Vikes string together two huge wins
 | North Branch 65, North St. Paul 37
The Lady Vikings got their season kicked off with a crushing of North St. Paul on Saturday, November 23.
Friday, December 6, 2019
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December 5, 2019 13:05
| Chisago Lakes falls to high-octane Pine City, dips to 0-2 on the season | Pine City 5, Chisago Lakes 1
The Pine City Dragons broke open a close game with three goals in the second period and went on to beat the Wildcats 5-1 on Tuesday, November 26 at Chisago Lakes Arena. Pine City outshot the Wildcats 33-30 for the game but had better scoring opportunities. In the first period, they hit the pipe once and just missed the net on a couple of other shots. Starting goalie Will Burgen also made a few nice saves to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the Dragons after one. Max Wilmer replaced Burgen in the nets after Pine City went up 4-0 and allowed just one goal on 14 shots the rest of the way. Ben Johnson scored a power play goal at 5:43 of the third period to break up the shutout, assisted by Ryan Schmidt and Tucker Bakken.
Friday, December 6, 2019
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December 5, 2019 13:04
| | NB offense on fire, scoring eight | North Branch 8, Minnesota River 0
In the Vikings’ second game of the season, Cody Croal picked up his second hat trick of the season to lead the Vikings to an 8-0 shutout over the Minnesota River Bulldogs. The game was played Friday, November 29 in the opening round of the Turkey Trot Tournament, held at the Veteran’s Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights.
Friday, December 6, 2019
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December 5, 2019 13:01
| | Burgen pots tying goal with seconds left, earning a tie with Minneapolis | Chisago Lakes 3, Minneapolis 3 (O.T.)
With the Wildcats trailing 3-2 to the Minneapolis Novas, Dani Burgen scored with 2.8 seconds remaining in the third period to tie the game at 3-3. Neither team scored in overtime, so the game ended in a tie. The teams played Monday, December 2 at Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis.
Friday, December 6, 2019
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December 5, 2019 13:03
| | 'Cats drop first game of the season, but move record to 5-1 with two wins | Chisago Lakes 2, Cambridge-Isanti-Mora-Pine City (CIMP) 1
The Wildcat girls hockey team outshot CIMP 38-19 – exactly a 2-1 margin – and, fittingly, won the game 2-1. CIMP scored with 30 seconds left in the first period as the Wildcats were working to kill off a five-minute power play. Jenna Lawry scored four minutes into the second period to tie the game at 1-1, assisted by Dylan Grilz and Dani Burgen. Megan Bye scored the go-ahead goal a couple of minutes later, with assists going to Grilz and Lawry. The Wildcats kept up the pressure the rest of the game and hung on for the win. The game was played Tuesday, November 19 at Chisago Lakes Arena.
Friday, November 29, 2019
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November 26, 2019 16:45
| | Croal shines as Vikes shred Storm | Center Cody Croal, named by the StarTribune as one of the 21 “Players to Watch” in the Metro area this season, lived up to his billing by delivering a hat trick and three assists in the Viking hockey team’s opener, leading them to a 7-3 win over the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm. The game was played Friday, November 22 at Sports Arena East in Sauk Rapids.
