Duluth Home Games to be Streamed Live on iFan.tv

Duluth Chargers home games will be streamed live this season on iFan.tv If you can't make it to the game or you'd like to watch a little Northern Minnesota lacrosse, check it out!

Post by Ifan Sports Network.

Despite All Odds, First Weekend of Lacrosse Goes On in the North!

Despite a late season blast of nearly a foot of snow in Duluth on Thursday night into Friday, all of the lacrosse games over the weekend were played except for the Friday night game between Duluth and Grand Cities which was postponed.  A lot of lacrosse was played over the weekend with 10 games played over two days.

STMA varsity had a successful trip up to Duluth going home with two victories, one over Red River Valley and one over Grand Cities.  Proctor also had a successful weekend picking up wins over Red River and Grand Cities while dropping one game against Hudson.  In the other Saturday game, the Duluth JV defeated STMA's JV 4-0.

On Sunday, Duluth's varsity squad got off to a great start with two wins.  Early in the day, Duluth

defeated Red River Valley 18-3.  In the marquee matchup of the weekend, #3 ranked Duluth took on #1 ranked and defending state champion Hudson.  Duluth controlled much of the game and came away with a big early season win, 13-4 over Hudson.  On the JV side, Duluth defeated Hudson 6-4.

Look for a new MBSLA Top 10 towards the end of the week.

Northern Lacrosse Teams Fare Well in 2013

Northern Minnesota lacrosse teams represented the North well in 2013.  The Duluth Chargers

2013 MBSLA 3rd Place Duluth Chargers

completed the most successful season in Northern Minnesota lacrosse history by finishing the season winning the 3rd place game at the MBSLA State Tournament and sporting a 14-1 record in the MBSLA and 19-1 overall.  Duluth also became the first Northern Minnesota team to win the Grand Rapids Shootout tournament with their victory over Grand Rapids.  No matter who won that game, a Northern Minnesota team would have set a new standard.  The Grand Rapids JV team finished the MBSLA season as the JV Division runner-up, losing a closely contested game to Hudson in the Championship game.  Fargo won their first playoff game over St. Cloud North and Proctor made the playoffs for the first time in their two year history.  The North Division also had All-State selections in Duluth defenseman Tanner Fristsinger and honorable mention Fargo attackman Carter Schulke and Duluth midfielder Cooper Carlson.  It was good year for northern high school lacrosse in 2013!

Coverage of Duluth's All-State Selections

All-State and All-Conference Awards Released!

For the first time in club history, Duluth has an all-state player.  Senior Defenseman Tanner Fritsinger has been named to the MBSLA All-State team.  In addition, Duluth's junior Midfielder Cooper Carlson was named All-State Honorable Mention.  Fargo senior attack Carter Shulke was also named All-State Honorable Mention.  Congratulations to these northern Minnesota lacrosse athletes!  More proof that the game is growing in the North!  See the entire MBSLA All-State team on the MN Lax Hub website.


Also released today was the 2013 MBSLA North All-Conference team.

2013 MBSLA North All-Conference

Team	Name	School	Position
First	Luke Hannan	Proctor	Attack
First	Brody Carlson	Duluth	Attack
First	Carter Schulke	Fargo	Attack
First	Bryce Holak	Duluth	Midfield
First	Cooper Carlson	Duluth	Midfield
First	Aric Foster	Fargo	Midfield
First	Logan Anderson	Grand Rapids	Defense
First	Tanner Fritsinger	Duluth	Defense
First	Tanner Brandt	Fargo	Defense
First	Graham Gallop	Grand Rapids	Long-stick Midfield
First	Beau Hughes	Duluth	Faceoff Midfield
First	T.J. Vallie	Duluth	Goalie
Second	Chase Hunter	Grand Rapids	Attack
Second	Tanner Lindstrom	Grand Cities	Attack
Second	Jesse Larson	Duluth	Attack
Second	Frank Napoli	Proctor	Midfield
Second	Bodin Nichols	Brainerd	Midfield
Second	Carl Kasse	Grand Rapids	Midfield
Second	Sean Thompson	Fargo	Defense
Second	Seamus Mackinaw	Duluth	Defense
Second	Jake Wick	Proctor	Defense
Second	Nick Gaasvig	Grand Cities	Long-stick Midfield
Second	Nick Zerfas	Grand Rapids	Faceoff Midfield
Second	Daniel Evenson	Fargo	Goalie

Honorable Mention: Alex Halverson, Fargo, attack; Dan O'Connell, Duluth, attack; Connor King, Fargo, attack; Trevor Hopkins, Grand Rapids, midfield; Christian Hansen, Grand Cities, midfield; Logan Ecklund, Proctor, midfield; Hunter Wieczorek, Duluth, defense; August Cadotte, Duluth, defense; Brady McDonald, Grand Cities, defense; Mike Nowicki, Duluth, long-stick midfield; Zack Zierden, Duluth, FOGO; Jake Young, Grand Cities, goalie.

