PIERRE — With the nine-month slog of the United States Hockey League season finally behind him, Carter Sanderson has certainly earned this brief period of downtime.

Over the weekend, the South Dakota native returned to his hometown of Pierre, but the rarified air of calling himself a Clark Cup champion gives Sanderson a comfortable laurel upon which he can rest.

In his first year of junior hockey, the 17-year-old center helped guide the Muskegon Lumberjacks to the organization’s first Clark Cup championship last week when they defeated Waterloo 4-3 in overtime in a winner-take-all Game 5.

In total, Sanderson amassed 12 points (five goals, seven assists) and a plus-six rating on the ice during the 2024-25 campaign. He appeared in 61 contests, finishing with a .11 shooting percentage.

The Lumberjacks finished the season with a 49-18-9 record, and from the moment it all began back in late August, Sanderson felt something special brewing within the group.

“Obviously there were a couple trades during the year, so that kind of threw a wrench in some things,” Sanderson said. “But from the get-go, everybody got along really well, and it obviously worked out in the end.”

Contributed / Muskegon Lumberjacks

Muskegon entered the Clark Cup Playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and won two of three in the opening round to knock off fifth-seeded Cedar Rapids. Then, in the conference semis and finals, the Lumberjacks swept No. 1 seed Youngstown and second-seeded Dubuque, respectively, in back-to-back series, setting up a Clark Cup Finals showdown with Waterloo.

Each of the final three games between the Lumberjacks and Black Hawks were decided in overtime, including a 2-1 decision in double overtime in Game 3 that fell in favor of Muskegon. After Waterloo claimed a 3-2 triumph in OT in Game 4, the two teams found themselves in overtime yet again in Game 5, with Jack Christ capping off a hat trick to lift the Lumberjacks to victory and commence the celebration on road ice.

“It was a hard-fought battle all series long,” Sanderson said. “When we won in overtime there in Waterloo, that was amazing. Hoisting the Clark Cup for the first time was awesome. That’s a moment I’ll never forget.

“It felt great, and then seeing all my other teammates get to do it as well was great.”

In late August, Sanderson arrived in western Michigan after being selected by Muskegon more than three months prior in the fourth round of the USHL Phase II Draft.

Sanderson says there were about 32 participants at the Lumberjacks’ preseason training camp, but there was no guarantee he was going to make the opening-day roster.

“Going out there, I knew I had to really put my best foot forward and show the coaches why I deserved to be on that team,” Sanderson said. “There were kind of two groups. There were kids that were returning and kids who made the team, and then there were probably 10 to 15 of us who still knew we had to make the team.

“Really showing up to the rink every day to do your job was important. When I showed up, I knew I had to do that, but it was still great being at the rink every day even if I didn’t know I was going to make it.”

Just a few weeks before reporting to Muskegon, Sanderson made his college decision official on Aug. 2 when he

took to Instagram to announce his commitment

to the University of North Dakota.

Sanderson says the two schools he was mulling the most were UND and Augustana, but in the end, the opportunity to play for a blue blood program was irresistible.

“When I got that offer on August 1, I knew I had to take it,” said Sanderson, who is expected to join the Fighting Hawks for the 2026-27 season. “No disrespect to Augie or any of the other programs. It’s just top notch all the way around [at UND], so having the opportunity to be able to go there in the near future is a cool feeling.”

In 2021-22, Sanderson was a star forward at the high school level with the Oahe Capitals, who play their games on the western bank of the Missouri River at Oahe Expo Center in Fort Pierre. He tallied 42 points (27 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games that season, and in 2022-23, Sanderson left home and made his way to Alexandria, Minnesota, to play for Northstar Christian Academy, where he racked up 35 points in 55 contests at the 16U AAA level.

However, in the summer of 2023, a civil complaint was filed that alleged misconduct and mismanagement by coaches and board members at NCA. Around that time, Sanderson received a phone call from Sioux Falls Power co-founder Noëlle Needham, who encouraged the young skater to try out for Power’s 16U team.

“Noëlle has changed my hockey career,” Sanderson said. “She’s put a huge stepping stone in front of me. She’s given me so many opportunities. … I put a lot of trust in her, and in return, I got a lot of great feedback.

“She’s talked to schools, NHL teams — you name it — and not just on my behalf but for other people who play for Power.”

Submitted photo

For now, Sanderson is taking some time away from the ice to decompress, but in a couple weeks, he’ll begin his summer training ahead of his second year of juniors.

Sanderson plans to stay on his family’s farm about 30 minutes north of Sioux Falls near Flandreau, where he’ll commute to the Scheels IcePlex during the week to work out with Needham and other local skaters. Then, on the weekends, he’ll head back to Pierre to spend time with friends and family.

“I have a pretty set routine, and it works for me. So I like it,” Sanderson said. “Everybody loves working on shooting and whatever, but I really think I could work on skating. One-legged edge work is definitely a big piece.

“It’s hard to do it in the summer to train, but in game, I tend to have more time than I think with the puck. Really getting that in my head that I have more time to make more plays is big.”

Taylor Senecal helped lead Essex High to the Vermont Division 1 girls state title. (Paul Lamontagne)

Kelly McManus Souza still remembers the first time she saw Taylor Senecal play.