Friday, November 29, 2019
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November 26, 2019 16:25
| | Special teams leave much to be
desired in an 8-3 loss to Lightning |
Northern Lakes 8, Chisago Lakes 3
The Northern Lakes Lightning broke open a close game with four straight goals in the second period on their way to an 8-3 win over the Wildcat boys’ hockey team. The lack of a penalty kill for the Wildcats was the difference in this game, as the Lightning scored on six of nine power play opportunities. The game was the season opener for the Wildcats and was played at Chisago Lakes Arena last Friday, November 22.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
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November 26, 2019 16:47
| | Opdahl continues to impress in first year of diving, finishing 14th |
The erie calm and deep blue waters of the University of Minnesota Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center were interrupted time and time again last week for the Minnesota state diving meet on Thursday, November 21 and Saturday, November 23.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
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November 20, 2019 16:24
| | Chisago Lakes girls hockey off to fast start with 3-0 record | Were you just thinking ‘if it’s cold out, high school hockey season must be here’? Well, you’re in luck. The Wildcat girls’ team started the season off with a bang, winning all three of its games as things got underway last week.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
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November 20, 2019 16:20
| | The agony and ecstacy of the state tourney |
With great expectations can come great disappointments, and the North Branch Vikings volleyball team felt that sting of disappointment after their five-set state championship loss to Stewartville on Saturday, November 9.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
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November 13, 2019 18:24
| | Early surge from Suggs-led SMB holds up through late Chisago Lakes rally at state |
In last Saturday’s state tournament game against St. Paul Academy/Minnehaha Academy/Blake (SMB), the Jalen Suggs Show dominated the first half and the Wildcats trailed 35-0 at the end of the half – a seemingly insurmountable lead. But rather than hanging their heads, the Wildcats came out blazing and dominated the second half. In the end, their rally fell short and SMB came away with a 49-28 win to advance to a state semifinal game against top-ranked Hutchinson today at 4:30 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The loss ended the season for the Wildcats. The game was played at Centennial High School in Circle Pines.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
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November 13, 2019 18:18
| | Opdahl and Stipe heading to state for Chisago Lakes diving squad |
Two divers from Chisago Lakes qualified for the state tournament this year, with Hattie Opdahl winning the section and Claudia Stipe coming in fourth place.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
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November 13, 2019 18:00
| | Wildcats snatch section championship from Hermantown |
The Wildcat football team is headed to the state tournament for the first time since 2001.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
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November 6, 2019 16:37
| | Vikings claim third section crown in a row |
It’s easy to say “the third time’s the charm” but that’s not entirely accurate when it comes to the North Branch volleyball team and their third straight section championship.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
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November 6, 2019 16:31
| | Wildcats to play for section title after upending top-seeded Cloquet |
With the Wildcats leading 14-0 midway through the fourth quarter in last Saturday’s section 7AAAA semifinal game at Cloquet, the Lumberjacks were on the brink of scoring a touchdown that would have cut the lead in half. But on second and goal from the three, sophomore Max Pullis created a fumble and recovered it at the four to stop the Lumberjack drive dead in its tracks. The Wildcats then went on an 11-play drive that ran out the clock to win the game 14-0 and advance to tomorrow night’s section championship game against the Hermantown Hawks at 7 p.m. at North Branch High School. The Hawks defeated the North Branch Vikings 21-14 in the other semifinal to advance to the championship game.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
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October 30, 2019 16:08
| | Vikings' season ends on last minute Hermantown touchdown | Hermantown has been a major thorn in North Branch’s side since the two teams joined in section play five years ago.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
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October 30, 2019 16:04
| | AREA VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP | North Branch
The Vikings made quick work of their first two section opponents last week. In the opener, the top-seeded North Branch team swept Duluth Denfeld 25-13, 25-11, 25-15.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
