Arkhip Ledenkov raced diving Augsburg goalie Samuel Vyletelka for a rebound as his St. Scholastica linemate Carsen Richels came from behind the net in the Saints 4-1 victory in the final game of their MIAC championship season. Photos by John Gilbert.

Brooke Olson has been the heart and soul of the UMD women’s basketball team for her entire time at Romano Gym, but last Saturday she put on a show of all that has made her so outstanding.

She seemed almost casual as she repeatedly was covered very closely by Bemidji State defenders, then she would peel off just as a pass was arriving and cash it in for easy layups.

The crowd of nearly 1,000 mostly sat quietly, enjoying the surgical efficiency with which the Bulldogs pulled ahead, usually on the inside moves of the 6-foot-2 Olson, who is listed as a guard but plays wherever she can be most effective.

Then, with five minutes remaining, a UMD teammate pulled up short outside the top of the key. Olson broke behind her for an easy pass, and left all of us wondering how Olson would move the ball inside. She didn’t.

Despite being closer to the big Bulldog emblem at center court than to the top of the key, she never hesitated, using the pick she jumped and arched the ball high and toward the basket. Never in doubt, the ball swished through, and the docile crowd erupted in a spontaneous roar of celebration.

That basket might have been the longest 3-point shot of her career, and it gave her 40 points for the game, as coach Mandy Pearson pulled her from the game with four minutes left. UMD went on to complete an 84-62 victory in its final game of the regular season, shooting 54.4 percent for the game.

The Bulldogs hit 75 percent in the second quarter and 64.3 in the fourth quarter when Pearson emptied the bench and got all 14 players involved. Taya Hakamaki got 12 off the bench and Ella Gilbertson 11, which was more than sufficient support for No. 24.

“What’s the most you’ve ever scored?” I asked her. She answered: “This was it. Forty.”

It turns out, coach Pearson owes her one!

Olson sat on the bench the final four minutes, cheering on her teammates, and later we learned that UMD legend Dina Kangas has held the single-game record for UMD women at 44 since 1990. One more minute and Olson would have taken the record. Not that she cared.

“It was a great team win,” she said. “The score was pretty big, but it was tough all the way. They aren’t going to make the playoffs, but they came at us hard all the way and gave us different looks on defense. But we rose to the occasion.”

By winning the No. 1 seed in the NSIC tournament, the Bulldogs get a bye in the quarterfinals. The whole tournament, however, is in Sioux Falls. Winning the tournament guarantees a spot in the NCAA regional, and UMD could conceivably be the host for that regional. “We want to come back with the championship, and it would be ideal to be host for the regional,” said Olson. Those of us who enjoy watching a superior athlete perform would enjoy seeing her again, too.

UMD’s Brooke Olson put two of her career-high 40 points in against Bemidji State Saturday.

Semifinal Saturday is one of he most entertaining days of the year for Duluth area hockey fans because AMSOIL Arena would become the focal point for the two doubleheaders of Section 7, with Class A at noon and Class AA at night.

Things are different this year with both UMD’s women’s and men’s teams crowding into the same arena, following the 7AA semifinals. And then we have a unique game at Mars-Lakeview Arena Saturday night, with St. Scholastica celebrating its first MIAC men’s hockey championship by facing the St. Olaf vs. Concordia winner in the MISC tournament semifinals.

If that sounds hectic, it will be. But it will have to go some to beat the drama of last Saturday.

The UMD men smothered Bemidji State 87-53, cruising to a 45-11 halftime lead by shooting 48 percent to Bemidji’s miserable 13.6 field goal percentage.

Most of the first half was a back-and-forth thing, with the Bulldogs coming down the floor and scoring, then Bemidji State hustling back to the other end and missing their shots.

They also didn’t seem to get any rebounds, so the Bulldogs took leads of 17-3 and 24-6 at the 10-minute mark. By the time the Beavers reached 10, UMD had 41, and they cruised through a second half where the Bulldogs defense was less stifling and the teams each scored 42 points.

St. Scholastica also put on a show in its final weekend of the MIAC season. Needing to win to clinch its first MIAC championship, the Saints played at Augsburg Friday night, while the Saints women battled Augsburg ferociously at Mars-Lakeview, taking a 2-0 lead before the Auggies tied it 2-2 in the second, and got away from the Saints with a 4-goal third period for a 6-2 victory.

After it ended, I went downstairs to check the scoring summary, and as I was writing down the info, a fellow came with the men’s game streaming on his cell phone.

“It’s 5-4 with two minutes left,” he said. I asked if the Saints were leading, and he said “No.”

But he let out a whoop moments later because Carson Richels had scored with a bullet to tie the game with 1:15 remaining. I left for home, and Richels scored again in the shootout to give the Saints the extra point.

But the point for the tie clinched the title for the Saints. In the final regular-season game, I wanted to see the magical first line for St. Scholastica.

Twin brothers Archie and Gilmore Ledenkov, who came over from Belarus to play junior hockey in New England and agreed to come to St. Scholastica, are juniors now, and coach Dave Williams put Richels – who transfered to Division 3 St. Scholastica from Division 1 New Hampshire, was placed on the line with the two speedy, clever playmaking brothers.

Gilmore Ledenkov centers his brother and Richels and going into the final game, Archie Ledenkov led the league in scoring with 16-18—34, while Filmore (8-22—30) and Richels (14-16–30) were tied for second. Not a bad line.

The Saints jumped ahead 3-0 and beat Augsburg 4-1 to polish things up as top seed in the MIAC hockey tournament, where they will await the Thursday night game between St. Olaf and Concordia of Moorhead to determine who will come to Mars-Lakeview for a semifinal match.

Richels had a goal and an assist, and Archie Ledenkov the first goal on a Richels feed before setting up Riches for the 3-0 lead, which sends them into the league tournament with Arkhip Ledenkov the league scoring champ at 17-19—36, Richels second in league scoring at 15-17—32, and Filmore Ledenkov third at 8-22—30. As the 1-2-3 scorers in the MIAC, the Saints have a great shot at winning the league playoff and going on to the automatic NCAA berth.

All the media has been raving about how this is St. Scholastica’s first league championship ever, in any sport. But I contacted the MIAC office to notify them that back in 1974-75, Del Genereau, who had left the magical coaching position he held at Duluth Cathedral to start St. Scholastica to big-time Division 3 hockey stature, won the ICHA (International Collegiate Hockey Association) championship and took his team on to win the NAIA national title.

Regardless, it’s been a long time, and if you haven’t seen them, the whole Saints team is a special attraction, and they just happen to have the most spectacular puck-moving line in the state, regardless of division or NHL status.

Brooke Olson, left, and UMD teammate Taytum Rhoades applaud teammates from the bench in the final minute.