| League releases instructional hockey checking video |
The Minnesota State High School League staff has completed production of an instructional video intended to demonstrate proper and improper checks and hits in hockey in a continuing effort to educate players, coaches, officials and fans so that potential injurious actions are reduced and ultimately eliminated from the game.
Two weeks ago the League Board of Directors has approved a recommendation to stiffen several penalties in hockey that become effective immediately. The goal is to continue the League's efforts to reduce and remove dangerous contact that has led to severe injuries to players.
The recommendation came from staff, the League's Hockey Advisory Committee (girls' and boys' coaches), and officials association representatives.
The penalties for three infractions of the rules have been significantly increased in an effort to thwart players from making dangerous hits on the ice.
Checking from behind, which formerly called for a two-minute minor penalty plus a 10-minute misconduct penalty, will now become a five-minute major penalty plus a 10-minute misconduct penalty. The existing rule also states that any check from behind that is deemed "flagrant or causes the player to crash headfirst into the boards or goal frame" will continue be a game disqualification. The disqualified player cannot re-enter that game and cannot play in the next scheduled game either.
Boarding, defined as a "check, cross-check, elbow, charge or trip" that sends an opponent "violently into the boards" now becomes an automatic major penalty — five minutes — instead of the option of either a two-minute minor penalty or a five-minute major penalty. The existing rule that also states that any boarding check that "causes the player to crash headfirst into the boards" may qualify for a game disqualification. The disqualified player cannot re-enter that game and cannot play in the next scheduled game either.
Contact to the head also now becomes an automatic major penalty — five minutes — instead of the option of either a two-minute minor penalty or a five-minute major penalty. The rule states, "No player shall make contact with an opposing player's head or neck area in any manner." Officials still have the option of assessing a disqualification penalty if warranted, and in that case the disqualified player cannot re-enter that game and cannot play in the next scheduled game either.
At the Jan. 10 advisory committee meeting the committee members immediately established a priority to address the issue of proper contact in the game. The boys' and girls' coaches on the committee quickly agreed that the best way to address increasing violent hits was to escalate the penalty structure and to get all parties involved to seek to change the culture of the game. The coaches need to accept the stiffer penalties and need to instruct their players the proper and legal ways of making contact with opponents. The officials need to make the calls and when the calls are made, they need to be supported by not only the coaches, but also by the players and the fans.
An education module was immediately made available online that detailed the rules changes. It remains accessible on the League website. All coaches, officials and players were instructed to view the education module and endorse its implementation prior to the next scheduled competition.
Components of the educational video were taped utilizing coaches and players of the Andover High School girls' and boys' hockey teams and has been in production since then.
"Hockey is a contact sport, and when it is played correctly it should be a safe game with minimal risks," said Craig Perry, League associate director who oversees hockey. "This video will allow all participants in the game to see exactly what kind of contact is permitted and what kind of contact is going to draw the new tougher penalties.
"The players have to be kept as safe as possible, and with a little bit of education and clear thinking while they are on the ice, I firmly believe we can change the culture of the game.
"There is absolutely no reason why the State of Hockey cannot become the State of Safe Hockey."
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| State Tournament Bests - Top 5 Boys' Players |
 The celebration of 100 years of state basketball tournaments continues with the announcement of the top players in the history of the boys' state tourney. As with all of the announcements in this series, these lists have been compiled with the assistance of a committee of basketball historians and experts from around Minnesota.
In the coming weeks, similar listings of the top teams, best shots, best games and best finishes in state tournament history will be announced. These announcements and other activities related to 100 years of state tourneys will lead into this year's tournaments; the girls will play at Williams Arena and Target Center March 14-17 and the boys will do the same March 21-24.