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October 30, 2019 16:02
| | Gillach gains valuable experience at state |
Greta Gillach made her debut at the state tournament last week and despite going 0-2, she had a tough fought match in the consolation bracket and gained a ton of experience for her future tennis career.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
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October 30, 2019 16:01
| | Cross country teams end season at Cloquet CC | Area cross country teams ended their season at the Cloquet Country Club on Saturday, October 26.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
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October 30, 2019 15:49
| | Lizotte coming home to Minnesota as a member of the Los Angeles Kings |
Blake Lizotte’s journey to the National Hockey League is the stuff made for Hollywood.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
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October 23, 2019 16:17
| | Defensive meltdown comes at the wrong time, ending CL's season |
When Estefani Hanson scored with 1:26 to go in the game to break a 1-1 tie with the Cloquet-Carlton Lumberjacks in the Section 7A championship game, it looked like the top-seeded Wildcat girls’ soccer team was headed to the state tournament for the second time in school history. But just over 30 seconds later, the Wildcats committed a foul in their box and Cloquet converted the penalty kick, tying the game with 52 seconds to go. The Lumberjacks scored with 6:35 left in the in the second sudden victory overtime period to win the game 3-2 and claim the section championship. The loss ended an excellent season for the Wildcats just one game short of the state tournament. The game was played at North Branch High School Thursday, October 17.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
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October 23, 2019 16:12
| | Wildcats drop finale in OT to Monticello, bounce back for section win | In the Wildcat football team’s final regular season game, the Wildcats (2-6) and the Monticello Magic battled to a 7-7 tie in regulation on Wednesday, October 15 at Monticello. But the Magic led off overtime with a touchdown and stopped the Wildcats on their overtime possession and beat the Wildcats 14-7.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
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October 23, 2019 16:10
| | NB stumbles in season finale, but crushes Denfeld in first round of sections |
Grand Rapids is now out of North Branch’s section, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
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October 23, 2019 16:08
| | Gillach grabs state tourney bid in girls tennis |
Sophomore Greta Gillach has some big foot steps to follow in that were planted by her older siblings, but in her sophomore year she is already starting to match them, step-for-step.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:46
| | Vikings blast Denfeld, wrap up regular season | Like the White Walkers in Game of Thrones, the North Branch football team took the field on Friday, October 11 and brought with them a quick and bitter wind and blowing snowflakes.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:37
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Last Friday night, in their final regular season home game of the year, the Wildcat football team played yet another big school – this time, the Rogers Royals – and the outcome was familiar. The Wildcats turned the ball over sparingly and showed some flashes of the team they can be, but it wasn’t enough. Behind 177 yards on 21 carries from running back Ben Dahl, the Royals beat the Wildcats 34-14. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 2-5 on the season.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:33
| | 'Cats playing for section soccer championship against Cloquet |
Kellie Higgins’ goal in overtime gave the Wildcat girls’ soccer team a 1-0 win over the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers in the Section 7A semifinals Tuesday, October 15 at Chisago Lakes sending the Wildcats to tonight’s section championship game at 7 p.m. at Chisago Lakes High School. The Wildcats will face the winner of the other Section 7A semifinal game between Cloquet and St. Francis, played Tuesday night in Cloquet. Results had not been posted for that game at press time.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:27
| | Wildcats crush Tigers, finish third at true team sections | Wins haven’t been easy to come by the last few years, but the Chisago Lakes girls swimming and diving team cruised to a big win on Thursday, October 10 over Princeton, 98-83.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:24
| | CL beats M8C and section foe St. Francis in five sets | The Chisago Lakes volleyball team took another major step in their development last week, beating a winning team in the Mississippi 8 Conference.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:22
| | Chisago Lakes beats Proctor before being bested by Duluth Denfeld | Chisago Lakes 3, Proctor 2 (O.T.)
