Midway through January, the Ski jumping and Nordic combined teams traveled to Ishpeming, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, to compete in the first set of Junior World Qualifiers. The team battled through tough conditions and came away with some good results.

The 2026 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships are being held in Lillehammer, Norway, in March. Previously, they were scheduled to be in Trondheim, Norway, but the venue has been changed. The United States has four spots on the team plus an alternate. Qualification is discretionary, but outside of international events, the main way to get on the team is through the 4 Junior World Qualification events. The first two just took place in Ishpeming, and the other two are in Brattleboro, Vermont, in February. Currently, one athlete has auto-qualified for the team based on World Cup results, leaving the other four spots (including the alternate) up for grabs.

Image of the Change of Venue Announcement for Junior Worlds. Photo by FIS.

This year, Ishpeming experienced a historic snowfall. As of January 20th, 2026, they are already 50-60 inches above their yearly winter average. This trend continued while the team was there, and it “snowed basically the entire time we were there,” Jack Kroll ’26 said. The snow brings “unique challenges to competing.”” The tracks can slow down, and the comp can become unfair. Also, the landing can become sticky, making it hard to land,” Henry Loher ’26 said.

Athletes also had to contend with high winds, especially on the second day of competition. Ishpeming is located 15-20 miles inland from Lake Superior, which creates strong winds and lake-effect snow.

The first competition was held on Friday, January 16^th – a night competition under the lights, starting at 7 pm. Hundreds of spectators came to watch 37 athletes compete in a US Cup Competition that would also serve as a World Junior Qualifier. The US Cup is a yearlong domestic competition series for U20 athletes. Henry Loher ’26 would keep his streak of 7 consecutive US Cup wins over the last two seasons. Jack Kroll ’26 finished just off the podium, in 4^th, followed by Duncan Van Dorn ’28 in 5^th, Eli Larkin ’27 in 8^th, and Cadel Cox ’27 in 12^th. Islay Sheil ’28 finished 4^th in the U20 Girls.

On the second day, conditions deteriorated during the trial round, and by the time the first round started, the wind and snow made jumping unsafe at times. This led to long wind holds and breaks to blow the snow out of the track. Additionally, there was a long hold after Max Fey ’28 crashed due to an equipment failure. Luckily, Max was able to walk away from the crash unharmed and take a second-round jump. Loher and Kroll finished 1^st and 2^nd, respectively, followed by Larkin in 8^th. Due to the conditions, the Nordic combined athletes chose not to risk taking a second jump, as only the first jump dictates your starting time for the cross-country race. Shiel finished 6^th in the U20 Girls.

Henry Loher ’26 1st and Jack Kroll ’26 on the podium. Photo provided.

On the Nordic combined side of things, Duncan Van Dorn ’28 led the way with two 4th places finishes, one in the 10k and one in the 5k. Unfortunately, Max Fey ’28 was disqualified on the first day for incorrect measurements. It was later determined that the people taking his measurements made the mistake, not him. On the second day, Fey started last due to his crash and made up solid time. On day one, Cadel Cox ’27 finished 9^th and finished in a photo finish on the second day.

Looking ahead, the team has an off weekend to prepare for the Eastern Championships in Salisbury, Connecticut, from the 6^th to the 8^th of February. The following weekend, February 14^th and 15^th, the team has the final two Junior World Qualifiers in Brattleboro, Vermont. Currently, Henry Loher ’26 leads the qualification with 200 points. Then, Jack Kroll ’26 is tied with another athlete for 2^nd place. “I have high hopes going into the second set. I was hoping for a 4^th or 5^th place in Ishpeming and then podiums in Brattleboro. Getting the podium in Ishpeming puts me in a great spot and takes some of the pressure off ahead of Brat,” Kroll said.

2025 has been a refreshing post-season for fans; with no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow to speak of, they were likely to see a fun new matchup between quarterbacks who have not made a Super Bowl. Now, after the divisional round, the only team to have made the bowl in the last half-decade is the LA Rams.

The AFC and NFC championship games are set in stone: The Patriots will travel to Mile High to play Denver, while the Rams head north to Seattle for a chance at revenge, having lost a thriller in the regular season. How did the final four get this far? Here is the rundown:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Photo: patriot.com.

