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Prep Hockey Notebook

The Hermantown High School boys hockey team closed January with its most demanding weekend of the season, shutting out defending Class 1A champion East Grand Forks 5-0 on Friday before dropping a 5-4 decision to Class 2A No. 2-ranked Moorhead on Saturday. The split left the Hawks

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Hawks hockey, boys basketball coast to victories

It was a productive Friday night for Hermantown High sports teams, who picked up convincing victories on the ice and the basketball court. In boys hockey, Beau Christy recorded a hat trick as Hermantown shut out host East Grand Forks 5-0. After a scoreless first period, Christy put the

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Howie: Vetean GM Eliot Wolf is the classic correction hire

The Vikings don’t need comfort. They need a general manager who understands that this roster is not one tweak away. It is several foundational players away. Anyone who doesn’t see that immediately is lying — or worse, believes otherwise.

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Howie: Vikings fire general manager Adofo-Mensah, sources say
Minnesota Vikings

Howie: Vikings fire general manager Adofo-Mensah, sources say

The firing comes nearly four weeks after the Vikings finished the 2025 season with a 9-8 record, missing the playoffs. Minnesota’s front office and coaching staff have faced scrutiny over roster decisions, including the team’s quarterback situation and free-agency moves.

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Howie: Adversity isn’t the issue for Bulldogs. Execution and points are.
Bulldogs men's hockey coach Scott Sandelin. Howie / HowieHanson.com

Howie: Adversity isn’t the issue for Bulldogs. Execution and points are.

The question wasn’t how they’re handling adversity. The real question is whether they can turn good hockey into points — starting now. Because in the NCHC, effort keeps you competitive. Execution keeps you home in the first round of the playoffs.

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Howie: Clark building Monsters to make a deep run in the AF1
Jaysen Yogi Howard

Howie: Clark building Monsters to make a deep run in the AF1

A veteran emphasis may define the Monsters’ identity more than anything else. Clark said he deliberately avoided inexperienced arena players, opting instead to load camp with proven winners. At least 16 players on the current roster, he said, have won arena championships.

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Howie: Bulldogs fighting for home ice in the playoffs
Bulldogs junior defenseman Aaron Pionk. Howie / HowieHanson.com

Howie: Bulldogs fighting for home ice in the playoffs

Home ice is there for the taking. The Bulldogs will either take points from Denver, survive North Dakota, and handle their business against Miami and Colorado College — or they’ll finish fifth, look back at a missed weekend or two, and tell themselves they were close.

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Bulldogs disappear for two periods, lose 4-3

Seventh-ranked Minnesota Duluth opened a key NCHC stretch with a 4-3 loss to No. 3 Western Michigan on Friday night at Amsoil Arena. Ty Hanson scored in the first period for the Bulldogs (17-8, 8-7 NCHC). Jayson Shaugabay and Callum Arnott added goals in the final

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Plante brothers, Hanson on Hobey Baker fan ballot

Plante brothers, Hanson on Hobey Baker fan ballot

For Hermantown, the impact is already unmistakable. A high school program in northern Minnesota placed three of its own among the nation’s best college hockey players — simultaneously, on the sport’s biggest individual stage — reinforcing a legacy that now stretches far beyond state lines.

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Howie on local prep hockey

I’m not handing Hermantown a boys hockey state trophy in January. I’ve been around too long for that. But when the Section 7A tournament begins and the pressure turns real, I know who I’m riding with. I’ve seen this movie before. It usually ends with everyone else wondering how they missed it.

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50 Yard Football: Inside a typical arena football team budget

Howie Hanson is editor & publisher of 50-Yard Football, which covers arena/indoor football leagues. While every arena football team operates with slightly different resources, league officials and front-office executives say the financial pressures are largely the same across the sport. Travel, payroll and arena expenses consume most

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Howie: Hawks boys eye strong basketball regular season finish

Howie's daily online column is powered by Lyric Kitchen · Bar  Hermantown’s boys basketball team is about to find out who it really is. Grand Rapids comes to Hermantown High School on Friday night, the start of a stretch that will define whether the Hawks can turn a

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National Scouting Combine roster announced
Jimmy Kibble (left) and Gary Compton. Submitted

National Scouting Combine roster announced

National Scouting Combine has released its player roster for 2026. Draft-eligible athletes and free agents from across the country will compete Tuesday through Friday at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida. The world-class event will provide players the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of

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