Sislo scores first goal; SHS girls dance at state

Former Superior Spartan Mike Sislo scored his first collegiate goal for New Hampshire in the Wildcats’ 5-1 win over Vermont on Friday, Feb. 1

Sislo’s goal gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead 5:30 into the third period. He was assisted by Greg Collins and Craig Switzer.

In 24 games, Sislo had one goal and three assists for points.

New Hampshire (16-7-1) is ranked No. 5 in the latest USCHO.com poll and is at Maine (8-13-3) tonight and Saturday.

Tarnowski a Bear

Superior High School’s Drew Tarnowski has chosen to play college football for the Concordia–St. Paul Golden Bears of the NSIC.

Tarnowski, was a 6-foot 230-pound linebacker who helped the Spartans make the playoffs for the first time since 1991.

Tarnowski, who will play inside linebacker in the Golden Bears 3-4 defense, will major in kinesiology, the study of biomechanics and sports physiology.

The Golden Bears are coached by Mark Mauer, the cousin of Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer. According to their 2007 Media Guide, Concordia-St. Paul has won conference titles as recently as 2003 and 2005 and holds the top overall winning percentage the NSIC at .641.

Also showing interest in Tarnowski were: Bemidji State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire, St. John’s, Carlton College and St. Scholastica.

Tarnowski is the son of Steve and Celia Tarnowski.

Also college bound?

Beside Tarnowski, SHS football coach Bob DeMeyer said eight other Spartans — linemen Nate Myer, Steve Runquist, Kyle Karshbaum and Matt McKone, along with halfback/defensive back Matt Johnson, wide receiver Keegan O’Neill, linebacker Derek Danielson and running back Cole Lundgren — are considering playing college football. Several of those players could wind up at Scholastica or Fond du Lac Community College.

Future Saint

One local athlete that will be playing football for the St. Scholastica Saints will be Northwestern Tigers’ PJ Freeman.

During his senior season, Freeman was a captain and named all-conference and all-area as a running back.

He also was recruited by St. Norbert, St. John’s and Carthage College, among others. He currently is the captain and the only starting senior on the Tigers’ basketball team.

Freeman currently has a 3.4 GPA and will at CSS, plans on participating in Air Force ROTC and would like to compete for a pilot slot.

He also is considering playing basketball for the Saints.

Spartans dance at state

The Superior High School dance team captured a pair of ninth-place finishes in the state tournament, which was recently held in La Crosse.

The two categories the Spartans competed in were high kick and jazz.

According to coach Casey Carlson, the SHS girls were only about 15 points away from being in the top five.

“Not too bad for their first year,” Carlson said. “I’m very proud of the girls and how well they represented the school at the state tournament.”

Members of the SHS dance team are:

Seniors — Sara Greely (co-captain) and Stephanie Milinkovich.

Juniors — Laura Bishop (captain), Kristina Connor (co-captain), Karissa Hendricks, Koriann Lee, Alyssa Reder, Brittany Lain, and Meagan Barnard.

Sophomores — Carly Connor, Megan Berg and Heather Walkowiak.

Freshmen — Savanna Paulson, Astrid Valley, Danielle Lundgren, Sara Miles, Chaila Runions, Rachel Schimenek, Laura Eisenmann and Megan Mayluk.

The assistant coach is Ray Law.

Aalfs is a ’Jacket

The UWS men’s basketball program received its second verbal commitment recently when Ben Aalfs from Hutchinson, Minn., called coach Dave Buchanan of his intentions last week.

Aalfs joins Superior’s Dustin Ritchie in the 2009 recruiting class.

As a junior, Aalfs was selected First-team all-conference and all area while averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists a game.

“We are extremely excited to add Ben to our program” Buchanan said. “His work ethic and personality are a great fit. When he visited, he immediately struck a connection with our guys, which is very important to us.”

According to Aalfs, the feeling is mutual. “I chose UWS because the coaches demonstrated a commitment to me by attending nearly all of my games,” Aalfs said. “I also enjoyed the style of play and coaching style when I visited, and want to be a part of turning around the program.”

“Ben’s upside is tremendous” Buchanan said. “He is 6-foot-4 and could still grow. He has (shooting) range to 22 feet already and is deceptively quick and versatile. Despite those qualities, his greatest attribute is his desire to become great. Ben is coachable and wants to win championships. He will have a great career at UWS.”

Alumni Day

The UWS men’s basketball alumni day is scheduled for Feb. 16, when the Yellowjackets host UW-Platteville at 3 p.m.

All alumni will receive a free T-shirt at the door and will be announced at halftime of the game. Following the game, there will be a social in the UWS Health and Wellness Center with food and beverage available.

Softball fundraiser

The UWS softball team is currently selling tickets to the WBC title fight between Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters and Marlon “Rambling Man” Hayes, which will take place Feb. 23 at the UWS Health and Wellness Center.

The softball team is using the ticket sale as a fundraiser. General admissions tickets are $25 and the team gets to keep $12.50 of each ticket they sell.

Gates open at 5 p.m. on Feb. 23 with the first bout scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

For tickets, contact UWS softball coach Roger Plachta, (715) 395-4622.

Losing Lake Forest

Starting next season the Lake Forest Foresters will no longer be part of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. UWS is still scheduled to play two games with the Foresters during the 2008-09 season, but after that will have to fill those two slots.

The NCHA will also have to find a new team. According to UWS Athletic Director Steve Nelson, Finlandia and Northland College are showing interest, and there was also talk of returning to an all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

As of now, the NCHA will still exist as a seven-team conference.

Ken Olson is the sports editor of The Daily Telegram. Call him at (715) 395-5023 or e-mail kolson@superiortelegram.com

Tags: sislo, goal, hockey, school