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Ryan Redington from Alaska got his team to run the John Beargrease Sled-dog Marathon more like a sprint to gain a substantial lead. Photo credit: John Gilbert

This was the week that we all went to the dogs. The sled dogs, that is. The 33rd John Beargrease dogsled marathon was conducted from Two Harbors, up the trails to Grant Portage, and then back down to Billy’s north of Duluth.

Nathan Schroeder, last year's winner, had to battle to stay in contention this year. Photo credit: John Gilbert

It’s always fun to watch the beginning of the race, and it’s fun to move on up the rural roads north of Two Harbors and Silver Bay to catch the first few sleds as they cross Hwy. 3, or Hwy. 4.  Among the features of this year’s race was the presence of Ryan Redington from Willow, Alaska. He wore bib No. 5, and he had good reason to show up. His grandfather originated the Iditarod, the most famous dogsled race in the world, and his grandfather had come to our North Shore to run in the Beargrease once, and told Ryan about it. So this is the year Ryan brought his dogs and entered.

Colleen Walsh ran in a cluster of mushers battling for second place through the first three days. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Redington’s sled was first to depart at the start, and he built up a decent lead over the first few miles. His team of dogs kept the pressure on the rest of the field, which was properly bunched up behind him. He extended the lead Monday, and Tuesday, and was in position to win the race if he could maintain his pace Wednesday.

Some strong entries were battling to keep pace, including Colleen Wallin, Matthew Schmidt, Ryan Anderson, and defending champion Nathan Schroeder.  You’ll know who won the race before this issue of The Reader comes out.

UMD Women Face UND

The UMD women’s hockey team had a tough challenge at the start of the season, to prove that moving up in status could mean not only challenging North Dakota for third-best in the WCHA, and Minnesota and Wisconsin for the top two slots, but also actually beating those teams.
The Bulldogs have done more than anyone could ask. Lara Stalder is having a brilliant senior year and, based on the recent sweep over Minnesota, might be the best player in the league and a definite contender for the Patty Katzmaier Award as the best player in the nation. Ashleigh Brykaliuk is having just as great a season as Stalder, her linemate, although she hasn’t had the same scoring touch. The two, together, are the best two players in the league and can carry the Bulldogs to a strong finish.

An early pair of tough games at Minnesota gave them confidence, success at North Dakota gave them more, and handing No. 1 Wisconsin its first defeat boosted the Bulldogs to the upper reaches of the WCHA. Sweeping the Gophers in mid-January shocked the nation, and UMD is riding high, at No. 2 in the nation. This weekend, however, North Dakota comes to AMSOIL to engage the Bulldogs, and it could be a pivotal series for second place in the league, and playoff seeding.  The games are at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the men playing Nebraska-Omaha at 7 both days.

Is It Still Football Season?

The Super Bowl, I remember the Super Bowl. Let’s see, this time it’s Atlanta taking a shot at New England in the year’s biggest game.
I think the NFL is making a huge mistake giving the teams a week off from the conference playoffs until the Super Bowl. It’s good for the teams to get healthy, but there’s so much going on these days that the week off could actually cause a lot of people to stop thinking football.
Now they’ve got to get psyched all over again, because this could be one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory. The smart money is all on New England, but I’m picking Atlanta to spring the upset in Sunday’s big game.
Without question, New England deserves all the accolades, and Tom Brady is a nearly flawless quarterback. But this time, I believe the Atlanta Falcons are every bit as good on defense, and Matt Ryan has more offensive weapons at his disposal than Brady. Ryan has thrown touchdown passes to 13 different receivers this season, and the Falcons have a pretty creative series of offensive plays that I think might give the Patriots a lot of grief.

Hounds Face Elk River

Duluth East is percolating at just the right time in the high school hockey stretch drive. The Greyhounds have beaten every Class AA team in Section 7, and Saturday they try their luck at Elk River, the team that has frequently been ranked No. 1 in the state by some and is considered the top see in 7AA.

But if the Hounds can beat the Elks, they could be No. 1, based on performance. East whipped Forest Lake 4-0 last week, and it was a typical show of strength by the Hounds, who got goals from four different players and outshot the Rangers 45-8.
Playing without the injured Will Fisher and the disciplinary loss of Garrett Worth, the Hounds got goals from Luke LeMaster in the first minute, and added goals by Nick Lanigan and Jack FitzGerald 50 seconds apart late in the second to take a 3-0 hold. Braydin Larson scored a third-period goal to finish the scoring. Typically, any line can score, and Kirk Meierhoff has been steady in goal.

East coach Mike Randolph got a break from Elk River coach Gordie Roberts, who rescheduled the Saturday game earlier to let Randolph hustle up Interstate 35 to get home and see his son, Jake, play for Nebraska-Omaha against UMD.