TOP FIVE BOYS' BASKETBALL PLAYERS
 | Khalid El-Amin – Minneapolis North
State appearances: 1995, 1996, 1997
State championships: 1995 Sweet Sixteen champion, 1996 Sweet Sixteen champion, 1997 AAAA champion
El-Amin became a starter at Minneapolis North as a 14-year-old freshman and became one of the best players in Minnesota history. In leading Minneapolis North to three straight state championships, El- Amin was named a McDonald's All-American, three-time Minnesota State Player of the Year and the 1997 Minnesota Mr. Basketball award winner. El- Amin went on to receive a scholarship to the University of Connecticut, where in 1999 he helped lead the Huskies to the first NCAA championship in school history. Following his historic run with the Huskies, El- Amin entered the 2000 NBA draft where he was selected in the second round by the Chicago Bulls.
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Jim McIntyre – Minneapolis Patrick Henry
State appearances: 1944, 1945
State championships: 1944, 1945
McIntyre was a 6-foot-7-plus player who was one of the first stars of the "modern" era of Minnesota basketball; in fact, he has been called the Babe Ruth of high school basketball. When Patrick Henry made its first state tournament appearance in 1944, McIntyre became the tallest player in state tournament history. He was his team’s go-to guy, breaking state tournament scoring records both years. McIntyre received a scholarship to the University of Minnesota where he became one of Minnesota’s first true "big men" at 6 feet, 10 inches tall. McIntyre scored 1,223 points in his career with the Gophers and set a single-season scoring record. While playing for the Gophers, McIntyre became a two-time first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection and two-time All-American.
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 | Mark Olberding – Melrose
State appearances: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974
State championships: 1971, 1974
Known as one of the most dominant big men in state tournament history, Olberding set tournament records with his 112 points in 1974 and 228 career points in helping lead Melrose to four straight tournaments. Following his senior season, Olberding received a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. He left for the ABA draft after his first season with the Gophers. Olberding went on to play 12 seasons in the ABA and NBA. |
Randy Breuer – Lake City
State appearances: 1978, 1979
State championships: 1978, 1979
Breuer, a 7-footer in high school, scored 68 points as a junior in leading Lake City to the 1978 state title, including 36 in a semifinal victory over Butterfield-Odin. In 1979 he scored 42, 30 and 41 points in three games at state as the Lakers repeated as champs. Breuer was named the Minnesota Mr. Basketball award winner in 1979. Breuer went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers for four years. After his collegiate career, Breuer entered the 1983 NBA draft and was selected in the first round, 18th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. Breuer played 11 seasons in the NBA. |  |
 | Isaiah Dahlman – Braham
State appearances: 2004, 2005, 2006
State championships: 2004, 2005, 2006
Dahlman led the Braham Bombers to a 95-4 record over a three-year period, including 65 straight wins in one stretch with three consecutive state championships. In 2005 Dahlman averaged 28 points per game as the Bombers went 33-0 and earned a No. 19 spot in USA Today’s Super 25 national high school rankings. Dahlman was the all-time leading scorer in boys’ basketball history with 3,366 points until his record was broken two years later by Ellsworth’s Cody Schilling. Following his senior season, Dahlman was awarded the 2006 Minnesota Mr. Basketball award. He played for four years at Michigan State.
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OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS:
Ron Johnson – New Prague
State appearances: 1955, 1956
State championships: none
The 6-foot-6 Johnson led New Prague to a third-place finish in 1956 and he set a single-game tournament record with 48 points. He played at the University of Minnesota for four years before entering the 1960 NBA draft where he was selected as the 12th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons.
Bob Zender - Edina
State appearances: 1966, 1967, 1968
State championships: 1966, 1967, 1968
During Zender’s three-year varsity run he helped lead the Hornets to 69 consecutive wins and an overall record of 79-1. The record of 69 consecutive wins still stands as the longest winning streak in Minnesota high school basketball history. Zender played college basketball at Kansas State.
Bob Bruggers - Danube
State appearances: 1961, 1962
State championships: none
Bruggers finished his prep career with 2,364 points, which ranked second all-time. After leading Danube to consecutive state tournaments, Bruggers played for the Minnesota Gophers, where after his freshman year he decided to play football for the Gophers instead. In 1966 Bruggers entered the NFL draft and was selected by the Miami Dolphins. Bruggers played linebacker in the NFL for five seasons.