In 2024, the Patriots were 4-13. Fast forward 365 days, and they finished the regular season 14-3; a shocking turnaround. Despite being the 2 seed in the AFC, many doubted the Pats – and still do – pointing to their easy schedule, and inability to beat playoff teams when they’ve come up against them. With convincing wins against the Chargers and Texans, the Patriots have silenced the naysayers.

DENVER BRONCOS

Photo: milehigh.com

The Broncos have leaned on their defense to win games – allowing only 18 points per game – as the saying goes, defense wins championships. This motto is especially true for the Broncos now, as quarterback Bo Nix is out for the remainder of the playoffs – a development that comes ahead of their matchup versus the Patriots this Saturday.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Photo: news.de

The Rams are the only team left in the playoffs with recent playoff DNA. In fact, they are the only ones to have reached the divisional round since 2020 (before 2025). The Rams, led by MVP candidate Matthew Stafford, along with All-pro receiver Puka Nacua and head coach Sean McVay know how to win; they demonstrated as much in their nail-biting final drive against the Carolina Panthers in the wildcard round, followed by an overtime win against Chicago – though they haven’t won convincingly, they’ve found ways to win close games, and that is a sign of a great team.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Photo: seahawks.com

Sam Darnold deserves an apology. Granted, he had a horrific start to his NFL career before being reborn in Minnesota last season and is now cementing himself this season as an upper-echelon NFL quarterback. As the #1 seed, the Seahawks did not play in the wildcard; in the divisional, they played the 49ers.  How would Seattle fare against a 9ers team with a playoff pedigree? They shellacked them, winning 41-6.

PREDICTIONS

Here are my predictions for the conference championship games:

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Patriots @ Broncos

Photo: totalprosports.com

This matchup has become really interesting now that Bo Nix is out for Denver. The Broncos have the best squad, but New England has a QB; Denver does not. Despite the injury, I am taking the Broncos. Both teams are vastly inexperienced in the playoffs, but Denver has the Super Bowl-winning head coach and the outstanding defense. I am not a Patriot believer, and this will be the end of the road for Drake Maye – the Broncos win 20-17.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Rams @ Seahawks

Photo: totalprosports.com

I will start by saying that the winner of this year’s Super Bowl will be the winner of this matchup. I like both teams a lot, and going into the playoffs, though they were the two best teams. That being said, I am picking the Rams over the Seahawks. I am a big believer in experience, and LA has plenty of it. Stafford will march down the field with a minute left, and get them into field goal range, winning via a walk-off kick – Rams win 30-27.

Illustration: Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Earlier this month, Northwood soccer traveled to Geneva, New York, to visit and play at the prestigious Hobart & William Smith Colleges. It had been seven years since the program had last been to Hobart, so the players had to rely on what the coaches told them to prepare for the trip. Coach Jon Moodey spoke highly of the campus and coaching staff, which had the players excited for the journey. “Coach Griffin and his staff have a special program and special facilities over there; they are heavy on culture and have built something quite remarkable.” The drive was treacherous on icy highways, but after a quick dinner stop, the 5-hour ride was complete.

The next morning, the boys took a quick walk to the campus of Hobart & William Smith, where Coach Griffin led the team on a tour of the stellar campus and facilities. He even took the time to give the team a nice talk about the program’s culture and why they are so successful. After the tour, it was game time; the games were held in Hobart’s full-sized indoor dome, and both coaches and fans packed the sidelines. The showcase started well with the U19s grabbing an emphatic win before the U17s unfortunately fell in a tight clash that night.

Sunday morning rolled around, and things started to heat up. Both teams had two games on the day against outstanding opponents, so the day was definitely not going to be a cakewalk. Sunday started with a solid performance from the U17s, who were unlucky to only get a tie in their match. The U19s, however, didn’t leave any room for error and beat St. Andrews College firmly, with a shutout to boast. The toughest match, however, was yet to come; both teams’ final match was against Vaughan, a formidable opponent from the Ontario region of Canada. The U17s took the lead early on a goal from Samuel Andoh ’28 before Vaughan snuck in an untimely equalizer with minutes left to play. The match finished 1-1, but the U17s thoroughly outplayed their opponents. The U19s match was the final game of the weekend for the Huskies, and it didn’t exactly go to plan, despite jumping out to a one-goal lead from William German ’27. The Huskies ultimately fell 2-1, despite 2 penalty saves from goalkeeper Gavin Kruger ’26.

