Although they most likely won’t spend a lot of time defending each other one-on-one, the clash of two of the northland’s most dynamic defenders in Duluth Marshall’s Maren Friday (committed to Union) and Proctor/Hermantown’s Ella Anick (Bemidji State) highlights the showdown between these dominant Duluth-area teams.
Duluth Marshall (5-1-0) has won five straight contests with four shutouts since suffering a 5-0 loss to Grand Rapids/Greenway on Jan. 14 to open the season. Friday, a senior, is second on the Hilltoppers in scoring with 11 points, one point behind sophomore Meredith Boettcher. Senior goaltender Charlesa Prior ranks third in the state with a .50 goals-against average and fourth with a .959 save percentage.
Anick has six points, well behind No. 3-1A Proctor/Hermantown leader Alyssa Watkins’ team-best 13. Anick’s stellar play, however, has been a big part of the Mirage (4-0-0) limiting opponents to an average of less than 10 shots on goal per game. Proctor/Hermantown has outscored opponents 38-3 this season.