Martin Norton – Minneapolis Central
State appearances: 1921
State championships: 1921
Norton, who was one of the early legends of the game, led Central to a fourth-place finish at a national high school tournament in Chicago in 1920.
Cody Schilling – Ellsworth
State appearances: 2006, 2007, 2008
State championships: 2007, 2008
Schilling helped lead the Panthers to three state finals appearances and won back-to-back championships in 2007 and 2008. Schilling set the all-time scoring record for boys’ basketball with 3,428 points (which has since been broken) and still has the record for most free throws made with 797. Schilling is currently a senior at Augustana College in Sioux Falls.
Dave Tschimperle – Hopkins
State appearances: 1951, 1952, 1953
State championships: 1952, 1953
Tschimperle, a three-time all-state player, helped lead the Royals to 65 consecutive wins and two state titles. He was the leading scorer among all players in the 1951 and 1953 tournaments.
Tommy Nordland – Minneapolis Roosevelt
State appearances: 1956, 1957
State championships: 1956, 1957
Nordland led Roosevelt to two straight championships with his incredible shooting ability. Nordland helped lead Roosevelt to a 28-0 record his senior season and averaged 27 points. He played collegiately at Stanford and now markets "pure shooting" clinics and DVDs at swish22.com.
Barry Wohler – Bird Island-Lake Lillian
State appearances: 1980, 1981
State championships: 1980, 1981
Coached by his father Jerry, Barry played on teams that won back-to-back Class A championships. Barry Wohler also played on state championship football teams in 1979 and 1980. He is now the coach at Orono which won the Class AAA state title last season.
Ron Henderson – Minneapolis North
State appearances: 1972
State championships: none
Known as one of the best point guards in Minnesota history, Henderson went on to play for Augsburg College.
Steve Lingenfelter – Bloomington Jefferson
State appearances: 1975, 1976
State championships: 1976
After leading Bloomington Jefferson to the consolation championship in 1975 and the school’s first boys’ basketball championship in 1976, Lingenfelter played for the Minnesota Gophers for two years, transferred to South Dakota State, and played three years in the NBA.
Bill Simonovich – Gilbert
State appearances: 1951
State championships: 1951
Simonovich helped lead Gilbert to 33 consecutive wins in 1951, along with a state championship. He played collegiately at Minnesota.
Jim Fritsche – St. Paul Humboldt
State appearances: 1949
State championships: 1949
The 6-foot-6 Fritsche was the second boy in state tourney history to score at least 20 points in all three games. After playing at Hamline University, he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers.
Jake Sullivan – Tartan, Oakdale
State appearances: 1998, 1999, 2000
State championships: 2000
Playing varsity basketball since eighth grade, Sullivan was a legendary player around the turn of the century. He played collegiately at Iowa State.
Frank Wachlarowicz – Little Falls
State appearances: 1975
State championships: 1975
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Wachlarowicz was sometimes called "Frankie Alphabet" because of all the letters in his last name. He outscored NBA Hall of Famer Kevin McHale 19-10 when Little Falls defeated Hibbing in the 1975 tournament opener.
Mark Landsberger – Mounds View
State appearances: 1972, 1973
State championships: 1972
The 6-foot-8 Landsberger led the Mustangs to the 1972 Class AA championship and to the consolation title a year later. He still holds most rebounding records at Mounds View.
Hal Haskins – Alexandria
State appearances: 1943
State championships: none
Haskins set a state tournament scoring record as a senior in 1943 before joining the military. He later led Hamline to the 1949 NAIA national title.
Terry Kunze – Duluth Central
State appearances: 1961
State championships: 1961
Kunze was known as a deadly outside shooter and ball handler who went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers and NBA’s St. Louis Hawks.
