The girls’ hockey team, seen here celebrating their fourth Northwood Invitational championship in a row. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

The girls ended their season this Sunday, finishing with a 53-18-2 record and ranked 7^th in the country. Along with two tournament wins and having all seniors continue their hockey and academic careers in college, this group showed what it means to play Husky hockey and work hard.

Although the team fell short in the league championship game, losing 3–2 to NAHA in double overtime, the result does not diminish the resilience and determination they showed all year.

For the seniors, the final game carried an even deeper meaning. Not only did it mark the end of the season, but also the end of their time at Northwood and their youth hockey careers. For many, the reality of it all did not fully set in until the final whistle blew. In that moment, everything—from early morning practices to long weekends and cold winter days—felt worth it. It’s something many would do again without hesitation.

This year’s team was especially close-knit. Despite early doubts from others who believed the team was “too young,” the players proved otherwise. They grew together throughout the season, building strong chemistry and continuing to trust the processes every day, which led them to one of the top rankings in the country.

This group definitely raised the bar for the teams to come and set a new standard for future Northwood teams.

Despite the year ending and spring breaks inching closer, the members of the Northwood soccer program are all focused on the same thing. Victory at Jefferson Cup. Every year, no matter how good the prior season has gone, the Huskies always fall short at the Jefferson Cup. Whether it’s the heat, the focus on spring break rather than the games, or just the stiff competition in general, something about the Jefferson Cup makes it stand out from the rest.

First, some context. Jefferson Cup is, size-wise, the biggest tournament in the United States, and, competition-wise, second only to the world-famous Dallas Cup, which takes place the same week. The tournament began in 1981 and features around 2,000 top teams across every age group and skill level. Black Rock is good enough to make the top bracket of the whole tournament, but since making the top group, Northwood’s best finish has been fourth place out of the twelve-team group.

The field where Northwood claimed victory over Arlington SC last year. Photo: Jefferson Cup.

Last year, the U19 team was on pace for a great tournament. They won their prior tournament in Las Vegas and came in well rested, ready to do what no Northwood team before them had done. They started the tournament off with a big win over Arlington SC and carried that momentum into the next game, the biggest game of the tournament, a clash against the hosts, Richmond United. Despite a valiant effort, the team fell 2-1 on a last-second goal, thereby dashing their hopes of a tournament win. With all hope lost heading into the final game, the team fell 4-3 in a less heartbreakingly close game. This has been the case for Northwood teams for years; they always build up the Jefferson cup well, only to fall short right before the finish line.

However, that is not the case this year. This week, the coaching staff met with the players, and everyone agrees that this year the focus is sharper than in years past. Every player has their eyes set on one goal and one goal only: winning the Jefferson Cup. Also, another factor that will help this year’s team is having a chip on their shoulders. Coming into the Jefferson Cup, most Northwood teams have been coming off an easy win of the Las Vegas Players Showcase, but not this year. The Northwood U19 team faced the hardest schedule in years in Las Vegas and came away with an anticlimactic haul of three ties and one loss, leaving them gripped with anger and frustration. When asked about the team’s mindset for the Jefferson Cup, senior captain Tziyon Morris had this to say: “For a lot of us, it’s our second-to-last tournament at Northwood, and it’s the biggest one that we play each year, so we’re playing every game like it’s our last and trying to cherish every moment. Along with that, in a certain sense, we feel like we let the program down in Las Vegas, and we have a chip on our shoulders and something to prove at this year’s Jeff Cup. We want to be the first team ever to win the Jefferson Cup for Northwood and send the year off in the right manner.”

Morris sums up the team’s mentality perfectly, and for those looking on from Northwood, expect big results as we head into spring break.

Black Rock FC flew to Nevada last week to compete in the Las Vegas Players Showcase, a 4-game series that allows players to display their abilities in front of many college coaches. The event gathers top-level teams from around the country, which makes the standard remarkably high.

The U17 team had a rough start but finished strong. In their opening game, they scored 2 goals in the first half, making it 2-0 at halftime. However, the other team managed to score two goals extremely late in the game to tie it. The next game was an unfortunate 3-0 loss. After these two games, the team met and discussed how they would respond. They won the next two games comfortably, showing their resilience in bouncing back and finishing the showcase strong. Unfortunately, the U19s did not manage to secure a win; however, they played well, and all the players enjoyed it.

Photo by Aidan De Hartog ’27.

Photo by Aidan De Hartog ’27.

Photo by Aidan De Hartog ’27.

A challenge the program faced was a lack of recent 11v11 match experience due to game cancellations caused by the recent weather. Because of this, it took a while for the players to get back into rhythm, but after the second game, both teams found it and played better.

Off the field, the trip was a wonderful experience for the whole program. On the last day, everyone visited Red Rock Canyon, where players could climb and enjoy breathtaking views just outside Las Vegas. After this fun experience, the whole program then had dinner at a nice restaurant, where players bonded over good food. Afterwards, everyone went to see the Las Vegas Strip. The Strip was something many of the players were looking forward to off the pitch.

