MARIO BOLLMANN
North St. Paul, hockey
Perhaps it was his third save on a breakaway of the game. Or maybe the fourth. It might have been when he made a glove save on a point-blank power-play shot in the third period.
Bollmann, a senior goalie making just the second varsity start of his career, isn't exactly sure when he realized he was having the game of his life. He just knew he'd never played better.
Good thing, too, because the Polars needed all 39 of his saves to beat New Prague 1-0 Saturday. It was one of those games, Bollmann said, that he'd always known he was capable of but had never shown.
"That was probably the best game I've ever played," he said. "I felt loose. I felt ready."
Bollmann's indomitable goal-keeping -- he stopped 36 of 37 shots in a victory over Irondale in his first start the previous Saturday -- has amazed his coach, Jerry Diebel.
"I'm really surprised," Diebel said. "We felt coming into this season that we had maybe five goalies, so it would be a competition. Mario has been kind of in the background before, but we're totally impressed by how he's played."
Others may have doubted him, Bollmann said, but he's been confident in his abilities.
"I always thought I could play like that. It feels good to be able to come out and show it and help the team win."
TESHA BUCK
Red Wing, basketball
The 5-9 senior guard poured in 27 points as the Wingers routed Winona 78-56 and followed with a 31-point effort as Red Wing improved to 3-0 with an 80-45 victory over Faribault.
MARK HALL
Apple Valley, wrestling
Still only a freshman, Hall is the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the nation at 152 pounds. He showed why by dominating the 160-pound weight class at the Faribault Invite, pinning all three of his foes in a total of less than seven minutes.
STEPHANIE HANSON
New Prague, basketball
The versatile senior guard has guided the Trojans' 4-0 start. Last week she scored 40 points, made 20 steals, grabbed 18 rebounds, had 13 assists and blocked five shots in victories over Monticello, Austin and Mankato East.
CONNOR HURLEY
Edina, hockey
To the surprise of no one, the Hornets are off to a 5-0 start. Hurley, a highly regarded junior forward, was Edina's scoring leader in victories over Lakeville South, Centennial and Maple Grove, with five goals and four assists.
MICHAEL KESSLER
St. Michael-Albertville, wrestling
On a team loaded with impressive wrestlers, the senior heavyweight stood out in winning his weight class at the St. Michael Invitational. He won three matches, capped by a 3-2, four-overtime victory over No. 2-ranked Jerrad Nieland of St. Cloud Tech in the finals.
KARLIE LUND
Blake, hockey
The sophomore forward extended her goal-scoring streak to seven consecutive games with one goal in a 7-2 victory over Irondale and two in a 6-1 victory over defending Class 1A champion Breck. Lund has nine goals and 21 points this season.
JIM PAULSEN
