Another Christmas has come and gone, but this week it's time for Northland high school sports fans to unwrap their gifts.
If hockey was on your wish list, Duluth East's appearance at the Schwan Cup in St. Paul is one of the year's highlights. The 11th-ranked Greyhounds' trip to Xcel Energy Center didn't go very well last March when the team lost twice at the Class AA state tournament, but they return to meet eighth-ranked Edina in a quarterfinal game at 8:30 p.m. today.
The tournament continues Tuesday and Wednesday, featuring six of the top 11 Class AA teams -- including No. 1 Minnetonka -- and the top-ranked Class A team in St. Thomas Academy. The championship isn't until New Year's Day due to arena conflicts.
If you intend to stay closer to home in order to finish shoveling out from the recent snowstorm, the three-day Heritage Holiday Classic debuts at Heritage Center and the annual Hilltopper Holiday Classic takes place at Mars Lakeview Arena.
Duluth Denfeld and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton headline the local teams in the Heritage tournament, while host Duluth Marshall, Superior and Proctor will vie for top honors in the three-day Hilltopper tournament. Both events begin today and run through Wednesday.
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Basketball fans can take in the Wood City Classic in Cloquet or stop by Proctor High School to see the Virginia boys, last season's Section 7AA champions. Several area teams, including fourth-ranked Chisholm, are competing in the Hibbing Holiday boys tournament.
East hopes to bring back the Granite City Classic title from St. Cloud, where star guard Dyami Starks attempts to become the 16th boys player from the Northland to surpass 2,000 career points.
