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His philosophy was and still is: Who cares if you go .500 against those teams? This is all about maturing for the playoffs.
Northern Lakes coach Mike Randolph is greeted in the tunnel by family, including three of his grandchildren — Maddie, 5, Kenzie, 2, and Max, 6— after a game against Prairie Centre on Monday at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Northern Lakes, a co-op among several school districts including Pequot Lakes, Aitkin, Crosby-Ironton and Pine River-Backus, has made one state tournament appearance in its history, reaching the Class 1A tournament in 2021.
“I know what I want this to look like,” Randolph said. “I’ve known what I’ve wanted every team I’ve ever had to look like. We want to give the kids the best chance to play our best hockey at the end of the year. [Klein] and I remind each other to stay in the process. This is all about the playoffs, winning three games and hopefully ending up at the X [Xcel Energy Center].”
Northern Lakes players skated through July’s “Summer Meltdown” tournament wearing New York Rangers-inspired logo patches — something Randolph started at Duluth East — on the shoulders of their jerseys. He attempted to bring the logo to St. Thomas Academy but ran into administrative regulations he called unprecedented.
At St. Thomas, Randolph, who was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018, grew weary of the relentless off-ice responsibilities for the Cadets.
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