Regional and sectional playoff recap: Feb. 24

Area hockey and basketball teams picked up big wins in their respective brackets for the WIAA boys and girls hockey sectionals and the opening round of the WIAA girls basketball regionals. The Northland Pines boys' and girls' hockey teams both advanced to the sectional final, which will be played this Saturday, Feb. 28, for a chance at a state berth. The Three Lakes girls’ basketball team dominated its opening game of the playoffs to move on to the regional semifinal this Friday night in Three Lakes. 

Hockey scores 

#4 Lakeland 0, #1 Northland Pines 6 

The boys’ hockey team put the pedal to the floor and never really looked back against the T-Birds. There were five different goal scorers for the Eagles in the win. Jazek Jantzen and Oliver Depuydt got goals nearly two minutes apart from each other just over the midway point of the first period as the Eagles held a 2-0 lead after one. A pair of goals in the second, both by Josh Graves, made it 4-0 early in the second. That was the score at the second intermission. 

The Eagles tacked on two more goals in the third period by senior Michael Schmidt and sophomore Nick Hahn. Junior goaltender Evrett Leslie faced just 13 shots in the win and stopped them all, while Pines fired 41 shots on net. 

#5 Northland Pines Co-op 2, #1 Central Wisconsin Storm 1 

It was another magical night for the Northland Pines girls’ hockey team as it picked up a second-consecutive upset in the postseason. The Eagles went a combined 0-5 against the Wisconsin Valley Union and Central Wisconsin Storm during the regular season, and knocked off both in the postseason. Pines was outshot 51-15, but sophomore goaltender Lucy Nowak denied 50 of those 51 in the win. 

Lily Tomlanovich gave the Eagles a late first-period shorthanded goal to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead after one on the road. 

Lexi Veriha scored 1:44 into period two to give Pines a 2-0 advantage. The Storm cut the lead in half with just over a minute left to go in the second to make it a 2-1 game after two. Central Wisconsin fired 17 shots on net in the third, and Nowak turned away every single one of them to close the victory. 

Girls basketball scores

#3 Three Lakes-Phelps 65, #14 Saint Thomas Aquinas 19 

The Three Lakes-Phelps girls’ basketball team advances to play in the regional semifinal this Friday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. It will host No. 6-seeded Suring for a chance at the regional final. 

#11 Northland Pines 37, #6 Altoona 50 

The Lady Eagles finished the 2025-26 season with an 8-16 overall record after dropping a 13-point loss on the road to open the playoffs.