Editor's Notebook

To Promote Alumni Event, Video Shows 70 Years of Southwest Hockey History

A citywide alumni event is Jan. 14 at Parade Ice Arena.

Southwest Alumni Foundation President Jodi Wishart Anderson put together a photo slideshow on video covering 70 years of Southwest High School hockey history. The video features dozens of archival photos, along with passages of dialogue from the 2004 movie "Miracle," based on the United States hockey team's victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Anderson produced the video to build support from alumni for the current Novas team, who have a record of 8-1 and are hosting an alumni event during its game against Pine City, 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at Parade Ice Arena. Southwest High School's 1970 state championship trophy will be shown at the event.

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Past vs. Present In Novas Alumni Game

Former players beat the current team 5-3 in the annual competition.

The Veterans Memorial Ice Arena in North Minneapolis once again hosted the annual Minneapolis Novas girls hockey alumni game Thursday. With head coach John Wareham holding court as head referee, the 20-member strong squad of current Novas varsity and junior varsity players took on the alumni club, which numbered just over 10 players this year. While the current Novas squad took an early lead of 1-0 in the 45-minute long game, the alums struck back for three unanswered tallies to take a lead they would not relinquish in the 5-3 victory, which was greeted with a warm round of applause from those in attendance. The current Novas team returns to action Monday in the Austin Holiday Classic where Minneapolis plays Albert Lea in the tournament …

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Novas Girls Struggle in Loss at Tartan

The Minneapolis team has scored only four goals in their last five games.

It hasn't been the kind of December that the Minneapolis girls hockey team had hoped. The Novas dropped another game with a 4-0 loss at Tartan in the squad's final pre-Christmas contest on Wednesday night. "It was a mess tonight," Minneapolis head coach John Wareham said. "Nothing short of a mess." The Novas struggled to maintain any kid of rhythm on the ice offensively or defensively throughout the contest, yet trailed just 1-0 through two periods thanks largely to the play of goaltender Hannah Hilden-Reid. The junior netminder logged 26 saves through the first 34 minutes of play, yet finally succumbed to the endless sorties of Titans offense as the hosts threw up a three-goal final period en route to the 4-0 victory. "Tartan has played …

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Novas Trounce Defending Conference Champs

Jack Kelly scored two goals and added an assist in the Novas' fourth-straight victory in a win against Moose Lake Area.

The Minneapolis Novas moved to 5-1 Saturday evening after beating the Two Rivers Conference defending champions from Moose Lake Area at Parade Ice Gardens with a final score of 5-1. "We're thought of as the number one team in the conference now," Jack Kelly said, who scored two goals and one assist in the contest. "We're the team to beat, and it gives us a little extra confidence as well." Jack Kelly's first goal came after a diligent Novas penalty kill early on in the first period. As the Rebels appeared to have momentum, Jack Kelly buried a wrap-around to put Minneapolis up 1-0. Alec Kelly added the second goal of the game on the power play with style. Coming up the half wall in the offensive zone, Alec Kelly spun away from the defender …

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Novas Cruise Over Prairie Centre in Boys Hockey

Minneapolis has outscored opponents 27-4 during its three-game winning streak.

The Minneapolis Novas boys' hockey team continued cruising Thursday night at Parade Ice Gardens, winning 6-1 in a penalty-ridden contest over Prairie Centre. "Not a game that we liked. It wasn't pretty," Novas assistant coach Kevin Conrad said. "We're happy to get out with a victory." Jack Kelly tallied four assists, his brother Alec Kelly scored one goal and two assists. Rolf Bergford added two goals and one assist to lead Minneapolis. Loads of penalties found both sides disgruntled, especially in the second period. Junior goaltender Patrick Kelliher, who stopped 21 shots for the victory, said the team regrouped during the second intermission. "We lost our heads in the second period a bit, but we brought it back together in the locker …

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Strange Ramblings and Other Horrible Nonsense

On the Road and On the Chin: Girl Novas Fall to the St. Paul Blades

The Minneapolis Novas girls hockey team lost to the St. Paul Blades Thursday at Phalen Arena. Sports opinion columnist Charlie Vaughan narrates the young team's Sisyphean struggle.

In an up-and-down game marred by penalties, the Minneapolis Nova girls fell and rallied and fell, ultimately losing 5-3 to the St. Paul Blades. The spirited road loss dropped the varsity Novas to 1-4 on the season. It was hockey ripe in the mythology of poor Sisyphus, the Greek king sentenced by the gods to forever heft an immense boulder up a steep hill. Three times the Novas fought the game to a one goal deficit, wrestling the outcome into doubt, only to have the Blades roll back down the ice and score again to keep the game safely at arm's length. In an early scrum, the young Novas allowed a rebound goal to the Blades. But they tied the game five minutes into the first period when talented freshman Katy Fuller's slap-shot deflected …

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Minneapolis Girls Hockey Opens with Losses, Optimism for Season

Novas girls hockey team starts the 2010-11 campaign with two defeats at home but hopes for improvement this winter.

The Minneapolis Novas—the all-city cooperative girls hockey team—lost their opening games of the 2010-11 season 2-1 against Holy Family/Waconia on Tuesday and 4-1 against Apple Valley on Thursday. The losses were not an entirely unexpected result for the Novas, who went 8-15-3 and have lost their two top scorers in Cecilia Hardacker and Sondra Ciesielski to graduation.  "We are a pretty young and inexperienced team in a way," coach John Wareham said. "We do return a lot of varsity players." Freshman forward Katy Fuller, assisted by freshman defender Olivia Hardacker and junior forward Alicia Oesterreich, scored Minneapolis' lone goal in the third period. Wareham said the Novas will be leaning on their younger talent this season. Fuller is …

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