Quantcast
skip navigation

Duluth Marshall hoists Schwan's Cup Bronze Division crown over Minneapolis

By Adam Holt, SportsEngine, 12/30/17, 1:15AM CST

Share

Hilltoppers goalie Carissa Mudrak stopped 16 of 17 shots.

It was a slow start, but the Hilltoppers earned their third straight win in the Schwan’s Cup — this final victory earning them the Bronze division championship.

Duluth Marshall, ranked No. 9 in the Class 1A coaches’ poll, captured the Bronze title in its third year as a varsity program, beating Minneapolis 2-1 Saturday at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

The Hilltoppers (9-5, 2-0) are winning — they beat No. 10-1A Proctor/Hermantown (1-0 on Dec. 16) and No. 3-1A Red Wing (3-2 on Dec. 8) earlier in the season. But coach Sean Storie says they could be playing better — though he’ll take victories for now.

“It’s a big win for us, there’s no doubt about it,” Storie said. “I don’t know how well we’re playing right now, but we’re winning, and that’s the most important thing right now.”

Duluth Marshall went up 2-0 in the second period, scoring a pair of goals on rebound chances by Olivia Boettcher and Katie McKinzie. Minneapolis (6-9, 1-3) scored to trail 2-1 after two, on a goal by Maddy Helmstetter.

Carissa Mudrak made 16 saves on 17 shots in net for Duluth Marshall. Minneapolis goaltender Lilah Schulz made 26 saves on 28 shots.

The Hilltoppers are walking a fine line between not using youth as an excuse anymore and acknowledging that they’re still younger than most of their opponents. Duluth Marshall has a senior on the roster for the first time this season in McKinzie, who opened the scoring. Most of the core of the squad consists of sophomores and juniors, who were middle-schoolers when the program began.

“We’re in every game, and that’s where we need to be right now,” Storie said. “Just the compete level. We’re not the toughest team; we rely on a lot of skill, and sometimes if that doesn’t work, we get ourselves in trouble. But they’re learning.”

Should the grit catch up with the skill, it could make an already opportunistic Hilltoppers squad even more dangerous. But they’re not looking too far ahead for now, as their third season enters its second half.

“We just want to get better every game,” Storie said. “It’s kind of a cliche, but we did some soul searching early on and had some meetings, and kind of went back to let’s just have fun and be positive.”

The MN Girls Hockey Hub polls are for entertainment purposes.

Spotlight Games

Most Popular

  • All-State teams revealed

  • By SportsEngine staff 03/31/2023, 8:15pm CDT
  • See who made the All-State teams for Class 1A and 2A, as well as honorable mentions.
  • Read More