So, while it was a good performance overall, the U19 team left with a bitter taste after being defeated for the second time this year, and the first time since October.  Despite this, however, it was a good first weekend back and is definitely something the program can build on. The Huskies are hoping to carry their momentum into this weekend’s tournament, the Best of East Cup in Delaware. This is a tournament featuring only the very best teams from the East Coast, so it should be a good way for the Huskies to test their mettle as they head into the most challenging stretch of the season.

Illustration: GameSheet

Earlier this month, the Northwood Boys’ Prep Hockey Team played in its first tournament of 2026. The prep team had won this tournament the last two years, but this year’s competition was tougher than ever. Being the first games since the break, the boys were looking to have a strong start to the back half of the season.

“The first games back are always tough. It has been a while since we have all been together, and hopefully, we’ll pick up where we left off in the first game,” Parker Thompson, third-year senior and prep captain, said.

The first game was a big test for the boys. Kimball Union is always a great team, and the boys were looking for a challenge in their first game back.

In the first period, the boys were rolling. Three goals to Kimball’s none. There was a hiccup in the 2^nd period, and Kimball came back to score 3 goals. Despite taking the foot off the gas, the boys came out flying in the 3^rd period to seal the game with an impressive 5-3 win.

“I thought we played a great first game. We dominated most of the game and pushed through adversity. It was a great way to get back into it,” said senior goalie Owen Maclean.

The boys moved on to the second round, where they faced a very tough opponent in Culver. After a hard-fought game, the boys unfortunately fell to Culver. The next day was a consolation game, and the boys knew it would be hard to get everyone excited. They faced Frederick Gunn. The boys ended the tournament on a high note, winning 3-2 and carrying momentum for the next big weekend at home. Despite the loss, the boys played a great tournament. It was the perfect way to get back into the swing of things this season.

The girls’ hockey team participated in the Ottawa Geegees Tournament earlier this month, where they faced off against some of the top teams in Canada and came out of the tournament with a banner and a championship win. “This was a great start to the new year, the team was working together really well, and you could tell we all wanted this win,” said Captain Kate Elbrecht ’26.

Photo provided.

The girls started the weekend strong with a 5-0 win vs the Junior Oilers, but that night they lost 6-5 to the Blue Water Hawks, even after crawling their way back in the third. “We definitely didn’t play our best on Friday night, and if we had played how we played in the third, I think we would’ve won,” said Kenna Gillis ’27.

On Saturday, the girls put their game faces back on and came in focused, pulling off an overtime win that advanced them to the semi-finals. The semi-finals were also a very tough match, but the girls kept working, and with Summer MacLean ’28 scoring a beautiful overtime goal, they advanced to the finals. “It was a great feeling having that goal. It was definitely a battle and team effort all game, and I was just happy we got the win and were headed for the chance to win a championship,” said Summer.

In the finals, the girls faced off against the 2nd-ranked team in Canada, the Limoilou Titans. This game was exciting from start to finish, with the game remaining scoreless until about 2 minutes left in the third when Rylie Griffiths ’26 had a great shot from the blue which buzzed past the goalie. The game ended 1-0 with Northwood’s goalie Oceanne Thiffault ’26 standing on her head all game and recording a shutout. After five games of hard work, the Northwood girls raised the banner and became the first American team to win the Geegees tournament!

The Varsity team played another weekend at home at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, where they faced Culver Military Academy, South Kent, and Ontario Hockey Academy. This was a weekend the boys will never forget.

Photos by Jacob Slagel ’26

The Varsity team had a special person on the bench that weekend: Gino Riffle, the Headmaster of Northwood School. Gino worked with the defensemen throughout the weekend and was truly impressed with the team’s performance.

The first game was against Culver Academy. The varsity team was hounding Culver in the first half, leading to a goal by Drew Tulloch ’26 from the blue line on the power play. The boys were fired up to score the opening goal, and shortly after, Northwood scored again by Elliot Murch ’27, pushing the lead to 2-0. Northwood and Culver were back and forth until Varsity found another goal by Drew Tulloch, sniping one from the blue line again. Northwood ended the half up by 3, and Culver was showing no signs of life at the end of the half.

