Lady Lumberjacks skate toward success

With Tuesday's 3-1 defeat of the Duluth Northern Stars, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girl's hockey team is currently only one win away from matching the win total over each of the past two seasons. CEC - which won only nine games in each of the last two seasons - is now at eight wins and still has 14 games remaining on this year's schedule to match and improve on their win total.

Considered a young team with only three seniors as part of the 17-player varsity roster, coach Courtney Olin thrilled with their progress.

"This team has improved so much, they work so hard and the girls want to get better," Olin said. "The girls love being out on the ice and their hard work has been paying off."

Even some of the losses have come with improved play.

Despite outshooting the Bluejackets the week before, the Lumberjacks fell Dec. 6 to Hibbing-Chisholm 1-0. Credit goes to the heroics of Hibbing-Chisholm goaltender Abby Edstrom, who stopped 35 Lumberjack shots on goal - including 19 shots coming in the third period alone.

The next night, the Lumberjacks bounced right back, as freshman Tenley Stewart scored the game winner in overtime as the Lumberjacks beat the Sabers of Sartell-Sauk Rapids by a score of 3-2. CEC - which had won only twice in its last 12 overtimes games- saw Stewart score the game winner just 1:55 into overtime.

Dana Jones and Kiana Bender also scored goals in the Dec. 7 win, and Jenna Zdebski added two assists on the night, including one on the game winner along with Taylor Nelson.

After a scoreless first period at the Heritage Center Tuesday against the Northern Stars, sophomore Lauren Cawcutt put the Lumberjacks on the scoreboard first with an unassisted goal at 8:59 of the second period. Kiana Bender scored her eighth goal of the season a little over a minute later with an assist by Taylor Nelson, which gave CEC a 2-0 lead after two periods of play.

Cassie McClure cut the CEC lead down to one goal just under two minutes into the third period as she scored on the power play to make it a 2-1 Lumberjack lead. The 'Jacks sealed the win later in the third period as Taylor Nelson tallied her 12th goal of the season to make it 3-1. Bender and Dean Deleon assisted on the Nelson goal, while goalie Elise Lund made 10 saves to pick up her second straight win.

The Lady Lumberjacks are off until Tuesday Dec. 18, when they will be on the road to face St. Francis. They will finish up their pre-holiday schedule Thursday, Dec. 20 when again they will be on the road to face Eveleth-Gilbert.