Kevin Lynch – Bloomington Jefferson
State appearances: 1985, 1986, 1987
State championships: 1986, 1987
Lynch led the Jaguars to a perfect season and state championship in 1987 before being named Minnesota Mr. Basketball. He played at the University of Minnesota before an NBA career.
Blake Hoffarber – Hopkins
State appearances: 2003, 2005, 2006
State championships: 2005, 2006
Hoffarber is best known for a highlight-reel shot made while he sat on the court during the Class AAAA championship game in 2005, a shot which earned him an ESPY award. He later played for the Gophers.
Lawrence McKenzie – Minneapolis Patrick Henry
State appearances: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
State championships: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
McKenzie led the Patriots to an astounding four consecutive state championships, began his college career at Oklahoma and later transferred to Minnesota.
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| MSHSL 2012 Winter Bulletin |
Minnesota High School coaches, administrators, and officials are used to opening up their mailbox multiple times a year and seeing the MSHSL Bulletin waiting for them. The Bulletin is a seasonal publication highlighting recent happenings and upcoming events in Minnesota High School Activities. We've got boxes of them going out today to our schools and are proud to feature a new way to get this publication in your hands. Below, you'll find a link to view the Bulletin online. Using the arrows, you can browse through the pages and clicking the pages will zoom and allow you to read things that interest you.
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| MSHSL’s Current standard for Nordic Skiing | | Blue <-4 degrees F - (Ambient Temperature) | FIS** — No competition limit. Severe frostbite and hypothermia risk. No metal jewelry. Eye protection for frostbite. Cancel events which are > 1 minute in duration or produce speeds > 10 MPH or if wind is > 10 MPH. | | Black < -20 degrees F - (Ambient Temperature) or < -40 degrees F wind chill | Recommended lower limit for practice and training. Extreme frostbite and hypothermia risk. No exposed skin. Extra layers. Wind shell for entire body. |
| | MSHSL’s Current standard for Alpine Skiing | | > -3 degrees F – (Ambient Temperature) | No competition limit. Check for frostbite on exposed skin. | | -4 degrees F - (Ambient Temperature) to-10 degrees F – (Ambient Temperature) | No competition limit. Severe frostbite and hypothermia risk. No metal jewelry. Eye protection for frostbite. Modify pre race protocol to limit athletes’ cold exposure to <30 minutes in duration total time. | | < -10 degrees F - (Ambient Temperature) or -40 degrees F wind chill | Recommended lower limit for practice and training. Extreme frostbite and hypothermia risk. No exposed skin. Attempt to reschedule event. If competition cannot be rescheduled, a no strip rule will be enforced with all competitors wearing extra layers that include a wind shell for entire body. Modify pre race protocol to limit athletes’ cold exposure to <20 minutes in duration total time. | | < -40 degrees F wind chill | Postpone/cancel competition |
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| Call Her Coach: Darwitz Takes Over At Lakeville South |
Posted by John Millea (jmillea@mshsl.org)- Updated 1/23/2012 8:06:05 PM
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K.K. Naasz, a junior center on the Lakeville South girls hockey team, heard the rumors last summer. She wasn’t sure if she should believe them, because they simply sounded too good to be true.
“It was a big secret for a long time,” Naasz said. “It started leaking out that Natalie Darwitz was going to be our coach and all of us were like, ‘What?!’ Then people were saying, ‘No it’s just a rumor.’ ”
Senior defender Tori Bailey, however, had the inside scoop. Because she is a team captain, Bailey knew the identity of the Cougars’ new coach before her teammates. And when the team gathered together at Hasse Arena late last summer and the new coach walked through the door, the excitement was evident.
“When we all met here at the arena that day, everyone’s face just lit up when she came walking in,” Bailey said. “Just the whole atmosphere, in the arena, and our team chemistry, everything just took a step forward. It was such a good feeling when she walked in.”
 Like all young female hockey players in Minnesota, the Cougars knew all about Darwitz’s pedigree: star at Eagan High School beginning in seventh grade, career points and assists leader at the University of Minnesota, Team USA, the World Championships, the Olympics.
