Dodge County’s Gunderson, Roseau’s Giles win Coaches of the Year awards

Five  coaches received awards Sunday at the annual Ms. Hockey Banquet in St. Paul.

Dodge County’s Jeremy Gunderson was named Class A Coach of the Year. Gunderson helped lead the Wildcats to the state championship game in their first ever trip to the tournament as a program.

Class A Assistant Coach of the Year was awarded to Claire Bjerke of Orono. The Spartans also advanced to the Class A State Tournament and finished third after defeating Academy of Holy Angels Saturday 3-2.

Class AA Coach of the Year was awarded to Amanda Giles of Roseau. The Rams upset top-seeded Moorhead in the Section 8AA title game to advance to the state tournament where they lost to Hill-Murray ion the opening round. The Class AA Assistant Coach of the Year went to Greg Salvevold of Moorhead. The Spuds were a top-10 AA team all season before Roseau’s comeback in the section finals ended their season.

Bran Stankovsky Award

Bob Sherry of Lakeville South was given the Brano Stankovsky Award. The award is named in honor of the long-time Blake School head coach, and is given to one person annually who has provided leadership and support to the growth and betterment of high school girls hockey, the Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association, or the programs administered by the MGHCA, the Minnesota State High School League or Minnesota Hockey. Deserving individuals will have a displayed dedication, selflessness, and passion for any of the activities in which they are or have been involved with.