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From left, the Bulldogs’ Willie Corrin (5) and the Mavericks’ Matt Youso (6), both 2010 International Falls High School graduates, are shown battling for the puck in last season’s game March 8 at AMSOIL Arena.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 

Dean

Blais

This weekend’s series at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth involving 2010 International Falls High School graduates Willie Corrin and Matt Youso on opposing Division I men’s hockey teams playing as defensemen – as well as Corrin opposing his head-coaching uncle from the Falls, Dean Blais – has postseason implications along with personal rivalries on the line.

Friday and Saturday will mark the second of two two-game series the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Nebraska Omaha will have against each other this season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

UNO, for which Blais is in his sixth year of coaching and Youso is a sophomore, and UMD, for which Corrin is in his junior season, are battling for a top-four finish in the conference and the ability to host the first round of the NCHC playoffs next month.

The Bulldogs and Mavericks split the first two-game series Nov. 21-22 in Omaha when Corrin played in both games and Youso saw action in only the second game.

“I thought (the Bulldogs) were the best team in the country,” Blais said of UMD’s 3-2 win over UNO in the first game when the Bulldogs had entered that series having swept the University of Minnesota in two games the previous weekend.

Corrin has played in 25 of 32 games this season, recording 34 shots and 18 blocks along with two goals and two assists. Youso has appeared in 11 of 30 games, recording three shots and three blocks, but no goals or assists.

Blais said Youso has missed games because of what he termed a “lower body injury,” but expects him to be in the lineup this weekend.

“If he’s healthy, he plays,” Blais said of Youso.

UNO presently sits in fourth place in the conference at 11-8-1-1 with 35 points, a point ahead of UMD in fifth at 11-8-1-0 in the NCHC, for which the teams presently in the top six are all in the running to host the first round of the league playoffs.

Corrin said he’s looking forward to playing against his uncle and a former Bronco teammate once again this weekend, but also realizes the importance the series has on the postseason.

“It’s nice to play against them, but in the big picture we need to (get more points for the conference standings),” Corrin said.

Last weekend, UMD split a road series against Miami when Corrin recorded a goal in Friday’s 3-1 win and had an assist in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss. UNO lost both games at St. Cloud State.

The Bulldogs are ranked sixth in the latest USCHO.com Division I men’s poll, while the Mavericks are ranked eighth. Both teams play their final two-game series March 6-7 before the NCHC playoffs.

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At right, the Broncos’ Nick Hedtke, shown wrestling against an opponent at a January meet in Grand Rapids, placed sixth last weekend at the Section 7A Individual Tournament at Pierz.

International Falls sophomore wrestler Nick Hedtke placed sixth competing at 170 pounds in last weekend’s Section 7A Individual Tournament at Pierz.

Hedtke, who won one of his four matches in the eight-wrestler bracket in which Pierz sophomore Brett Kapsner was the 170-pound champion, opened the tournament losing on a pin at 2:38 to Mille Lacs senior Luke Thompson.

In the wrestlebacks, Hedtke won his first match with an 11-4 decision over Ogilvie sophomore Gage Peterson.

Hedtke then was pinned at 4:44 by Aitkin senior Jonah Perrine.

In the final match for fifth place, Hedtke once again faced Thompson and lost on a pin.

Hedtke was the only wrestler to compete at the section meet for the Broncos, who resumed a high school wrestling program this season for the first time in more than 20 years. He ended the season with a varsity record of 6-5.