Braydon Burds scored three minutes into the first overtime to give the fifth-seeded Wildcats a 3-2 win over the 13th-seeded Proctor Rails, sending the Wildcats to their quarterfinal matchup with Duluth Denfeld. The game was played last Thursday at Chisago Lakes High School.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:21
| | Hunters squeeze by North Branch in section opener for boys soccer | Duluth Denfeld 2, North Branch 1
In the opening round of the Section 7A playoffs against fourth-seeded Duluth Denfeld, the 13th-seeded Vikings played what head coach Jake Borash called “by far the best game we played all season in terms of passing, mentality, want and desire.” But when it was all over, the Hunters had squeaked out a 2-1 win over the Vikings, ending the Vikings season. The game was played last Thursday at Public Schools Stadium in Duluth.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:21
| | NB upsets NLA before falling | North Branch 3, North Lakes Academy 0
Despite missing two key starters due to injury, the 13th-seeded Viking girls’ soccer team pulled off the biggest upset of the Section 7A tournament, beating the fourth-seeded North Lakes Academy Huskies 3-0 Thursday, October 10 at Hanifi Fields Athletic Park in Hugo. Viking head coach Josh Kopp was not available for comment and no statistics were available for the game.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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October 16, 2019 16:20
| | North Branch upheaves Hibbing 40-19 for second win of the season |
North Branch 40, Hibbing 19
Hibbing has been a great remedy for ailing teams this year, and it was no different for a North Branch team that had lost three games in a row coming into the contest.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 12:23
| | Wildcats get pushed around at homecoming, lose 30-7 on late scores | A casual glance at the 30-7 score of last Friday’s football game between the Wildcats and the Andover Huskies could lead you to believe that the Huskies had a relatively easy win over the Wildcats. But it really was one of those games that was closer than the score indicated. And it all turned on a penalty late in the game.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 12:20
| | North Branch wraps up first Mississippi 8 Conference crown |
North Branch 3, Monticello 2
Just one obstacle remained for the North Branch volleyball team to win their first Mississippi 8 Conference championship since 2015, and that was the Monticello Magic.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 12:15
| | Local runners get down and
especially dirty at Swain Invite |
Swain Invitational
Record rainfalls, cold temperatures and lots of mud made for an interested Swain Invitational at Enger Park in Duluth on Saturday, October 5.
The course was absolutely soaked and trounced over by the time the varsity runners took to the course, and it provided mudholes, puddles and conditions that most of the racers have never had to deal with before.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 12:13
| | Area soccer teams wrap up regular season, postseason awaits | Chisago Lakes Girls
In what was to be their final regular season game, the Wildcats (14-0-1) didn't exactly know what to expect from the 22nd-ranked Minnehaha Academy Redhawks (7-3-3) coming into the match at Chisago Lakes High School on Thursday, October 3. The Redhawks had tied fifth-ranked Breck and lost to 20th-ranked Blake by just one goal. But the Wildcats were on point from the start. Nine minutes into the match, Riann Daas found Estefani Hanson, who shot the ball into the lower corner for the first Wildcat goal. Midway through the half, Allison Glenna found Daas for the Wildcats' second goal. And with eight minutes left in the half, Madison Kubalek sent a one-touch pass to Daas for the Wildcats' third goal and a 3-0 halftime lead. Early in the second half, Minnehaha Academy scored to make it 3-1. The score stayed that way until the 81st minute, when Kellie Higgins sent a corner in to the box and Avery Constant blasted it home to give the Wildcats a more comfortable cushion at 4-1. Daas – who finished with two goals and two assists – sent a beautiful feed across the box to a wide-open Rayna Barrett for the finish. Finally, Hanson dropped a ball back to Kellie Higgins, who bent it in for a goal to make the final score Chisago Lakes 6, Minnehaha Academy 1.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 12:10
| | Team still alive, as well as Gillach for CL girls tennis | Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 11:38
| | Wildcats buzz past Hornets on
Homecoming Eve, honor seniors | Chisago Lakes 3, Big Lake 2
Although Chisago Lakes has still struggled at times this year, they earned a huge win on their Homecoming eve game on Thursday, October 3 over the Big Lake Hornets.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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October 10, 2019 11:37
| | The undefeated Wildcat girls soccer team claimed their first ever M8C championship |
The undefeated, untied Chisago Lakes Wildcats girls soccer team was heavily favored going into their match with the young-but-improving North Branch Vikings. But, as often happens in rivalry games, the match turned out to be a tight one, and the teams battled to a 1-1 overtime tie. The game was played Thursday, September 26 at North Branch High School.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
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October 2, 2019 17:01
| | CL's girls tennis team wrapped up their
unbeaten M8C season with a win over NB |
Chisago Lakes 6, North Branch 1
Chisago Lakes finished their undefeated Mississippi 8 Conference slate with a 6-1 win over North Branch last week.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
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October 2, 2019 16:55
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