Congratulations all!

Coverage of Duluth's 9-3 Playoff Victory

Fox News 21 coverage of Duluth's 9-3 opening round playoff win over Providence Academy.

Duluth Chargers Lacrosse on Fox News

Yet another news piece about the Duluth Chargers lacrosse team. The Chargers may be the most popular sport in Duluth this spring!

Coverage of Duluth's MBSLA North Victory over Grand Cities

Game Coverage of Big MBSLA North Battle

Northland News Center Channel 6 coverage of last nights big MBSLA North battle between Duluth and Grand Rapids.  Duluth jumped out to a 3-0 lead.  Grand Rapids battled back to tie it 3-3 before Duluth followed with two goals to take a 5-3 lead in the 4th.  Grand Rapids would add another to make it interesting before falling in a close one 5-4.

2013 MBSLA Season Gets Underway...sort of

The 2013 MBSLA season is underway!  Well, sort of.  Late season snow and abnormally cold temperatures have forced many more cancellations and postponements of games than games played.  But, a few teams have been able to play games.

Fargo Warriors (in white) vs. Hellgate Knights in Billings, MT

St. Louis Park began the season as the #1 ranked team in the MBSLA and didn't disappoint with an 11-4 win over Becker.  Duluth, the #5 ranked team in the state, started the season with a bang, defeating STMA at the Husky Stadium dome in St. Cloud 15-0 behind balanced scoring and stifling defense.  They completed the weekend with a scrimmage against St. Cloud North at the Husky Stadium dome on Sunday.  Proctor then played STMA and dropped a close one 9-7.

Three Northern Minnesota teams traveled out of state to find games.  Both Fargo and Grand Cities traveled to Billings to participate in a tournament there.  Fargo proved they're for real and deserve

their spot in the Top 10, going 4-0 in the tournament and defeating defending Montana State Champion Hellgate.  Grand Cities also played well and finished the tournament 2-2.  St. Louis Park participated in the Billings tournament as well.

Finally, Grand Rapids traveled to Omaha, Nebraska to play over the weekend.  No word on how they fared, but they got to play lacrosse and that puts them ahead of most of the MBSLA teams in the state.

Hopefully teams will get a chance to play this weekend after this latest round of snow storms passes though.  Pray for sunshine, warm weather and NO MORE SNOW!!!

Duluth Chargers - 2013 Season Preview

Duluth Chargers 2013 Season Preview

High School:  Duluth area
 

Coaches:

 

Scott Wishart - 2nd year

Alex Rogers - 2nd year

Last Year's Record: 7-4

Returning Starters/Key Returning Players:

 

The Chargers have 11 returning players from last years team.  Coach Wishart says, "Our senior Captain at goalie , TJ Vallie, our junior attack Captain, Brody Carlson, senior defensive Captain, Tanner Fritsinger and junior midfielder Cooper Carlson will all be huge components for this years teams success."

Key Losses:

 

The Chargers will feel the loss due to graduation of leading scorer Steven Halver as well as 1st team all-conference LSM Matt Mensinger.  The losses of midfielders Zach Galo and Tyler Kolquist to graduation will also be felt.

Key Newcomers:

The Chargers will regain their senior midfield captain, Beau Hughes who missed last season due to injury, and are looking forward to his addition to the field as an anchor for a young corps of midfielders.  The Chargers also have a very strong Sophomore class that they will be relying on to contribute tremendously this season. Coach Wishart is looking forward to having a couple of other players new to the varsity roster, "Freshman Bryce Holak, and Junior Kevin Marshall will be some fun players to work with during the season as they bring a mix of high talent and athleticism to the Chargers."


Team Strength:

 

Coach Wishart says,  "Our Strength this season will be our determination. We have a hard working bunch of kids who want to succeed and excel in lacrosse."

Sophomore Defenseman August Cadotte and Senior Goalie TJ Vallie

Games to Watch:
 

The rivalry games against Grand Rapids and St. Cloud will be games to watch this season.  Duluth may be battling Grand Rapids for supremacy in the North Division while St. Cloud North is no longer in the same division as the Chargers but figures to continue to be a rivalry game based on the two teams history.

