Meredith TwoCrow and other participants dance on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
The first of two Native American Heritage Nights Jan. 20, 2026, included drumming, dancing and an Ojibwe-language broadcast. The second is Jan. 30 against Grand Rapids.
VIRGINIA — “Bimaakoweba’igedaa!” accompanied the puck drop at the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey game in Virginia on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
The Ojibwe translation of “Let’s play hockey” was just one way language was incorporated into Rock Ridge’s Native American Heritage Night.
The night started with a performance from the Lake Vermilion Singers and dancers from the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.
Meredith TwoCrow, president of the Rock Ridge American Indian Parent Advisory Committee, said it's all part of an effort to bridge the gap between Lake Vermilion and the east Range.
“I just want people to know that we’re just out there living, too. Living day to day, we’re just trying to bring back our culture and bring back the things that were once taken from us,” she said.
“ ... I feel like this is a milestone to have done and to have accomplished.”
Lorie Shaull
/
KAXE
Gordon “Maajiigoneyaash” Jourdain of the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe First Nation, formerly Lac La Croix, calls the Rock Ridge girls varsity game in Ojibwe during Native American Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
‘Playing hockey in Ojibwe’
To many, hockey is a game that favors the white and the wealthy.
But to Gordon “Maajiigwaneyaash” Jourdain, hockey has always been brown.
“It's from here. Hockey is an Indigenous game and was picked up by other people that came here,” he said.
Jourdain grew up in the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe First Nation, formerly called Lac La Croix, on the Minnesota-northwestern Ontario border. He always wanted to play hockey, and in a way, he did make it to the NHL when he did the play-by-play for the Minnesota Wild’s historic Ojibwe broadcast in November 2025.
“In a roundabout way, I did happen to make it to the big leagues,” he said.
Thanks to a state grant, Rock Ridge Indigenous Education program was able to ask him to come provide commentary.
Lorie Shaull
/
KAXE
A dancer participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights waits to enter the rink at Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Jourdain gave two reasons for accepting the invitation: His mother was from Lake Vermilion, and he’s a diehard hockey fan. He grew up listening to Minnesota North Star games.
“I learned hockey by playing it in Ojibwe and also listening to the radio, and I could imagine,” he said. “That’s why I have a very creative, descriptive mind to describe how the play-by-play is.”
Hockey and his language are personal passions, but Jourdain sees that he’s also giving back to younger generations. He’s happy and proud of others in his life who have made it a passion of theirs, too.
“I always spend my time, which is very precious as I get older, with the ones that have a high caliber second language ability to understand what I’m talking about,” he said. “ ... So that I can pass on the language to them.”
Lorie Shaull
/
KAXE
A dancer participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights waits to enter the rink at Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Power of culture and sports
Jourdain’s broadcast was “so powerful,” TwoCrow said.
She said she wants her daughter — Bois Forte senior princess and Rock Ridge sixth grader Aniyah — and herself to learn their language, but they have a lot of different Native bloods running through them.
TwoCrow and Aniyah danced at Tuesday’s game. Aniyah said her mom pushes her out of her comfort zone, but she’s glad she does.
“I’m just happy that I did it with my mother, and I was also happy that I was representing Bois Forte, and I was also happy to dance,” she said. “ ... I didn’t really want to be royalty, but my mom, she kept cheering me on.”
Lorie Shaull
/
KAXE
Dancers participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights enter the Iron Trail Motors Event Center hockey rink stadium on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
TwoCrow said she remembers the stigma around being Indigenous that she grew up with, how friends wouldn’t come stay with her because she lives on the reservation.
She’s thankful that her daughter hasn’t had that experience, but she said the stigma hasn’t gone away. She knows students who don’t want to identify as Native because of it.
“I had just got told by an elder man that he feels like this should have been done 50 years ago. And just the power in that truly speaks and moves mountains,” TwoCrow said.
