• HS Softball 4/15: Ishpeming 18, Bark River-Harris 7, Gm 1
  • HS Softball 4/15: North Dickinson 23, Rapid River 8, Gm 2
  • HS Softball 4/15: Ishpeming 16, Bark River-Harris 3, Gm 2
  • HS Baseball 4/15: Negaunee 2, Kingsford 1, Gm 1
  • HS Baseball 4/15: Negaunee 9, Kingsford 0, Gm 2
  • HS Baseball 4/15: Bark River-Harris 18, North Dickinson 3, Gm 1
  • HS Baseball 4/15: Bark River-Harris 11, North Dickinson 1, Gm 2
  • HS Baseball 4/15: Sault Ste. Marie 17, Grayling 4, Gm 1
  • HS Softball 4/15: North Dickinson 13, Rapid River 3, Gm 1
  • HS Baseball 4/15: Sault Ste. Marie 5, Grayling 4, Gm 2
5902 articles
Tuesday April 16, 2024
Iron River Hawks Win Midget B Hockey State Title

FRASER, Mich.---The Iron River Ice Hawks Midget B hockey team won the state championship on Sunday in downstate Fraser. The Ice Hawks, with five Delta County boys on the roster, beat the Marquette Togos, 3-0, in the championship game.

With no midget team in Escanaba, the five boys who did not make the Escanaba High School hockey team spent the winter driving to Iron River for competition. They are Aaron Young, Cody Vandermissen, Blaine Reinhart, Lucas Weinart, and Noah Olsen.

Iron River won both of its games on Friday, 7-2 over the Southgate Senators and 8-2 over the Summit Gladiators.

GAME 1: IRON RIVER 7, SOUTHGATE 2---Iron River jumped to a 3-0 lead on a goal by Jeff Rahilly and two goals from Pete Ropiak. In the second period, Southgate closed to within 3-2 before Rahilly scored his second goal to make it 4-2. In the third period, Olsen scored twice and Aaron Young added another tally to make it a 7-2 final. Neil T0masoski had a three-assist "playmaker" for Iron River.

GAME 2: IRON RIVER 8, SUMMIT 2---Iron River led 1-0 after the first period on a goal by Olsen. The Ice Hawks put the game away with five goals in the second period. The goals were scored by Tomasoski, Rahilly, Nolan Armock, Weinert, and Lee Hedtke. In the third period, Iron River took an 8-0 lead on goals by Young and Rahilly. The Gladiators scored the final two goals to make it an 8-2 final.

GAME 3: IRON RIVER 7, FARMINGTON HILLS 2---On Saturday, the Ice Hawks beat the Farmington Hills Jaguars, 7-2, on Saturday, to finish pool play with a 3-0 record, and a top seed in Sunday's semifinals. The game began with Hedke scoring off an assist from Vandermissen. The Jaguars tied the game a short time later, but Iron River scored three more goals to take a 4-1 lead after the first period.

Rahilly scored twice and Miguel Padilla added a single goal. In the second period, Pete Ropiak scored at the 9:44 mark as Rahilly assisted. After the Jaguars closed to within 5-2 in the third period, Young scored for the third straight game. Weinert closed the scoring to make it a 7-2 final.

MARQUETTE ADVANCES TO TITLE GAME---Marquette, meanwhile, tied the Blue Water Blues of Port Huron, 4-4, to start pool play. Then the Togos blanked Trenton Tools, 10-0, and the Tawas Blackhawks, 11-0. In Sunday's semifinals, Iron River beat the Blue Water Blues, 6-2, and Marquette had its third straight shutout, 2-0, over Summit.

IRON RIVER 6, BLUE WATER BLUES 2--In Iron River's semifinal win on Sunday, Weinert opened the scoring with a goal 53 seconds into the game, assisted by Tomasoski. Moments later, Vandermissen scored an unassisted goal to make it 2-0.

In the second period, Weinert scored again, with Tomasoski and Hedtke drawing the assists. That was the only goal of the period, so the Ice Hawks led, 3-0, after two.

Ropiak made it 4-0 in the third period, with Weinert and Armock assisting. Both teams scored twice in the final half of the period, with Tomasoski and Rahilly getting the goals for the Ice Hawks.

The semifinal results set up the all-U.P. state final Sunday afternoon. Marquette had won the Upper Peninsula championship, while Iron River needed to win in a "last chance" tournament just to earn a spot in the state tournament.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: IRON RIVER 3, MARQUETTE 0---After a break, the two U.P. teams played for the state title some eight hours from home.

The game was scoreless after the first period. But the Ice Hawks grabbed the lead early in the second period as Tomasoski scored as Vandermissen assisted. Just over a minute later, Iron River took a 2-0 lead as Olsen scored, with Bryce DeWitt drawing the assist.

In the third period, the Ice Hawks put the game away as Rahilly scored, with Olsen drawing the assist.

Pictured below: the five Delta County boys on the Iron River team.

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