The 2015 Battle for the Blue Ox Presented by Twin Cities Orthopedics will be a great tournament with several great AA and A teams on the slate. The AA's will play a straight bracket tournament (four games each) and the A's will play 3 pool play games with the top two teams in each pool rewarded with a Sunday semifinal/championship game. 

This year's Blue Ox also marks the first year the event will be held in Maple Grove. As part of the event this year and years to come, YHH will also honor Patrick Schoonover and his family with a moment of silence prior to each game on Friday, the day he passed away last year. 

A Pool

Alexandria, Edina, Osseo Maple Grove, and Spring Lake Park

B Pool

Armstrong Cooper, Mahtomedi, Pine City, and River Lakes

============================================================

A great cross section of teams in the field, including what many believe are the top three teams in the state: Armstrong, Edina and Spring Lake Park. We aren't counting out Alex yet, we just don't quite know how many of their ninth graders will make the trip to Maple Grove. That said, their eighth grade class was equally as strong - so be careful of the Cards. 

Pine City and River Lakes are lesser known names in the Minnesota Hockey landscape. But don't rest on these two teams, each have some real star power that have shown well in Squirts and Peewees the last few years. Hard to argue with how tough Mahtomedi has been the last few years at the single A level...this year the Zephyrs move up to AA to take on the big boys at PeeWees and Bantams. They should do real well this weekend in the A field at the Ox.

Projected Pool Winners

A: Edina and Spring Lake
B: Mahtomedi and Armstrong

Champion: Edina > Armstrong

We think any of the teams in this field can get hot and win this weekend. The Edina team looks like a AA team featuring several great players at all three positions. Armstrong and Spring Lake Park return just about  everyone from great PeeWee A teams two years ago. These games will be fun to watch.

First Round Winners (the puns are free)

Minnetonka > Centennial...Skippers too much for young Cougars

Stillwater > Eagan...Ponies won't horse around with Wildcats

Wayzata > Fargo Freeze...Trojans will give Fargo a chilly welcome

Eden Prairie > Rosemount**...EP will be lucky to get by Irish

Blaine > Bemidji...Bengals will chop down Lumberjacks

Moorhead > Elk River...The Elks won't have the heat to bake the Spuds

Cloquet > Prior Lake**...It's the Jacks in a close one

Osseo Maple Grove > Lakeville South...OMG the Leafbirds are hard to figure, the Cougars lose a close one

** = Great Game

Some great games on tap Friday, all within an 2 hour span the AA field will go from 16 to eight. The two best games on paper are the Rosemount/EP and Cloquet/Prior Lake games. Goaltending will likely be the difference in those two. The first round has been crazy in the Ox every year. Two years ago, Lakeville North beat Edina in the first round and last year Sibley beat Osseo Maple Grove in a crazy ending. We expect more of the same Friday. So many teams will be riding a huge array of emotions coming into the state's first big test at the Bantam level.

Who is Fargo? Could be the surprise team of the field...we only know one skater on the squad, Tristan Dauner, who cut his teeth for Farmington in Squirts and PeeWees.

North Means North Who will be the king of the north. Experts say Cloquet is the team to beat...but don't forget about Section 8 clubs like Moorhead and Bemidji.

High School Musical Chairs Friday means the end of hgihschool tryouts for many 9th graders...some players may leave their teams as the tournament begins. 

Hey Now, You're An All Star  So many great players to watch, 5-6 kids for Minnetonka (Bayless, Brink, Docter, Hanus, Loheit, and Luedtke)...Blaine's Big 3 (Brodzinski, Daninger, and Hlllman)...Cloquet's got a crew, too (Baker Twins, Bender, Langenbrunner, Rasmussen, and Stoyanoff)...that is just three teams. The list is long if you consider Bantam Elite MVP Jack Jensen who will skate for Eden Prairie this year and potentially the best Bantam in Minnesota Ethan Frisch will line up for Moorhead.

Quarters

Tonka > Stillwater...Skippers beat Ponies 7-2 earlier in season, we are seeing double here

EP > Wayzata...Eagles just beat Trojans last week, it's like Groundhog day...Eagles again

Blaine > Moorhead...Bengals win clash of the titans (should be a great game if both teams hold serve Friday).

Cloquet > Osseo Maple Grove...Lumberjacks play with purpose, will be too much for Leafbirds