A look at Luverne
Skates without lakes? Luverne is located in Rock County, one of only four Minnesota counties without a natural lake. "There still are people who get down here and can't believe they aren't dodging cattle as they're driving past," coach Kullen Schroht said.
Case closed, hockey wins: Retired district court judge Tim Connell, a fourth-generation Luverne native and former basketball player, was eating lunch at home one afternoon in the early 1980s. Connell told his wife, Connie, he didn't want their son, Pat, age 5, playing hockey. He returned to work and later learned Connie signed Pat up for hockey anyway. Two years later, Connell began coaching Pat's team. He has provided color commentary for varsity games on KQAD (800-AM) for 16 years.
Support from St. Paul: Then-state auditor Mark Dayton contributed $1,000 toward construction of Blue Mound Ice Arena, where Luverne plays, in the early 1990s. The governor's name is engraved on a donor board inside. The former hockey player and coach offered the Cardinals a stick tap in a recent statement: "The Luverne hockey program has achieved tremendous success in recent years. They have a bright future ahead of them, and I wish them all the best."
DAVID LA VAQUE