The second half began with Northwood still putting their foot on the gas, with Northwood opening the second half with a goal by Willem McArthur ’28. Culver could not find a goal, with Luke Hurlbut ’26 playing an amazing game between the pipes, not letting anything through. Varsity was not stopping there, pushing the lead 5-0 with a goal by Matthew Kernan ’27, who was able to sneak one past the Culver goalie. Varsity wanted to seal the deal with another goal at the end of the half by Jett Travis ’27. The Varsity won game 1 6-0.

“I was truly impressed with the team’s performance this game; they really brought out their full effort by just taking over the show,” Drew Tulloch ’26 said.

“I was really impressed by Luke Hurlbut ’26. The saves he made throughout the game were unbelievable. Luke was able to stop every puck, and Culver couldn’t figure out how to score on him,” Harry Vant ’26 added.

In the second game, Northwood went against Culver Academy again. Northwood was excited for the rematch against Culver. Varsity opened the scoring again in the first half, with Elliot Murch ’27 shooting one from the top of the circle’s short side. Throughout the first half, Northwood and Culver were really battling it out, but Northwood came on top at the end of the first half, scoring a goal by Willem McArthur ’28, ending the half 2-0.

In the second half, Northwood and Culver battled back and forth, neither knowing who would score next. Shortly after, Northwood forward Griffin Mangan ’26 sniped one short side on the Culver goalie, completely shocking the goalie and sending his water bottle flying in the air. Ethan Nau ’26 played an amazing game against Culver, allowing no pucks to get past him. Northwood sealed the game 3-0, taking their second win of the weekend.

“The game was much closer than the last one, but I was dialed in the net, not letting any puck pass me, so I was not worried at all, and we were able to take the game 3-0,” Ethan Nau ’26 said.

I was happy that we took game 2, and I was impressed by Willem. He is really stepping up despite his young age. Willem is pushing his hardest to get the win, and I respect that,” Andrew Sherland ’26 added.

In the third game, Northwood went against South Kent at Saranac Lake. South Kent came out flying, scoring a goal right away on Luke Monaco ’27, but Northwood was able to answer back with a goal by Carson St’ Louis ’27, a tap-in rebound on the power play. Northwood was not ready to end it there; the team ended up scoring two goals before the end of the first half, with Ray Peters ’27 and Jackson Marchione ’27 taking the lead 3-1 at the end.

In the second half, Northwood came out hounding South Kent. The team was physical, throwing bodies around and making the right play, but the wave turned the other way, and South Kent scored two goals back-to-back, tying the game at 3-3. Northwood was not ready to give up; they turned on the jets and absolutely went beast mode on South Kent, scoring two goals back-to-back by Griffin Mangan ’26 and Jett Travis ’27, making it 5-3. By the end of the second, Northwood came out on top, taking their third win of the weekend.

“This game was most likely to be the best game of the weekend, with South Kent being a good team, but our team was better. We came out with the win and showed who was really on top,” Ryan Demers ’27 said. “I was impressed with our defensive game that day; we were really boxing them out,” Ryan added.

“I really enjoyed watching this game. The team was pushing hard and scoring on the chances that were given to us,” Ray Peters ’27 said.

In the Fourth game, Northwood faced Ontario Hockey Academy, and Northwood came into the game with one goal in mind: to complete the weekend sweep. The Varsity came out hot, scoring two goals 15 minutes into the first half by Jett Travis ’27 and Jack Pitts ’27. Northwood and OHA were going back and forth throughout the rest of the half until Northwood found another goal by Willem McArthur ’28, who was able to tuck one past the OHA goalie, bringing the score 3-0 at the end of the first half.

In the Second half, Northwood came out slow with OHA finding a goal 5 minutes in the half, seeking one past Luke Hurlbut ’26. Shortly after, Northwood was able to find a goal by Elliot Murch ’27, sniping one from the top of the circle. After both teams went back and forth, OHA found another goal on the powerplay short side on Luke, but he wasn’t fazed by it. Northwood wanted to seal the deal with Griffin Mangan ’26 sniping again short side on the goalie, and the young guy on the Varsity found his fourth goal of the weekend and his second goal of the game by Willem McArthur ’28. Northwood came out taking their fourth win of the weekend, 6-2 over OHA.

