Each week, area athletes and teams compete on the court, ice or mat and in the gym or pool. Here are some of the highlights from Dec. 26 to Dec 29.
Boys hockey
Chanhassen (10-1) extended its winning streak to 10 games with three wins at the Premier Holiday Classic in the Park Dec. 27-29. Junior Brayden Willis had a hat trick and junior Jack Christ added two goals in the first game to top Rosemount 6-2. Goaltender Kam Hendrickson then set the program’s single-season record for shutouts in a season Dec. 28 as the No. 5 Storm beat No. 6 Lakeville South 3-0. Hendrickson recorded another 3-0 shutout against St. Louis Park and now has five shutouts with 13 regular-season games to go. The Storm play again Jan. 5 as they host Waconia to start a four-game homestand.
Chaska (3-7-1) went 1-1-1 at The Tradition Holiday Invitational in Prior Lake Dec. 27-29. The Hawks tied Rogers 3-3 Dec. 27 behind two goals in the third period from sophomore Peyton Chase. The Hawks then fell 7-1 to Prior Lake Dec. 28 but bounced back with two goals including a game winner from Ty Smith to beat Eden Prairie 5-4 Dec. 29.
Holy Family (8-3) started off the Premier Holiday Classic in the Grove by blanking Totino-Grace 6-0 Dec. 27. Sophomores Bryce Wiitala and Mason Grinnell both finished with two goals and one assist. The Fire then fell 5-4 to Gentry Academy Dec. 28 despite two goals from senior Parker Osborn, but finished the tournament with a 7-3 win over St. Michael-Albertville Dec. 29. Osborn, Grinnell and sophomore Holden Pajor each had two goals in the win.
SWC/Richfield (4-2-3) came away with three ties in the Herb Brooks Classic Dec. 26-28. While the games will be officially recorded as ties, the Stars competed in shootouts to determine a winner for tournament purposes. Senior Caleb Bendell had the game-winner in a shootout to beat Marshall Dec. 26. Southwest Christian then lost in shootouts to Simley Dec. 27 and St. Paul Academy Dec. 28. The Stars’ next game is Jan. 7 at Blake.
Girls hockey
A shootout goal from sophomore Casey Cronin against Edina Dec. 27 set Holy Family (10-3-1) up for a rematch of the 2021-22 section 2AA championship with Minnetonka in the Walser Tourney championship game. After a dominant 8-0 win over Wayzata Dec. 26 and a 1-1 tie ending with Holy Family advancing, the Fire could not get its revenge against the Skippers Dec. 28 and fell 3-1. Junior Josie Linn had four goals during the tournament, including a hat trick against the Trojans, and Sedona Blair averaged 32 saves during the tournament. Holy Family is back in action Jan. 5 at Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian.
Chaska/Chanhassen (2-12) had a 2-1 lead before Eden Prairie took over in the second period to win 4-2 Dec. 27. Junior Madeleine Margraf had 35 saves in the loss. The StormHawks were blanked 5-0 by Cretin-Derham Hall Dec. 28 and 5-0 by North Wright County Dec. 29.
Boys basketball
Chaska (2-6) dropped two games at the Eden Prairie Holiday tournament. The Hawks fell 90-79 to Eden Prairie Dec. 28 and 58-49 to Edina Dec. 29. Chaska returns to action Jan. 5 at Rosemount. Southwest Christian (1-8) won its first game of the season, beating Hibbing 87-63 Dec. 29. Prior to the win, the Stars led by six points at the half against Owatonna but fell 86-60 in the opening round of the North Star State Hardwood Showcase Dec. 27. Junior Gordie Molin averaged 16.5 points between the two games.
Chanhassen (3-4) won its first of two games at the Lakeville North Holiday Classic, beating Austin 86-68 in head coach Corey Christopherson’s first game coaching against his alma mater. Holy Family (5-0) beat Albany 76-68 in the Fire’s first game of the Granite City Classic Dec. 29.
Girls basketball
Southwest Christian moved to 7-0 on the season with two dominant wins to start the holiday tournament in St. Cloud. The Stars crushed Litchfield 75-28 Dec. 28 and followed it up with a 57-21 win over Melrose Area Dec. 29. Sophomore Aubrey Burkhart scored 25 points with seven made three-pointers in the first of three tournament games.
Chanhassen (1-6) dropped two games at the St. Michael-Albertville High School Holiday Tournament. The Storm lost 68-57 to Rogers Dec. 27 and 91-61 to St. Michael-Albertville Dec. 28. Junior Madeline Ziembiec averaged 12 points during the games, while junior Lauren Arnold had a team-high 18 points against the Knights. Holy Family (4-5) fell 53-39 to Albany Dec. 29 in the Fire’s first game of the Granite City Classic.
Wrestling
Chaska/Chanhassen saw success on the first day of the Rogers Holiday Matness tournament Dec. 29. Freshman Michael Gillette recorded his 60th career win, and he along with junior Stevie Dragos, freshman Carson Turner and sophomore Prentiss Derrick, Jr., all advanced to the quarterfinals on Dec. 30. The StormHawks were guaranteed a top-eight finish in a 37-team field with the performance on day 1.
Swim and Dive
Chaska/Chanhassen finished fourth out of 10 teams at the Up North Invite at Grand Rapids High School. The StormHawks had two first place finishes at the meet: Casey Bretz in the 50 freestyle (22.40) and the 200 freestyle relay team (1:30.79). Alex Meyer finished second in the 200 IM (2:08.51) and the 200 medley relay team took third (1:46.47). Chaska/Chanhassen finished with 292 points compared with 580 by Minnetonka at first place. The StormHawks’ next meet is at St. Louis Park Jan. 5.