Prep report: Newly merged Storm pulls away from Northern Stars

North Shore's first girls hockey outing since its merger with Duluth Marshall was a successful one, as Duluth Marshall student Nina Thorson scored her team's first two goals of the season in a 5-1 win over the Duluth Northern Stars at Rukavina Arena in Silver Bay on Tuesday night.

Thorson opened the scoring at 2:10 of the first period, but Bailey Theis evened it up for the Northern Stars with 3:42 left in the frame. Both goals came on the power play.

North Shore scored four unanswered, starting with Thorson 44 seconds into the second period, and followed by goals from Sarah Stauber, Reese Costley and Reagon Hogenson.

North Shore put 34 shots on Duluth goalie Aaili Anttila, who stopped 29. Storm goalie Alexa Harrison made 11 saves.

In a scoring duel, Bailey Rupp of the visiting Lumberjacks had the hotter hand in a win over Grand Rapids/Greenway on Tuesday at Yanmar Arena in Grand Rapids.

GRG standout Mercury Bischoff scored 46 seconds apart in the early third period to erase a 3-1 deficit, but Rupp scored her third and fourth goals of the game just minutes later to put Bemidji back in front by two.

Abby Skelly made it a one-goal game again for GRG with 6:49 to play but Bemidji held the Lightning off and scored a last-second empty-netter.

Bischoff finished with a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who got 20 saves from goaltender Claire Tobeck.

Natalie Bergman had a hat trick and both Maddy Bartovich and Ayla Troutwine had two-goal games as the Wolverines took the Lightning apart on Tuesday night in Pequot Lakes.

Troutwine added two assists for a four-point game for Rock Ridge, which was outshot 28-26 and got 27 saves from Nola Kwiatkowski in net.