SPORTS WRAP

Old dog. New tricks. If I had a resolution to try something new in 2025, I could check that off my list. I went curling and had a great time.
I was invited to participate in a bonspiel organized by the Eveleth Elks Club. A portion of the fundraising is going toward a memorial scholarship in my brother's name after his many years of working with the Elks.
Before trekking north, I had a crash course from local curler, and fellow Owatonna Live announcer, Brad Betterman. It made a big difference. I had a few decent throws.
Now is your chance to discover curling Saturday, Jan. 25 from 1-4 p.m., part of the Bold and Cold Festival. The Owatonna Curling Club is on the fairgrounds, right next to the Four Seasons Centre. No registration necessary. Just bring clean shoes.
Betterman says no experience is required. “Don’t be afraid. Come out and give it a whirl. We’ll show you how to deliver a rock. We’ll show you how to sweep,” he said.
For those who want to get more involved, leagues run most nights, and he says there are some openings. The club dates to 1971. Some early curling was held in the larger animal barns on the fairgrounds before the current building was built in 1979.
“When it becomes an Olympic year, we always see a real big uptick,” he stated. Especially when a Minnesota-based team won gold in 2018.
“The biggest thing about curling is the camaraderie… You’re out there playing on the ice. You’re going to play against a team, like you’re in battle. At the end, you’re going to come in and sit down at the table with that same team,” said Betterman.
Jerry DeMars started curling in 1983 through a work connection. “You just can’t get away from it. It’s such a fun sport. It makes you want to be out there more…We got hooked on it right away,’ he said.
The curling club hosts birthday parties and other social events in addition to bonspiels that bring in teams from around the state and occasionally out-of-country.
Juniors play Saturday mornings. “It’s a lot of fun when you see the kids build up,” says DeMars.
Raiders pounce
Northfield stormed out to a 3-0 first-period lead over the Owatonna boys hockey team Saturday night. The Raiders went on to win 5-0 while limiting the Huskies to 14 shots on goal. Northfield converted on two power plays and added a shorthanded marker.
A melee broke out late in the second period resulting in 68 penalty minutes on a single play. With a delayed call coming on an Owatonna player, a scrum started behind the Raiders’ net that involved nearly every player on the ice. Three skaters from each squad got two-minute roughing and ten-minute misconduct calls that filled both penalty boxes.
The Huskies are averaging about four goals per game but have had trouble scoring lately. Coach Dennis Will says, “The goal scorers, the ones that are real natural at it, just do it. It’s a real tough skill to teach somebody how to score. You teach them to shoot at the empty areas of the net. But the goal scorers really just know where to put the puck.”
Girls ties
The OHS girls ended in a 1-1 draw at Northfield on Saturday. Averi Vetsch put the Huskies ahead four-and-a-half minutes into the first period. The Raiders evened it up with two seconds to go in the second. Senior Leah Spencer made 31 saves, matching her total from Tuesday’s 0-0 tie at Mankato East.
Owatonna was eight-for-eight in penalty kill over those games. Both the Raiders and Cougars are Section 1AA opponents. After seven straight road games, the Huskies play three straight, and five of their last seven, at Four Seasons Centre.
Outdoor win
Steele County Blades junior hockey earned a 3-2 shootout victory over the Minnesota Mullets on Sunday at the Recreation Outdoor Center in St. Louis Park. Trevor Dolata and Arturas Laurynavichus scored in the shootout.
Austin Kwak and Peyton Inks scored in regulation and the Blades had a 47-38 shot advantage. The game was played during falling temperatures and below-zero wind chills at the covered, open-air facility.
“It’s incredible. It brings hockey back to its roots. I know our guys have had this date on the calendar circled for a long time,” said coach Nick Adamek. The team has several players from warm weather states. “It’s completely foreign to them. Guys asking if we’re going to have heaters on the bench… The answer is ‘No.’ We have been skating outside as a team as of late.”
The Blades beat Hudson 4-1 on Friday, Jan. 10 behind a hat trick by John Vail.
Love to run
When football was initially canceled due to COVID-19 during his eighth-grade year, OHS senior Jack Sorenson took up cross-country and found a new love: running.
The plan was to stay in shape for wrestling. But his passion for running trumped his interest in other sports. “The community is one thing. My older brother did it. My sister did it. My mom likes to run. I think the grittiness of it. It’s a mental challenge,” said Sorenson.
Now it’s led to a college commitment to Minnesota State University, Mankato to run cross-country and track.
“I liked their education program. The time I got to spend there with the coach for the day was really nice. He checked in with me, even through my injuries throughout the season… I just felt like he wanted me, and it wasn’t just that I wanted to be there,” he said.
One of his track events drew their interest. “My 1,600-meter is what showed them that they think I should be there.” He won section titles in the 1,600 [top time of 4:19] and 3,200 as a junior, and also runs the 800. Sorenson ran at the state cross country meet each of the last two years.
College cross-country is a longer event than the 5K in high school, up to 10K.
Sorenson has a checklist to success in college. “Summer mileage. Consistent training. Better diet. Lifting. Everything that makes a good athlete. I feel like being responsible. Making good choices. Staying up on my grades,” he said.
Sorenson plans to become a physical education teacher, while intentions of pursuing elementary education. “My love for being active, trying to share that with kids. I love going to elementary schools as it is for mentorship classes or just if I can to volunteer.”
Wetting a line for a cause
The sixth annual Zappa Agency Fishing Tournament (ZAFT) is Jan. 17-19 on Mille Lacs Lake. Last year’s event raised money for Young Life, Rachel’s Light, Steele County Humane Society, Hormel Institute for Cancer Research, Owatonna Parks and Rec Scholarship Fund, and Let’s Smile.
Steve Zappa shared his excitement on the Mic’d Up Misfits radio show on The FAN/Owatonna. “We’ve got one of the better slates of prizes. We’ve got right now as I see the largest donation pool for the charities going. Ice is good. You got a fish house. You go set it up there. Go have some fun. Fish for charity,” said Zappa.
Up to 50 teams can participate. Find out more on the Fish Donkey app.
OwatonnaLive.com play-by-play
Thursday, Jan. 16
OHS boys swimming vs. Mankato East, 6 p.m.
OHS girls hockey vs. Mankato West, 7 p.m.
OHS girls basketball vs. Faribault, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 17
Big Nine Conference Dance, Federated Court at OHS, 6 p.m.
Blooming Prairie boys basketball vs. NRHEG, 7:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 20
Blooming Prairie girls basketball vs. Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.