Season Outlook:

The Chargers expect to be competing for the North Division title and a place in the MBSLA playoffs in 2013.  Coach Wishart says, "We are looking forward to a fun season with high expectations. We have a difficult schedule playing many of the top MBSLA teams throughout the state and are excited for spring to come and games to begin."

Potential Big Step for Northern Minnesota Lacrosse

Duluth School Board considers adding lacrosse as club sport

The Duluth Chargers and Nighthawks boys and girls lacrosse players who attend Denfeld and East high schools may be able to earn varsity letters this year if the Duluth School Board approves it next month. By: Jana Hollingsworth, Duluth News Tribune

The Duluth Chargers and Nighthawks boys and girls lacrosse players who attend Denfeld and East high schools may be able to earn varsity letters this year if the Duluth School Board approves it next month.

Duluth Chargers youth player in action

Board members for the Chargers program spoke to the School Board on Tuesday asking for lettering approval for the local club teams and building interest for eventual varsity status within the school district.  Andy Holak touted the fast-growing nature of the sport, noting growth of the boys team from 100 students last year to 142 this year.  Students within the program include those from Hermantown, Cloquet, Superior and Marshall, but the majority of players come from Duluth schools.

“Lacrosse attracts that nontraditional student that might not participate in a team sport otherwise,” Holak said.

The most growth is coming from younger kids, he said.

Board members said they supported the effort but were concerned about adequate funding for another varsity sport.

“That’s the difficulty here,” Chairman Tom Kasper said. “We support this if funding can come into place.”

Member Mike Miernicki said planning needed to involve Title IX logistics, ensuring there are equal numbers and expenses for boys and girls, and getting southerly teams to come play in Duluth.

The hope, said youth lacrosse coach Pat O’Connell, is to have lacrosse sponsored and funded by the Duluth district in 2016. Players from other schools would remain as a club team. The 12-year-old club has wanted to build a varsity program for years, he said. If it achieved that status in Duluth schools, it would probably play against schools already in the Minnesota State High School League such as St. Cloud Tech, White Bear Lake and Roseville.

VERY Early MBSLA Predictions

I just recently took a look at the new MBSLA hierarchy of teams.  With the departure of perennial powerhouse Delano along with a likely new contender Cretin-Derham Hall to the MSHSL, the rankings as I see them became a bit clearer.  Tartan, another up and coming team and North St. Paul also made the jump to the MSHSL this year.

Looking at the remaining contenders, I think two teams stand out to me:  St. Louis Park and Shakopee, with MontiQuois and Hudson close behind.  Both St. Louis Park and Shakopee return several key players and all-conference selections this year.  While MontiQuois and Hudson both lost many seniors, they return a few key players as well.  However, I do see them as a notch behind St. Louis Park and Shakopee.  Interestingly, if Delano had stayed in the MBSLA, I would have put them 4th behind St. Louis Park, Shakopee and MontiQuois based on their significant losses to graduation from their State Championship team.

Following the top 4, I see northern teams making a run, including a St. Cloud North team that had some significant losses to graduation and a very young, up and coming Duluth team that could make some noise this season.  Another northern team, Grand Rapids, while losing several seniors, but returning some good young players, should be tough as well.

Stay tuned as we get closer to the season start for a complete and more detailed MBSLA Top 10.

Duluth Player Nominated for STX Player of the Week

Steven Halver

Duluth-Superior Chargers attackman Steven Halver has been nominated for STX Player of the Week in the State of Minnesota.  The STX Player of the Week is an award given out to one of the top performing players in the state by STX and the MN Lax Hub, a clearinghouse powered by the Star Tribune for news and information about Minnesota lacrosse.  This is one of the first times a northern Minnesota high school lacrosse player has been recognized like this.  Please go to the MN Lax Hub and vote for a fellow northern Minnesota lacrosse player deserving of the award.  GO TO:  STX Player of the Week Award

Duluth-Superior Chargers - 2012 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview

Team:  Duluth-Superior Chargers - comprised of players from Duluth East, Duluth Denfeld, Superior, Hermantown, Duluth Marshall, Harbor City International School, and Cloquet high schools.

Coaches: 

Scott Wishart – First year head coach  

Mat Koppang – Third year head junior varsity coach

Alex Rogers – First year

Brandon Nispel – First year

Kyle Limoseth - First year

Mike Vuchetich - Third year

Last Year's Record: 7-2

Returning Starters/Key Returning Players:

Duluth returns a small but extremely vital Senior class. Several key starters at the midfield line, a phenomenal athlete at the LSM position, 3 very talented attackmen and 3 very strong, nice sized defensemen return this year for the Chargers. Junior goalie T.J. Vallie is standing strong early in the season and the Chargers are hoping for a great year from him.

