DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:05 pm
I noticed no one had a thread going yet so i figured i would start one.
nice article in yesterdays paper.
Emily Erickson, one of Minnesota’s best high school girls hockey players, gleans more satisfaction when others succeed.
The Greenway winger posted 80 points as one of five finalists for Ms. Hockey during her senior campaign, but the 18-year-old revels more in the success of her team, Grand Rapids-Greenway, and the progress of girls in area youth programs.
After Erickson’s Lightning made it to the 2008 Class AA state tournament title game, the team shared the experience with middle-school girls players.
“They were way into it,” said Erickson, whose team displayed their state tournament medals and encouraged the kids to make a similar run once they are on the varsity team. “They are only 10 or 12, but they were like, ‘Yeah! We are going to do that!’ It was awesome to see.”
Erickson’s personal success, selflessness and her team’s accomplishments make her the News Tribune Player of the Year.
Erickson’s giving nature meshes well with her plans to become a teacher and coach.
“Working with someone and seeing the look on their face after the first time they have achieved something is just amazing,” said Erickson, who tutors math at Greenway High School and is a volunteer youth hockey coach. “It’s a special feeling that you can barely put into words. I’ve had a lot of great coaches over the years. I respect my coaches. I hope to be one of those people when I grow up.”
Erickson joined Greenway’s varsity team in seventh grade. At the same time, she began coaching her peers on a youth team with her brother, Kyle.
“I asked her to come along [to practice] because the younger girls look up to her,” said Kyle, 23. “She was in the seventh grade and she would have been on the team if she wasn’t already on varsity. The other players are her friends, but they looked up to her as well.”
Erickson led the Lightning to Section 7AA titles the past two seasons, and she was a senior captain. Her high school career concluded in a 5-3 Class AA title game loss to Eden Prairie. She tallied 155 points in the last two seasons, and she will take her prolific scoring knack to Bemidji State next year.
“She is a game-changer,” said Hibbing-Chisholm coach Pete Hyduke, whose team lost to the Lightning by a combined score of 12-1 in two games last season. “What I saw was how Emily Erickson made teams adjust the way they play to her. She had the best supporting cast, but she used them so well. Teams are always adjusting for her speed. Defenses are always aware of her.”
Erickson becomes the third multiple winner of the player of the year award after Johanna Ellison (Cloquet-Esko-Carlton in 2004 and 2005), a junior backup goalie for Minnesota Duluth, and Andrea Nichols (Hibbing-Chisholm in 2001-03), who played for the University of Minnesota from 2003-07.
Erickson often relied on her speed to score earlier in her high school career, but now she has an array of offensive skills — shots, moves and improvisation.
“She is such a prolific scorer, you have to worry about her constantly,” Silver Bay Area coach Bill Crotty said. “She is a goal scorer and they are often hard to find.”
ANDY GREDER covers high school girls hockey for the News Tribune. He can be reached at (218) 723-5315 or by e-mail at agreder@duluthnews.com.
nice article in yesterdays paper.
Emily Erickson, one of Minnesota’s best high school girls hockey players, gleans more satisfaction when others succeed.
The Greenway winger posted 80 points as one of five finalists for Ms. Hockey during her senior campaign, but the 18-year-old revels more in the success of her team, Grand Rapids-Greenway, and the progress of girls in area youth programs.
After Erickson’s Lightning made it to the 2008 Class AA state tournament title game, the team shared the experience with middle-school girls players.
“They were way into it,” said Erickson, whose team displayed their state tournament medals and encouraged the kids to make a similar run once they are on the varsity team. “They are only 10 or 12, but they were like, ‘Yeah! We are going to do that!’ It was awesome to see.”
Erickson’s personal success, selflessness and her team’s accomplishments make her the News Tribune Player of the Year.
Erickson’s giving nature meshes well with her plans to become a teacher and coach.
“Working with someone and seeing the look on their face after the first time they have achieved something is just amazing,” said Erickson, who tutors math at Greenway High School and is a volunteer youth hockey coach. “It’s a special feeling that you can barely put into words. I’ve had a lot of great coaches over the years. I respect my coaches. I hope to be one of those people when I grow up.”
Erickson joined Greenway’s varsity team in seventh grade. At the same time, she began coaching her peers on a youth team with her brother, Kyle.
“I asked her to come along [to practice] because the younger girls look up to her,” said Kyle, 23. “She was in the seventh grade and she would have been on the team if she wasn’t already on varsity. The other players are her friends, but they looked up to her as well.”
Erickson led the Lightning to Section 7AA titles the past two seasons, and she was a senior captain. Her high school career concluded in a 5-3 Class AA title game loss to Eden Prairie. She tallied 155 points in the last two seasons, and she will take her prolific scoring knack to Bemidji State next year.
“She is a game-changer,” said Hibbing-Chisholm coach Pete Hyduke, whose team lost to the Lightning by a combined score of 12-1 in two games last season. “What I saw was how Emily Erickson made teams adjust the way they play to her. She had the best supporting cast, but she used them so well. Teams are always adjusting for her speed. Defenses are always aware of her.”
Erickson becomes the third multiple winner of the player of the year award after Johanna Ellison (Cloquet-Esko-Carlton in 2004 and 2005), a junior backup goalie for Minnesota Duluth, and Andrea Nichols (Hibbing-Chisholm in 2001-03), who played for the University of Minnesota from 2003-07.
Erickson often relied on her speed to score earlier in her high school career, but now she has an array of offensive skills — shots, moves and improvisation.
“She is such a prolific scorer, you have to worry about her constantly,” Silver Bay Area coach Bill Crotty said. “She is a goal scorer and they are often hard to find.”
ANDY GREDER covers high school girls hockey for the News Tribune. He can be reached at (218) 723-5315 or by e-mail at agreder@duluthnews.com.