Foy, Bill Foy, Alex Koschak, Teddy Pierce, Carter Manning, Cody Bialik, Louie Gerzin, Kyle Lakner, Josh Hanninen, Andy Krunkkala, Kael Richards, Preston Leustek, Storm Myers, Tim Hegman.