Going Deep with Jim Johnson: Fisher making the most of his time in Augusta

The former Bronco missed some time with a dislocated left shoulder — Augusta has played 44 games — but he told The Journal on Thursday that he’s enjoying it. He’s also played well after returning from the shoulder injury.

Good friend and fellow Bronco Jayme Steele (FHS ’03) recently visited Fisher and witnessed three victories, including a start for Fisher in the second game. The RiverHawks are currently tied for second in the Southern Professional Hockey League.

The two golf junkies also played four rounds, but were turned away in an attempt to visit Augusta National, the host of The Masters. Steele, who carded a double eagle last summer in a scramble with a driver, 7-iron combo on the 515-yard first hole at the Links at Northfork in Ramsey, Minn., wouldn’t divulge his scores from last week, but admitted one of the courses they played was Forest Hills Golf Club, the home course for the defending Division I champion Augusta State University.

The 2011 Masters runs April 4-10, and Fisher’s roommate, Curtis Megginson, is planning on attending.

Going deeper ...

• Drew Fisher, Derek’s younger brother and a junior forward at Bemidji State University, was recently named one of 21 Beavers to receive the WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award. None of other WCHA schools received more than 12 selections.

To earn recognition as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, student-athletes must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his or her overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution.

• International Falls legend Tim Sheehy was named Wednesday as one of the top 50 players to play in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Sheehy, a forward for Boston College, led the Eagles in scoring for three seasons (1968-70) and was the captain of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team which claimed the silver medal. ECAC Hockey comprised the group as part of its 50th anniversary. The top 50 players were determined by a selection committee made up of former coaches and media members. These honorees — the eighth group to be reported — were tallied from 145 players (47 defensemen; 73 forwards; and 25 goaltenders).

Besides leading the Eagles in scoring three years, Sheehy was a two-time All-American and the conference player of the year in 1970. He was inducted into Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975, and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.

• Former Rainy River Community College basketball player Mark Lussier is averaging 4.9 points per game as a junior at the University of Montana Western, an NAIA school. He’s played in all 26 games (as of Thursday night), shooting 38 percent (43-for-112) from the field, including 39 percent (28-for-71) from long range.

• Former Bronco goalie Brady Hjelle, who’s committed to Ohio State University, is 25-5 with four overtime losses and five shutouts in 34 games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. He has seven more wins than any other netminder in the league and his five shutouts are a league-best. His 2.11 goals against average is tied for third in the league and his .926 save percentage is ranked second. He’s been in net for all but one of the RoughRiders’ victories.

• The Bronco Basketball Boosters is hosting another alumni basketball tournament, which starts at 9 a.m. on April 23 at the Falls High Gym. There will be a Masters Division (35 and older) and an Open Division. Contact Charlie Anderson at canderson@isd361.k12.mn.us or Chris Oustad at chrisoustad@yahoo.com for more information and player registration materials.