ALEXANDRIA, Minn – Hayden Weir, a 2025 Menomonie High School graduate, came off a successful high school hockey career and headed west, currently playing for the Alexandria, Minn., Blizzard, a junior hockey program in the North American Third Tier Hockey League (NA3HL).

A two-time All-Big Rivers Conference honorable mention selection, Weir, a forward, has seen action in 16 games with the Blizzard, including a 6-2 win over Mason City last Friday. Weir scored his first point with the Blizzard in September, when he assisted on a goal in the second game of the season, a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Wilderness.

Weir added a second assist for the team on Dec. 6 in a 3-2 loss to the Wilderness. The Blizzard hold an 20-11-2-1 overall record and are in the NA3HL West Division. Alexandria will travel to the Minnesota Moose, Friday, Jan. 23, then will host the Minnesota Wilderness, Saturday, Jan. 25.

While at Menomonie, Weir played in 102 games over four seasons, scoring 51 goals and 54 assists for 105 points. During his sophomore year, the Mustangs advanced to the WIAA state hockey tournament for the first time in 32 years.

Heading the opposite direction after high school, Ashley Slupe is playing collegiately for the Lawrence University womens hockey team in Appleton. The Vikings are coming off a weekend sweep of Trine University. Slupe, a defenseman, has played in all 17 games for the Vikings and is among the team’s leading scorers. Two weeks ago, Slupe recorded her first two-point collegiate game, scoring a goal and an assist at St. Catherine University, Jan. 9 in St. Paul, Minn.

With her team trailing 3-0, Slupe scored a goal in the second period then four minutes later added an assist to pull to within 3-2. The Wildcats would go on to take the win. Slupe scored her first collegiate goal in the sixth game of the season against the College of Lake Forest, Nov. 14. She added an assist Nov. 22 at Adrian College.

The 5-foot-9 left-handed defenseman was a four-year starter for the Chippewa Falls-Menomonie (CFM) Sabers co-op team. As a senior captain in 2025, Slupe earned Big Rivers Conference honorable mention recognition after tallying three goals and 11 assists, including two game-winning goals over 23 games.

Staying closer to home, the UW-Stout men’s hockey team is off to one of the best starts in school history. After splitting a pair of non-conference home games last weekend, the Blue Devils are 12-4-1 overall and 5-1-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Stout was ranked 15th in the latest USCHO.com Division III poll.

The Menomonie High School boys hockey team is posting a 9-5-0 record and 3-4-0 in the Big Rivers. The Mustangs saw a five-game winning streak broken Jan. 13 at Eau Claire Memorial. The Mustangs are coached by Alex Stuckert, who played at UW-Stout from 2019-24. The Chippewa Falls-Menomonie girls hockey team is 7-6-1 and looking for their first BRC win.

The boys  were at New Richmond, Jan. 20. They will be at Hudson, Thursday, Jan. 22, at Somerset, Saturday, Jan. 24 and at Rice Lake, Tuesday, Jan. 27. The girls were at Hudson, Jan. 20. They will host Coulee Region in Chippewa Falls, Jan. 22, and the ECA Stars, Jan. 27.