Key Losses:  

Duluth lost a lot of seniors last season including Northern Lights Lacrosse all-conference players Zack Thompson (A), Mike Hillman (M), Nate Pratt (D), Tyler Olson (G), Ian Wiczorek (M) and John Babick (D). 

Key Newcomers:

  

Senior attackman Steven Halver

The Chargers are a very young team in 2012 looking to find contributions even from the middle school level.  With a heavy Freshman and Sophomore class, Duluth is hoping the younger players can step into the up tempo game at the Varsity level.

Big Games/Games to See:  

Duluth has a very big game early in the season with North Conference rival St. Cloud North on April 15th in a game that could determine who takes the #1 seed in the conference. MontiQuois and Delano, two of the top teams in the MBSLA, are also on the schedule in May on the same weekend and should give the Chargers a good idea where they stand in the state prior to entering the playoffs.

Senior LSM Matt Mensinger

Season Outlook:  With a very young squad in 2012, developing a winning team will be a real test of the new coaching staff.  While the team will feature several Freshman and perhaps even a couple of 8th graders as the season progresses, the Chargers can count on the leadership of a very strong group of seniors led by potential all-state players attackman Steven Halver and LSM Matt Mensinger.  The midfield line will be anchored by seniors Zach Galo and Tyler Kolquist.  Coach Wishart is excited to get the season rolling. "With the practices held thus far, it is exciting to see the development and improvement out of the players. It is going to be a fun year to watch the progress of this Duluth Superior lacrosse team."  How much this team progresses will determine how far they will go in the playoffs.  With the strong core of seniors, capable coaching staff and young up and coming players, the Chargers should still be a force to be reckoned with in the North Conference and should compete for the North Conference title again in 2012.

St. Cloud North Picks up Big North Conference Win

Duluth's Steven Halver scoring to close the gap to one goal

In a game played on a day more suited for waterfowl, St. Cloud North came up with a big North Conference win over Duluth-Superior by a 9-8 score.  It was a game dominated by St. Cloud North in the first half and Duluth-Superior in the second half.  St. Cloud North clearly dominated at the faceoff X in the first half and for the most part, throughout the game.  The young Duluth-Superior squad made some adjustments at halftime and came out firing in the second half to erase the deficit to one goal with about 2:00 minutes remaining.  St. Cloud North controlled the ball most of the remaining 2 minutes and Duluth fell at home on the UMD campus by a goal.  It was a hard fought game in horrendous conditions with driving rain, wind and 43 degree temperatures.  Next up for Duluth-Superior is a road trip where they will take on Fargo and Grand Cities.  St. Cloud North will face defending MBSLA state champion MontiQuois next Monday.

Great Day for Lacrosse in Northern Minnesota!

Grand Cities facing off against Duluth-Superior

Big day of lacrosse in Northern Minnesota!  Historic first games ever for the Proctor and Grand Cities lacrosse clubs.  Duluth-Superior picks up two wins and Grand Rapids beats Rogers to start their season with a big win.  In the final game of the day, Grand Cities squeaked by Proctor in a battle of the two new northern teams with an 8-7 victory in overtime.  Tomorrow in Duluth will be one of the biggest games of the season in the North with two of the favorites for the division title, Duluth and St. Cloud North facing off at Griggs Stadium on the University of Minnesota-Duluth campus.  UMD will also face off against Illinois to make it a lacrosse festival of sorts in Duluth.

Practices in Full Swing Throughout the North

With new teams entering the MBSLA North Division and new youth lacrosse teams also participating in the MBSLA this Spring, lacrosse in the North is as strong as ever.  One of the longest running northern Minnesota lacrosse teams has also revamped their coaching staff for the coming year.  As practices shift into full gear throughout the North, we'll start to look at team schedules and team previews in preparation for the first games of the season on April 14.  We'll also look at can't miss games in the North during the season.

Grand Cities and Proctor are the two new teams in the North in 2012.  Grand Cities is a co-op based team out of the Grand Forks, ND area that includes players from Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, MN and Warren, MN.  Grand Cities head coach is Aaron Cabanaw and he will be assisted by Cameron Willox and Kelly Hurt.  Grand Cities will play their first game on April 14 against Duluth in Duluth, MN.

