International Falls senior defenseman Matt Wherley is a third-generation Broncos player well-schooled in the program’s rich history. His grandfather, Jim Wherley, was a junior and starting goaltender on the International Falls’ 1957 state title team — the first Broncos squad to win a state championship.
“He has never lost his love for the game,” Matt Wherley said about his grandfather in a Rainy Lake Gazette article.
Senior forward Braden Skifstad leads the Broncos (4-9-0) with nine goals and 16 points. Wherley’s six goals are second-most on the team. Joaquin Ochocki’s five goals are tops for St. Paul Johnson (1-11-0), which has been making trips to northern Minnesota's Canadian border towns since the 1950s when it established a long-running rivalry with Roseau.