After returning home to Lake Placid from a tiring flight, the players needed to recover from the heavy load of the showcase. With the lake just outside Northwood School melting, it was decided that the program would do a 5-minute ice bath in the lake. It took a while for players to get into the lake, but everyone managed to complete the 5-minute task.

Photo by Coach Marvyn Dorchin.

While the results were mixed, the weekend was a fantastic opportunity for the players to display their talents in front of colleges and to get more 11v11 minutes in preparation for the Jefferson Cup, the biggest tournament of the year, happening in just two weeks.

Photo: Got Sport.

As the spring season is coming up, Black Rock FC has channeled its focus towards the biggest tournament of the year: the Jefferson Cup. This tournament is known as one of the most important soccer tournaments of the year in the United States. This competition acts as both a challenge for Black Rock FC and an opportunity for the program to prove itself on a large stage.

The Black Rock Program has already started its preparation with an intense friendly match against the MLS Next side, NY Elite Alleycats. This friendly match will allow both the U17 and U19 squads to sharpen their tactics ahead of the Jefferson Cup. Because of how good the NY Elite Alleycats are, it will be like the competition they will face at the Jefferson Cup. More importantly, it allows the program to build confidence and reach the best level possible at the right time.

Photo: Aidan De Hartog ’27.

This year’s Jefferson Cup is one of the strongest years ever. The tournament features high-level teams from across the country. Many top-level college coaches have confirmed they are there. The tournament consists of multiple games in a brief time, testing teams’ endurance and squad depth. For many players, this is the best opportunity to showcase their talents in front of many college coaches.

For Black Rock FC, the tournament is extremely important, as it is a chance to bounce back after a not-so-successful Las Vegas Showcase. While the experience in Las Vegas was a wonderful opportunity for the program to learn and gain exposure, the results were not what the program aimed for. That allows the Jefferson Cup to be an opportunity for a fresh start and a successful run.

The intensity of Black Rock’s training sessions over the past few weeks has been higher, as the program knows this tournament is about more than just achieving superior results. More people have shown accountability and key values that will help the team succeed.

As the tournament approaches, Black Rock FC has a point to prove. The program will enter the competition with a winning mindset fueled by their recent struggles. No matter the results, this tournament is guaranteed to be a wonderful experience for every team competing.

The Winter Olympics just finished a couple of weeks ago, but Lake Placid is in for an incredible weekend: the FIS World Cup Finals for cross-country skiing will be hosted from March 19 – 22 at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. This is the final race of the season, with the overall champion being presented their crystal globe.

Johannes Hosflot Klaebo won six gold medals at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. He’ll be competing in Lake Placid. Photo credit: Olympics.com

This is a historic weekend for the community. It is the first time that a cross-country skiing World Cup Final has ever been held in the United States. Equally impressive is that this is the first time since 1979 that Lake Placid has hosted a World Cup, which would have been a warm-up event to assess the facilities before the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics.

On Friday, March 20^th, races will begin in the afternoon with both the women’s and men’s 10km classic. Saturday morning will have the women’s and men’s sprint free qualifications, with the finals in the afternoon. Finally, on Sunday, the men’s 20km free will start at 12:30 pm, and the women’s 20km final will follow at 2:30 pm. Tickets are available online for students for $10 per day or $25 for the full weekend at www.mtvanhoevenberg.com. Ms. Fagan is working hard to give her ADK students the chance to watch the World Cup and is hopeful that ORDA will get us tickets.

So, what exciting stories are coming out this weekend? First, there is American skier Jessie Diggins competing in the final World Cup races of her career. She is a three-time Olympian who has announced her retirement. Diggins is the most decorated American cross-country skier ever. She has a gold medal from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a silver medal and a bronze medal from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and, most recently, a bronze medal in the 10 km freestyle at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. She has also won and medaled in numerous World Cup events. She has a very good chance of medalling again on her last weekend of skiing.

The highlight of the weekend will likely be watching Johannes Hosflot Klaebo of Norway. You probably know his name because at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, he won gold in all six events he entered. He is the first athlete to win six gold medals at a Winter Olympics and now trails only American swimmer Michael Phelps for the most overall Olympic gold medals ever. Klaebo is a cardiovascular freak of nature. He went viral over the Olympics for a video of him sprinting up a hill on skis. His fastest pace up the hill was 11.4 mph, and he took off from the pack with such a lead that nobody was near him. He is the strongest cross-country skier in the world. It is a great opportunity to see him ski since he will probably win all his races again and will be awarded the crystal globe. It is your chance to see this sporting superstar.

If you have the opportunity this weekend to head up to Mt. Van Hoevenberg, go up and check it out. You will be seeing a little bit of cross-country history happening.