Proctor will also be competing in the MBSLA North for the first time in 2012.  Initiated by player interest, the team is looking forward to the coming season under the guidance of head coach Steve Lokken.  Those familiar with Lokken, a former St. Johns University attackman, know that he will prepare his team well for their inaugural season.  Proctor opens play against Duluth on April 14 in Duluth, MN.

Another great sign for the growth of the sport in the North is the addition of a 5/6 level team in Duluth that will compete in the Spring MBSLA league in 2012.  The team presently has 25 players on its roster and the interest in the team has been almost overwhelming.  The team will have an 8 game schedule with an additional tournament to be added at the end of the season.  They will have a couple of scrimmages against the new Grand Rapids 5/6 team this Spring.  In another great development for northern Minnesota lacrosse, Grand Rapids will also be fielding a 5/6 team this Spring.  They won't be competing in the MBSLA this season but will be playing a series of scrimmages against other 5/6 teams including Duluth.

Stay tuned for more updates and the Spring lacrosse season in the North unfolds!

Duluth-Superior Chargers Revamp Coaching Staff

To keep up with the growth of the sport of lacrosse in the Duluth area, the Duluth-Superior Chargers board of directors opened their coaching positions to new coaches and revamped their coaching staff and structure.  The coaching search brought several new and qualified coaches to the interview process.

New Chargers head coach Scott Wishart #17

After an extensive coaching search and review, the Chargers are happy to announce Scott Wishart as their new head varsity coach.  Wishart comes from the successful UMD Bulldogs lacrosse program and brings a strong lacrosse i.q. and tireless work ethic.  He was a high scoring attackman during his time with the Bulldogs and will maintain the UMD system that has been operating for the Chargers over the last several years.

Along with Wishart, the Chargers hired Matt Koppang, another former UMD Player, to be the head JV and 9/10 coach and first assistant to the head coach.  Koppang has been on the Chargers staff for the past 2 years and brings solid experience and teaching to the long poles and defenseman.

Mike Feldstein has been hired to direct the Chargers middle school program that includes 7/8 and 5/6 teams for the 2012 season.  Feldstein brings several years experience coaching a high level 7/8 program for the Northwest Lacrosse Club and is a former attackman for the Arizona Wildcats of the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference.

Two additional former UMD players were interviewed and will also be serving on the Chargers coaching staff.  Brandon Nispel, a former all-american midfielder for the Bulldogs will provide solid teaching and expertise for the midfielders.  Alex Rogers, a former attackman for the Bulldogs will also be helping with the Chargers varsity and JV programs.

The Chargers are also happy to have much of the coaching staff from last year returning to assist the varsity, JV and middle school coaches along with a couple of new coaches that will be assisting the program.  With the success of the coaching search, the Chargers board expressed their confidence that they now have the coaching staff in place to take the program successfully into the future with a strong varsity level presence as well as the valuable experience needed at the youth levels to build a strong foundation for the future.

Departing from the Chargers program is head coach Matt Reeves.  Coach Reeves has been a huge part of the success of the Chargers program over the last 5 plus years.  Taking over a program that had not won a game, Reeves took the program to a level of success not seen previously in northern Minnesota.  Last years Chargers team finished the season with an overall 7-3 record, losing to eventual state champion MontiQuois in the first round of the state playoffs.  The Chargers board expressed their appreciation for the commitment and efforts of Reeves during his tenure as the programs head coach.

Duluth-Superior Chargers to Offer 5/6 Grade Team for 2012 Spring Season

The Duluth-Superior Chargers Lacrosse Club is excited to announce to addition of a 5/6 grade lacrosse team that will compete in the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association (MBSLA) during the 2012 Spring season.  Building off the success of the summer YMCA youth league, the Chargers are hoping to provide more lacrosse opportunities for Duluth area kids interested in playing the sport of lacrosse during the Spring.  More details and a schedule are yet to be determined, but practice will likely start sometime towards the end of March 2012.  Most MBSLA 5/6 games are played on Sunday in a "Jamboree" format where teams travel to a site to play two games against two different MBSLA teams in one day.  MBSLA 5/6 seasons are generally 8 games in length with games starting around the 1st of May and ending around the end of May.  The season will likely require a commitment of 4 Sundays in May to complete the 8 game season.  Duluth is hoping to schedule two home games at Public Schools Stadium at Duluth Denfeld on one of those Sundays.

For more information about the MBSLA 5/6 league and information about the teams that participated in the 2011 season please visit the MBSLA website HERE

If you have any questions, please contact Chargers President Brad Mackinaw - jam127Bwm@aol.com - or Chargers middle school manager Andy Holak - trailrunners@gmail.com - for more information.