Sports

After su_ering a pair of recent losses, their first since back before Thanksgiving, the Emeralds Varsity Hockey team is back on track. The Emeralds went below the bridge and brought back a pair of wins, defeating the Cadillac Vikings 5-1 Friday Night before blasting the Lakeshore Badgers Co-Op 9-1 in a Saturday Afternoon mercy. The wins started a brand-new winning streak for a team that was unbeaten in 9 straight contests.

The Emeralds Varsity Hockey team faced one of its toughest tests of their season late last week, playing three times in as many days in a marathon that saw them finish the weekend 2-1 in a stretch that saw incredible comebacks, a dominant defensive effort, and a heartbreaking loss in the final minutes against a hated rival that ended a ninegame unbeaten streak.

The Munising Baptist Bobcats led throughout the first three quarters as they faced the Ojibwe Eagles on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in Munising. But an early foul out by star Bobcat Ryan Swift opened up the door for a major comeback, resulting in the Eagles winning 60-48 at the Mather Gymnasium.

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The U.P.’s two community colleges of Gogebic Community College and Bay College faced each other for the last time this regular season, with each team getting a win for their respective programs. Local talent is crucial for the teams, which has 15 U.P. high school alumni and seven more from Wisconsin border towns like Niagara and Hurley.

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The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Week for the games of January 6-7 and four student-athletes from four different programs have been recognized. Austen Swankler (Bowling Green) was named the Forward of the Week, while Jake Livingstone (Minnesota State) was the Defenseman of the Week. Blake Pietila (Michigan Tech) collected Goaltender of the Week honors and Lleyton Roed (Bemidji State) garnered Rookie of the Week.

Last weekend, Munising was honored to host high school hockey at Alger Centennial Ice Arena, as the hockey co-op with Munising, Manistique, Newberry and Superior Central played two games in town. Locals from across Alger County came out to support the team regardless of what color the jersey said because they were happy to have the opportunity to cheer for their own.