Of this and that:

Good things continue to happen on the ice for Shorewood native Tanner Laczynski.

The Ohio State freshman, a 2015 Minooka graduate, took time out from his Division I college schedule with the Buckeyes to play for the U.S. Junior National team in the prestigious International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, which began Dec. 26 and ended Thursday, and was played in Montreal and Toronto.

The Americans went 9-0 in the competition and claimed the gold medal with a 5-4 shootout victory over Canada. The USA also went to a shootout in the semifinals, where it beat Russia, 4-3.

Laczynski, a forward and the only USA roster member from Illinois, scored one goal and had one assist in the tournament. He finished at plus-2 on the charts.

The 10-nation World Junior Championship features the world’s top men’s players younger than 20 years of age. The USA previously won gold medals in 2004, 2010 and 2013.

It came as no surprise that Laczynski, given his background, made the USA roster, especially after he showed well late last summer in the World Junior Evaluation Camp run by USA Hockey in Plymouth, Michigan. Earlier last summer, the Philadelphia Flyers made him a sixth-round selection, the 169th overall pick, in the NHL draft. He also has played a couple of seasons in the USHL, the top Junior A league in the nation.

So far at Ohio State, which got off to a 9-3-4 start, Laczynski has played in 15 games and had six goals and 16 assists for a team-best 22 points. Two of his goals were game-winners.

His dream to play in the NHL is on track.

IHSFCA HALL OF FAMERS

Beginning in 2004, Lemont has boasted one of the most successful high school football programs in Illinois.

Eric Michaelsen guided the Indians to a 9-2 record in 2004, and the snowball began rolling. From that 2004 season through 2012 under Michaelsen, Lemont went 95-17, an .848 winning percentage. The run included seven visits to the quarterfinals – six in succession – four semifinal berths and second-place finishes in 2007 and 2008.

The Indians slipped to 3-6 in 2013. After the season, Michaelsen relinquished the coaching reins and became the Lemont principal. Enter Bret Kooi.

Kooi, whose résumé includes Class 8A state titles at Lockport in 2002 and 2003, took his first Lemont team to the title game in 2014, where the Indians finished second with a 13-1 record. They went 9-2 in 2015 and 11-1 in 2016 under his guidance. That works out to a 33-4 record, an .892 mark.

It is fitting that Michaelsen and Kooi have been announced as inductees with the Class of 2017 for the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The induction banquet is scheduled for April 1 at the Hilton Garden in Champaign.

QUIGLEY IN TURKEY

Allie Quigley (Joliet Catholic Academy) is 30 years old now, but her game shows no signs of slowing down.

A standout guard and two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year with the Chicago Sky, Quigley is playing her second season with Fenerbahce in Istanbul, Turkey. Fenerbahce is 9-1 in the Turkish League and 5-1 in the Euroleague, the premiere league in Europe. Quigley has been a key.

In the six Euroleague games, she is averaging 32.3 minutes, 16.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals. She is shooting .500 from the field and .909 (20 of 22) from the free-throw line.

In the 10 Turkish League games, she is averaging 27.8 minutes, 14.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals. She is shooting .535 from the floor, .366 from 3-point range and .964 (27 of 28) from the line.

Combining the two leagues, Quigley is 47 of 50 from the foul line, a .940 mark.

DUCHENE SUSPENSION

Oakland Athletics minor league pitcher Kevin Duchene (JCA) this offseason received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

He will begin serving his suspension once the Arizona League schedule begins in June, according to an mlb.com report.

The A’s selected Duchene in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Illinois. He and fellow lefty Tyler Jay (Lemont), who was the No. 6 overall pick that year by the Minnesota Twins, provided the Illini with two of the best left-handed pitchers in the nation.

• Dick Goss can be reached at dgoss@shawmedia.com.