1 of 19 — Meredith TwoCrow shows emotions in the hallway after dancing during the opening ceremony at Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
Meredith TwoCrow shows emotions in the hallway after dancing during the opening ceremony at Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
2 of 19 — 02 Gordon “Maajiigoneyaash” Jourdain of the Lac La Croix First Nation announces the varsity girls game during Native American Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
Gordon “Maajiigoneyaash” Jourdain of the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe First Nation, formerly Lac La Croix, calls the girls varsity game in Ojibwe during Native American Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
3 of 19 — 01 Players in the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton during the girls hockey game at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Players in the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton during the girls hockey game at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton won the game 4-3.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
4 of 19 — 02 Lake Vermilion drummers from the Bois Forte Band drum in the lobby of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Lake Vermilion drummers from the Bois Forte Band drum in the lobby of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
5 of 19 — Dancers stand on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
Dancers stand on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
6 of 19 — 03 Players in the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton during the girls hockey game at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Players in the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton during the girls hockey game at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton won the game 4-3.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
7 of 19 — Lake Vermilion drummers from the Bois Forte Band drum on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
Lake Vermilion drummers from the Bois Forte Band drum on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
8 of 19 — 02 A dancer participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights waits to enter the rink at Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
A dancer participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights waits to enter the rink at Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
9 of 19 — 02 Players in the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton during the girls hockey game at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Players in the Rock Ridge vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton during the girls hockey game at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton won the game 4-3.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
10 of 19 — Dancers and drummers in the lobby of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Dancers and drummers perform in the lobby of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
11 of 19 — Lake Vermilion drummers from the Bois Forte Band drum in the lobby of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Lake Vermilion drummers from the Bois Forte Band drum in the lobby of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
12 of 19 — 02 A beaded medallion necklace worn by one of the participants in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
A beaded medallion necklace worn by one of the participants in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
13 of 19 — Rock Ridge cheerleaders cheer before the varsity girls hockey during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center rink on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Rock Ridge cheerleaders cheer before the girls varsity hockey during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center rink on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
14 of 19 — Brooke Koski of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton scores during the first period of the girls hockey game against Rock Ridge at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Brooke Koski of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton scores during the first period of the girls hockey game against Rock Ridge at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton won the game 4-3.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
15 of 19 — Meredith TwoCrow dances on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
Meredith TwoCrow dances on the hockey rink during Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
16 of 19 — Dancers for Native American Heritage Hockey Nights wait to enter the rink at Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Dancers participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights wait to enter the rink at Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
17 of 19 — Dancers in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights enter the Iron Trail Motors Event Center hockey rink stadium on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Dancers participating in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights enter the Iron Trail Motors Event Center arena on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
18 of 19 — 01 A beaded medallion necklace worn by one of the participants in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on January 20, 2026 at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.jpg
A beaded medallion necklace worn by one of the participants in Native American Heritage Hockey Nights on Jan. 20, 2026, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
19 of 19 — Brooke Koski of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton scores during the second period of the girls hockey game against Rock Ridge at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on January 20, 2026 in Virginia.jpg
Brooke Koski of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton scores during the second period of the girls hockey game against Rock Ridge at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center on Jan. 20, 2026, in Virginia. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton won the game 4-3.
Lorie Shaull / KAXE
“ ... I feel like bringing the power of the drum, the healing medicine of the jingle, the sound of those bells, will hopefully intertwine with how our people, our youth, feel.”
The resiliency of Indigenous people paired with the power of sports is a way to bridge the cultural gap, she said.
Tuesday’s game was something of a trial run. The drummers, dancers and Jourdain will be back Jan. 30, when the Rock Ridge boys take on Grand Rapids.
The Wolverines lost 4-3 in overtime. But in other ways, the night was a success.
“We're truly excited that tonight went as well as it did,” said Maria Poderzay, Rock Ridge Indigenous Education director. “And I think with the upcoming game, it's one of our biggest rivals, so we're anticipating a packed house, and I'm excited for that just because we can showcase how beautiful the Indigenous community is, and I think the more we're able to do that and bridge that gap, the more community will be involved.”
In "What Doesn’t Kill Me Makes Me Weirder and Harder to Relate To," Lucia reflects on her life in radio, surviving stalking and why she chose to tell her story.
During the Phenology Report for the week of Jan. 20, 2026, Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on winter porcupines, woodpecker behavior, and aspen flower buds.
The area is located in the Rainy River Watershed, next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and contains deposits of copper, nickel and cobalt.
Megan Buffington joined the KAXE newsroom in 2024 after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Originally from Pequot Lakes, she is passionate about educating and empowering communities through local reporting.
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Contributed/University of Minnesota Press photosIn "What Doesn’t Kill Me Makes Me Weirder and Harder to Relate To," Lucia reflects on her life in radio, surviving stalking and why she chose to tell her story.
Events this week include ConnectEffect in Brainerd, a rummage and bake sale at the Bemidji Senior Center and an art class in Pine River.
During the Phenology Report for the week of Jan. 20, 2026, Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on winter porcupines, woodpecker behavior, and aspen flower buds.
Contributed/US House Clerk YouTube screenshotThe area is located in the Rainy River Watershed, next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and contains deposits of copper, nickel and cobalt.