McManus Souza, Berwick’s head coach of and director and 19U coach at Assabet Valley, was at an event in Toronto with her oldest daughter.

“She was probably 10 or 11 years old,” McManus Souza said. “I remember approaching her and her family and telling them, ‘When you’re ready to play girls hockey, make sure your first call is to Assabet.’ … I don’t think I’ve ever done that with another player or family, approaching them in that capacity. “I couldn’t let that opportunity go, given how good she was at that age.”

Soon enough, the Essex Junction, Vt., native was donning an Assabet sweater. Eventually, she made the same first impression as a freshman at Essex High.

“She was something special,” Jerry Gernander said. “Even as a freshman there, she just skated so well, and she thought the game at a different level. It was pretty clear that she was pretty special.”

Gernander’s daughter played with Senecal in the 2021-22 season. Fast forward to late 2024 and Gernander was about to embark on his first season as head coach of Essex High. When he got a look at his roster, Senecal’s name immediately jumped out.

“When I signed up to coach, I didn’t know she was going to be back,” Gernander said. “So it was a pleasant surprise for me … coming in off the street to coach, and being able to coach somebody like that was pretty nice.”

To understand Gernander’s surprise is to understand Senecal’s winding journey.

In the 2025 Women’s College World Series, Patty Gasso’s Oklahoma Sooners are looking to join some of the most rarified air in collegiate team sports.

At the age of 18, the Dutch native currently has a total of two singles titles and seven doubles titles in his junior career. He retains a World Tennis Number of 16.9 in singles and a 21.4 in doubles. 

“We could not be more excited to welcome Charlie to Oklahoma State and Cowboy Tennis,” Taylor said. “While his tennis brought him to our attention, it was his true character and desire to become the best he possibly can be that solidified our desire to make him a Cowboy. We believe his work ethic and passion to get the most out of himself, as well as his teammates, will propel him to excel in the college tennis world, both on and off the court.”

In 2024, Valentine won four doubles titles in J100 and J60 tournaments. His success has rolled over into 2025 with a doubles title earlier this year in March. 

Valentine moved to Barcelona in 2023 to further his career in the Spanish national circuit. He reached a career high in the ITF Juniors ranking this year at 177. 

The tennis player brings a powerful and precise serve as well as an aggressive playing style to the Cowboy roster. 

Valentine will arrive in Stillwater for the 2025 fall season.

For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State men’s tennis, visit okstate.com and follow @CowboyTennis on Instagram and X.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men’s hockey team announced its team award winners for the 2024-25 season last week, with seven student-athletes earning recognition for their play on the ice and dedication to the program off the ice.

For the third straight season, junior John Prokop was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. The blueliner earned All-ECAC Hockey honors for the third straight season with a spot on the third team and finished the season with eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points, ranking sixth on the team in scoring and first among defensemen, as well as posting a team-best +12 rating. The junior, who was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the conclusion of the season, finished his three-year career with 20 goals and 65 assists for 85 points in 107 games, ranking fourth in program history in both assists and points by a Union defenseman.

Senior Cullen Ferguson was the recipient of the Scott Richardson Unsung Hero Award. The defenseman missed one game in his four-year collegiate career, skating in 144 games on the blue line and accumulating nine goals with 42 assists for 51 points. Captaining the team as a senior, Ferguson scored a career-high four goals and chipped in 12 assists for 16 points while also tying for the team lead with 47 blocked shots.

First-year Drew Sutton earned the Charlie N. Morrison Award, given annually to a player who participates in extracurricular activities while demonstrating academic interest and achievement. On the ice, the first-year played in 35-of-36 games and scored three goals with three assists for six points.

Junior Colby MacArthur was named the winner of the Coaches Award. In his third season, MacArthur tied for the team lead in points with a career-high 29, scoring seven goals and adding a team-leading 22 assists playing in all 36 games, while also finishing third on the team with a +11 rating. He tied for the team lead with five power-play goals to ran seventh in ECAC Hockey, while his 22 helpers were tied for sixth best in the conference this season. 

First-year Ben Muthersbaugh was named the team’s Rookie of the Year after an excellent first season in garnet. The first-year appeared in all 36 games and tied for third in team scoring with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists, recording the most goals and points by a Union rookie in over a decade. He finished in a three-way tie for third in ECAC Hockey scoring among rookies with 16 points (8-8-16) in league play and his eight goals in conference play tied him for second among first-year players. He was also earned the Freshman Athletic Prize as Union’s Co-Male First-Year Athlete of the Year.

First-year Lucas Buzziol was named the team’s Most Improved Player. After playing in six of the team’s first 11 games, he dressed for the final 23 contests of the season and finished the season with five goals and eight assists for 13 points to rank second among rookies in scoring. The ended the year with five points in the last seven games, including goals in both postseason contests against Dartmouth.

Junior Brandon Buhr was named the recipient of the Thomas Van Arden Dukehart Academic Award for the second straight season, an award presented to the player with the highest grade point average. The economics major, who was Union’s nominee for ECAC Hockey’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, boasts a 4.0 GPA and was named Union’s Junior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to his work off the ice, Buhr was named to the All-ECAC Hockey third team after ranking third in the conference with a team-leading 19 goals and adding nine assists for 28 points in 36 games, while also ranking third in ECAC Hockey with 13 goals in conference play, including four game-winning goals and a pair of hat tricks.