There are four Peewee A Regional Tourneys this year.  Each regional will send two teams to the state peewee A tourney to be played in Crookston this year.  There is an added incentive for all teams involved.  The Peewee A State champion will be invited to play in a Midwest Regional Tourney held in Madison WI at the end of March.  The champions will represent Minnesota in a tournament comprised of champions from other Midwest States.

It Is All in the Handbook

The Minnesota Hockey handbook outlines the Peewee A regional play downs to the state tournament.  It establishes that there are four Regional Tourneys (East, West, North, and South).  It also establishes that three districts (and it names the districts) that will send their teams to one of the four Regional Tourney.  It establishes the tourney format for regionals (8 team, bracket play, double elimination).  Minnesota Hockey then assigns the number of teams each district can send each year.  That number changes every year.  Finally it sets the time that the Regional Tourney must be completed.  This year, all regional tourneys must be over by Sunday March 2.

The handbook is updated each year for some specifics (where a regional is played), but it is a four year schedule.  This draw was written down four years ago and has been changed once since then.  One final note, this draw also applies to the Bantam A level.  District Bantam A playoff winners from D8, D9, and D6 will be participating in the same numbers in the East Regional; District Bantam A playoff winners from D10, D15, and D16 will be participating in the same numbers in the West Regional.  The Bantam A State Tourney opening games will also match the same Regional Seed winners.

East Regional (Rochester)

The East Regional will be played at Rochester’s Graham Arena this year.  Three District 8 teams, three District 9 teams, and two District 6 teams will play for West’s #1 and #2 seeds to the state tourney.  The regional’s four first round games will be played Friday, February 28.  Teams from District 8 and District 6 normally dominate the East Regional, but not this year.

The top D6 teams have struggled at times during the season and have struggled in the last month.  District 8 has one strong entry and two entries that will be “Cinderellas” should they advance.  The three District 9 entries should be strong this year.     

Four District 8 associations designated peewee A teams this year.  They finished in this order in league play; Farmington, Hastings, Park-Cottage Grove, and Apple Valley.  This year D8 is holding their D8 playoffs at Apple Valley with three first round games and one quarterfinal game (#4 vs #5) played Sunday February 16.  The first game (#8 vs #9) opens play at 9:15 AM.  Apple Valley lost a key fair play point in their 5-0 loss to Lakeville South Saturday in the last week end of regular season play.  That loss dropped the Eagles to last in the standings and Apple Valley is unlikely to beat #6 seed Woodbury to advance to the East Regional.  Farmington should take the #1 seed, Hastings the #2 seed, and Park-Cottage Grove the #3 seed.

District 9's associations have seven peewee A teams entered in the D9 playoffs (Winona opted not to play).  The seven will play double elimination playoff played at Albert Lea.  First round games start February 14.  Mankato, league champions, has a first round bye and should beat the winner of the Faribault/Albert Lea game and play in the Championship game against Red Wing.  Both teams in the Championship game will advance to the East Regional.  Rochester Black and Albert Lea will battle for the #3 seed.  In a toss-up, Black wins.  Mankato should take the #1 seed; Red Wing the #2 seed; and Rochester Black the #3 seed.

District 6 has nine peewee A teams competing for two seeds to the East Regional.  Edina A won the regular season title beating out Chaska Chanhassen A and Prior Lake/Savage A.  District 6 playoffs start February 14 at Eden Prairie.  The D6 playoff format has been modified this year from the format they have used for the last 25 years.  At YHH, it was called “the gauntlet” because the five top finishers in regular season would be seeded into the double elimination tourney and the remaining teams would play each other in a single elimination for the #6 seed.  This year, the top four teams are seeded and the remaining 5 teams will play a single elimination game (one or two) for the #5 and #6 seeds.

After the dust is settled on Saturday or Sunday Feb 22 or 23 at Chaska, Edina A and Chaska Chanhassen A should emerge with the #1 and #2 seeds.  Prior Lake/Savage (beat Chaska A 2-1 and lost to Edina A 3-2 the first week in February) and Waconia (beat Edina A 3-2 in league play at the end of January) could upset those two teams.

East Regional Draw

East Regional play at Graham Arena would start February 28.  If the teams above win their districts as forecasted here, the opening quarterfinal games would match Farmington and Chaska Chanhassen A in the opening game Friday afternoon.  The second quarterfinal game would match Red Wing against Park-Cottage Grove.  The evening games would see Edina A playing Rochester Black and Mankato playing Hastings.   

West Regional

The West Regional will be played at Anoka this year.  Three D10 teams, three D15 teams, and two D16 teams will play for West’s #1 and #2 seeds to the state tourney.  The regional will open with first round games being played Friday, February 28.

The West Regional's 8 team field this year should contain NOW’s two top ranked peewee A teams (#1 Alexandria and #2 Spring Lake Park).  Those teams will be favorites in their district playoffs and will most likely meet in a semifinal game.  There could be some surprises from teams like Fergus Falls (D15), St. Francis (D10) and Warroad (D16).

District 10 has an eleven team peewee A league this year.  The top eight teams in regular season play qualify for the double elimination D10 playoffs.  Three teams (Chisago Lakes, North Country Blue Devils, and Pine City) did not make the playoffs.  Spring Lake Park won the regular season title and should take the #1 seed to the West Regional, but the Panthers need to be wary playing a tough Elk River A team in the opening game.  They should win beat a tough Anoka team that is the favorite in the lower bracket in the championship game to take the #1 seed.  Anoka should edge St. Francis and Coon Rapids or Princeton to get to the finals and take the #2 seed.  St. Francis should get the #3 seed beating the winner of Elk River A/Princeton game.

D15’s Alexandria has been the surprise of the Minnesota peewee teams in the 2013-2014 season.  The NOW ranked #1 Cardinals should get the top seed in the D15 playoffs and win D15’s #1 seed to the West.  But it is a scramble for D15's #2 and #3 seeds.  Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls will be the favorites, but Northern Lakes, Brainerd A, and Moorhead A all have shots if the Lakers or the Otters fall.  The guess here is Detroit Lakes stumbles and Fergus Falls, hosting the playoffs in the second year of their new arena, takes the #2 seed; Northern Lakes takes the #3 seed.

District 16’s four team double elimination peewee A tourney opens play Friday, February 14.  Warroad, the unbeaten regular season champion, should advance to the West Regional taking the #1 seed.  That leaves East Grand Forks, Crookston, and Thief River Falls to battle for the #2 seed.  East Grand Forks and Crookston are the favorites for the #2 seed, the nod here goes to Crookston.

West Regional Draw

If the predictions here hold true, the opening games Friday February 28 at Anoka would match Alexandria against Crookston; Spring Lake Park against Northern Lakes; Warroad against St. Francis; and Anoka against Fergus Falls.  A potential match-up between the NOW ranked top two peewee A teams in the state could happen in the semifinals of the West Regional.  With a potential trip to Madison WI at the end of March to play in a Midwest Regional tourney against Tier I champions from seven other states and regions at stake, this matchup takes on significance for all involved.  Both teams should be advised, if they make it to the West Regional, it will be played on Anoka's home ice, the Tornadoes will be a tough team to deal with because they will get their fans to the arena.  The last Anoka peewee A tourney championship that YHH saw, the stands were full.