“I’m proud of the performance by the Varsity team this weekend. They really showed what this team can do, and I am excited for our next weekend,” Jack Ide ’26 said.

“Another person who stepped up this weekend was Griffin; he played an amazing weekend, scoring three goals and using his speed to gain the advantage,” Carson St. Louis ’27 added.

Overall, the Varsity team took the weekend by storm to complete the sweep, and the Varsity picked a good weekend to get hot because the 46th Annual Northwood Tournament is just around the corner.

A week after returning from Thanksgiving break, the Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, and Nordic teams kicked off their competition seasons in Norway, Colorado, and right here in Lake Placid.

Before their competitions, they helped prepare the hills in Lake Placid for winter. The team helped with the slushing of the in-run track. Henry Loher ’26 said, “We were tasked with shoveling snow from a pile of manmade snow and running it through a snowblower to chop it up. From the blower, we put it in 5-gallon buckets and carried it to the takeoff of the jump.” The buckets were then dumped into a hopper that gets pulled up the track by a winch. In the hopper, water is added to the chopped snow, creating a slush mix that Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) staff and New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) coaches then pour onto the track to freeze. Once the track was completed and frozen, the track cutter smoothed the ice.

The tracks being slushed. Photos provided.

The team was able to get on the hill for their first training session on December 5^th. “It was good to get some training on our home hill before we went to the competition,” said Jack Kroll ’26.

After a weekend of training, the team split up to head to their first competitions. Henry Loher ’26 and Eli Larkin ’27 traveled to Norway to compete in a FIS Cup. The FIS Cup is an international competition level that is the first step to the World Cup. For both Loher and Larkin, it was “not our first FIS Cups, but it still was a valuable experience,” said Larkin. The pair had fewer training sessions than their competitors due to lengthy travel and adverse weather conditions. Ultimately, the results were “not quite what we hoped,” said Loher.

Jack Kroll ’26 in 2nd on the U20 US Cup podium. Photo provided.

The other half of the team traveled to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to compete in the first winter US Cup of the 2025-2026 season. The team included Jack Kroll ’26, Cadel Cox ’27, Duncan Van Dorn ’28, and Islay Sheil ’28. The US Cup is the highest level of domestic competition. “We got solid training while there leading into the competition, and I think that showed in our results,” said Kroll. Kroll took home 2^nd place in a close battle for the U20 US Cup podium. Van Dorn finished 6^th in the jumping, and Cox finished 10^th. Sheil got 9^th in the U20 girls.

For Nordic Combined, both Cox and Van Dorn were scheduled to race, but Cox was “pretty sick and unable to race.” Van Dorn showed good pace and strong skiing even at the altitude. He dropped back 1 place over the 7.5 km Compact race, finishing in 5^th.

For Nordic, Max Fey ’28 competed in the ADK Tour De Ski and finished 1^st.

The 2026 squad couldn’t match the gold-medal performance of the 2025 team. P Photo/Petr David Josek)

One of the most exciting events of the year for hockey fans falls within the holiday season. The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship brings excitement, pride, and high expectations for Team USA. Leading up to this year’s tournament, USA was expected to be a gold medal contender. In recent years, the U.S. has been one of the strongest programs at the World Juniors, consistently finishing on the podium and producing future NHL stars. This year’s roster was filled with skilled players, strong skating, and offensive potential. Because of that, many fans expected a deep tournament run and disciplined, confident play.

This year, the US struggled with some of the key aspects of its game:

• The penalty-kill unit allowed five goals on 15 disadvantages to rank sixth in the tournament.
• The USA couldn’t get consistent performances from some of its top players.
• They could not find a constant first-line left winger to play alongside James Hagens and Brodie Ziemer.
• Injuries set the team back.
• They did not figure out their goaltending early enough in the tournament.

The injury from Cole Hutson, one of their top defensemen and a prime penalty killer, Brendan McMorrow, got hurt in the third period of the quarterfinal. Further injuries to Trevor Connelly (VGK) just before the tournament, and Max Plante, were devastating to the American squad.

Overall, the US team just lacked consistency and team play. Their quarter-final game against Finland started with promise. Unfortunately, the US could not come out on top in the end. Their tournament ended, leaving everyone disappointed.