“She was my hero, ever since I was a little kid,” Naasz said. “Knowing her from the Gophers and Team USA, it was exciting. I remember going with my team as a little kid to games at the U and saying, ‘Oh, there’s my favorite player, Natalie Darwitz!’”
Darwitz was an assistant coach with the Gophers women’s hockey team when Lakeville South athletic director Neil Strader learned that she might interested in the coaching vacancy at South. Phone calls were made, interviews were conducted and the 28-year-old accepted her first head coaching job. She also had worked as an assistant under her father Scott Darwitz, the head girls hockey coach at Eagan High School.
When word of the hiring got out, Strader said “There was a lot of ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Is this a joke?’ After I assured people that it was true, everybody was extremely excited, especially me.
“Natalie’s a wonderful head coach, and she’s a better person than she is a coach. She’s an outstanding athlete, she brings to the table everything you’d want. I can’t say enough about her. She’s done a tremendous job leading our program and she’s brought a new excitement to this arena and to girls hockey in Lakeville. The Natalie Darwitz effect is definitely pretty big around here.”
 Darwitz took over a team that has known success, reaching the Class 2A state tournament in the last two years (and losing in the state quarterfinals each time). The Cougars are 15-5-1 this season after a 3-1 loss at Eagan on Saturday in a battle of father and daughter.
Natalie Darwitz’s number has been retired at Eagan, and her father knows how important she has been to girls hockey in Minnesota. And he also knows that coaching is a great way to give back.
“Whatever Natalie can give back to girls hockey for the career she had, that’s what I’m so proud of,” Scott Darwitz said. “I go to a lot of Natalie’s games and I talk to the parents and the boosters and they’re really happy to have her there. I’m so proud of her for what she’s giving back to the game. That’s phenomenal.”
Natalie Darwitz has a business degree with an emphasis on sports management from the University of Minnesota, and she currently is working towards a teaching license in physical education at Concordia University in St. Paul. She’s on track to student teach next fall and have her teaching license next winter.
She said she was happy in her coaching role with the Gophers, but the challenge of coaching her own team was part of the attraction at Lakeville South.
“As I kind of evaluated myself and where I saw myself in five years, this was a good opportunity for me to take charge of it and take a step out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I was kind of at a crossroads in my life, making the transition from playing to coaching. I really enjoy coaching, it’s one of my passions in life. Switching gears from playing to coaching was something that really excited me about this job, to come to a newer program that kind of was starting to establish itself, had a lot of promise, a brand new rink. When I get opportunities I kind of want to evaluate them and if there’s something that can make me better and I can grow from it, then I want to take it on with a full head of steam.”
 The players at South quickly realized that the person they knew only as a superstar athlete was also someone who was extremely approachable.
“Before this we admired her so much and she was famous. But now that she’s been around, we realize that she’s just another human,” Bailey said. “She is still a big idol in all of our lives and we all look up to her and hope to be like her, and who she is off the ice, too.”
Darwitz (pictured here with her father) admitted there was a learning curve for her, particularly in getting to know her players.
“I didn’t know a lot of the girls and I didn’t know much about the product on the ice,” she said. “Now, to see how far they’ve come, to get to know their personalities, it’s pretty fun to think back to when I had no idea who I was talking to. It took me a while to learn their names. We almost went old school, putting their names on tape on their helmets.
“I just love being back in the high school atmosphere. There’s nothing like high school sports, there’s nothing like school pride and facing a rival, having the band playing. There’s nothing like high school hockey. So when we played our first game, the goosebumps kind of came back. At the same time it feels like just yesterday when I was in high school. It’s just a fun atmosphere and I hope the girls don’t take it for granted, because there’s nothing like playing a high school sport, especially hockey in the state of Minnesota.”
BY THE NUMBERS
*Schools/teams John has visited: 253
*Miles John has driven: 5,605
--Join the MSHSL on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook button on the right side of www.mshsl.org. John Millea is on Twitter at twitter.com/mshsljohn |
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