I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
Jan. 6, 1999
By Devlyn Brooks
Crystal Sorenson -- oh yeah, and the rest of the Lumberjacks -- dominated the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks 4-0 Tuesday night at the Nymore Gardens.
Sorenson -- who tallied three goals and an assist -- outscored and outshot, by herself, a troubled Thunderhawks team that didn't find its offense until the third period.
The Jacks began quickly in the first period taking the opening faceoff down the ice and firing on Grand Rapids goalie Shyla Wilson only 15 seconds into the match.
That's the pace the Jacks would hold the entire first period, allowing the Thunderhawks to foray into the Bemidji zone only a couple of times the entire 15 minutes.
In fact, Grand Rapids had only one shot on goal in the period, and each period thereafter, for a total of three.
"That was probably the best first period we've had all year," Bemidji coach Rick Coe said. "We really put them back on their heels."
The momentum evened in the second as Bemidji fell into penalty trouble, losing Erin Sullivan for a checking from behind penalty and Tara Krohn to a roughing penalty.
The penalties shook up the Jacks' timing as they had to scramble to fill their lines and the offense never untracked.
However, Sorenson, who shined all evening, still garnered Bemidji a shorthanded goal at about halfway through the period.
Sorenson picked the puck at Bemidji's blue line and skated around three Thunderhawks to move in alone on Grand Rapids' Wilson. Sorenson then put the puck past Wilson on her glove side.
Bemidji regained its offensive aggressiveness in the third period, holding the puck deep in Grand Rapids' zone much of the time.
Sorenson added two more in the period to assure the win -- the first a dribbler that rolled in off the back of Wilson's skate and the second another unassisted breakaway.
"(Sorenson's) a dominating player. She had a heck of a game," Coe said of his offensive defenseman. "She's played real well the last several games."
In the game, Sorenson factored into every goal, gaining an assist on Tara Scheer's first period goal and scoring the rest.
The 4-0 score was the highest scoring game the Jacks have posted against Grand Rapids in three years, Coe added, mostly because of the Thunderhawks' Wilson, who is a highly sought goalie among Division I college schools.
"She's given us fits. She is one of the top eight goalies in the state," Coe said. "We got a couple of goals against her tonight we normally would not have gotten."
And in all fairness, Wilson faced more shots in the game's opening minutes than the Lumberjacks faced all evening.
Bemidji's Monica Swedmark, who was in the net in the first and second, and Ashley Parker combined for the shutout saving three shots.
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