ST. CLOUD — With all of the drama long gone by the third period, Mike Randolph had 17 minutes of running time to reflect on his career as a high school boys hockey coach. In his first game as head coach at Northern Lakes, Randolph’s team beat Prairie Center 11-0 on Monday, giving the Duluth native 708 career wins, which is best all time in Minnesota prep hockey.
“I had time to go through a lot of thoughts because we were in control of the game,” said Randolph, who turned 73 earlier this month. “Across the way was my family. It was really special having all of them there — a number of my grandkids and my kids and my wife, and all they’ve been through. They’ve been through it all and have been there for me and supported me.”
All he has been through includes two stints at Duluth East between 1988 and 2021, where he led the Greyhounds to a pair of state championships, and the past three seasons at St. Thomas Academy, which did not renew his contract at the end of last season. Along with all of the good things, like countless conference titles, trips to the state tournament and Mr. Hockey winner Dave Spehar in 1996, there also have been accusations of wrongdoing by parents, school board investigations and unexpected ends to his run at both Duluth East and STA.
Northern Lakes, a co-op program which includes players from Aitkin, Crosby-Ironton, Pequot Lakes and Pine River-Backus high schools, was Randolph’s landing spot after he did his homework among the schools that sought his services last spring. The Lightning are viewed as an up-and-coming team backed by a strong youth hockey program, and were ranked in the top 10 statewide in recent Class A preseason polls.
“I’m really enjoying the kids. They want to play hockey. Some travel a half hour or almost an hour to and from practice, which is quite a sacrifice,” he said, after spending time on the ice with the new team in the summer, and during a two-week training camp. “We finally got to play a game and it’s fun to see the excitement to finally start playing games.”
In anticipation of a big crowd with the state record up for grabs, the Lightning’s season opener was moved to the MAC in St. Cloud, where Randolph was honored with a jersey displaying the logos of his three teams, and number 708 on the back during an on-ice celebration following the game. He surpassed Lorne Grosso, the longtime coach at Rochester Mayo, who was the previous record-holder..
“It’s been a long journey, and you just reflect back on how blessed you’ve been with all of the people who’ve helped you along the way,” Randolph said.
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