Last season, Owatonna split the first two games of a three game District 9 playoff against Rochester Red winning 2-0 and losing 3-1.  The Huskies lost the third game 2-0 and with it District 9's #1 seed to the peewee AA regionals.  The Huskies did not get seeded into a regional and ended their season with that 2-0 loss.  In their Sunday game played at the Eagan Ice Arena, Owatonna dominated the first half of the game building a 7-0 lead before the Wildcats’ defense settled.  The second half of the game was a 1-0 affair with Eagan’s defense starting to move the puck out of their zone and their offense started to sustain pressure in the Huskies’ zone.  The 4-3-0 Wildcats had a tough day Sunday and should improve as the season progresses.  Owatonna will challenge in District 8 for the title this season and they will challenge Rochester Red again for the District 9 title in February, but the Huskies' season is not likely to end if they lose to the Rochester again in the D9 playoffs.  They are one of the top peewee AA teams this year. 

The Game

Three minutes into the opening period, Owatonna’s Owen Baumgartner scored unassisted.  Three minutes later, Zach Kubicek and Dominic Valento combined to hit Casey Pederson on a nice skip pass.  Pederson one-timed the puck into the net to put Owatonna up 2-0.  Six minutes into the first period and Owatonna had set the tone for most of the game dominating Eagan by controlling the puck in the Wildcats’ zone for the rest of the period.  Basically, the Eagan wings could not beat the Owatonna defense along the boards on the breakout in the Wildcats' zone.  Owatonna’s forwards would turn the puck and maintain control to set up multiple shots on the Wildcats’ net.  Eagan survived the rest of the first period  by scrambling to hold the Huskies scoreless until the final 8 seconds of the period.

With 8 seconds left, Huskies forward Brody Homan attacked the Wildcats’ net.  Homan’s shot rebounded right.  Baumgartner beat the Eagan defense to the puck.  The Wildcat forward flipped the puck into the open weak side for the third Owatonna's goal.  The Huskies led 3-0 after the first period and out shot Eagan 13-0.

Eagan continued to struggle to clear the puck from their zone in the opening minutes of the second period.  Within the first minute of play, Owatonna’s Kubicek scored to put the Huskies up 4-0.  Valento and Casey Peterson got the assists.  The pressure continued on the Wildcats.  Eagan drew a penalty seconds after Owatonna’s fourth goal.  It resulted in a power play goal.

On the power play, the Huskies took control on the following face off and set up in the Eagan zone.  For 90 seconds of the power play, Owatonna moved the puck around the perimeter of the Eagan defense and took four different angled shots at Wildcat goalie Ryan Manzella.  Manzella stopped all four, but not the fifth shot.  On the fifth shot, Wyatt Oldefendt got the goal; Baumgartner got the assist.  Owatonna led 5-0.  Before the Wildcats could re-group, Owatonna took the following face off and rushed the Eagan net to score their sixth goal.  Casey Johnson got the score, Valento got the assist.  Two minutes later (and halfway through the second period) Owatonna’s Aaron Bangs scored to put the Huskies up 7-0 with Baumgartner getting another assist.

At that point, Eagan started to roll.  Their defense began to work the puck out their defensive zone hitting the breakout by moving the puck faster along the boards.  The Wildcat forwards were starting to gain position carrying the puck through the neutral zone and the game momentum shifted from all Owatonna to a more balanced game where each teams traded attacks. After getting few shots on net in the first half of the game, the Wildcats put six shots on the Owatonna goalie Preston Meier in the second period.  The last six minutes of the second period were scoreless.  Owatonna led 7-0 going into the third period.

The play in the third period was still controlled by the Huskies, but Eagan forwards were starting to force more action in the Owatonna zone.  Halfway through the final period, with Owatonna on the power play, Valento scored to end the scoring 8-0.  Casey Peterson got the assist.  Owatonna out shot Eagan 37-11 (YHH count) in the game.  Owatonna’s Owen Baumgartner and Dominic Valento each got four points; Baumgartner scored twice, Valento scored once.  Casey Pederson got a goal and two assists.

What is Next?

Owatonna's game with Eagan was their third game last weekend.  The Huskies lost early to Osseo/Maple Grove 9-1 and to Lakeville South 6-4.  They currently have a 4-4-1 record and are off over the Thanksgiving Holidays.  They will play in the Cottage Grove Wolfpack Invitational Peewee AA Tournament December 11-13.  The Huskies are pooled with Bloomington Jefferson, Andover AA, and White Bear Lake AA.  Owatonna, along with Cottage Grove, Hastings, Apple Valley, and Lakeville South, are among teams favored to win the District 8 Peewee AA title this season.  Owatonna’s offense is passing well for being early in the season.  The Huskies have potential to move up as the season progresses and offer an interest mix of skills at forward.  Their defense needs to improve.

The game with Owatonna was Eagan’s first District 8 game of the season and it showed.  The Wildcats next three D8 games will be equally tough when they play unbeaten (in league play) Cottage Grove, Apple Valley, and Lakeville South in two weeks.  Before they return to D8 action, the Wildcats play in the 12 team Mounds View Thanksgiving Tourney at the Super Rink.  Eagan’s peewee AA team plays Champlin Park AA, St. Louis Park AA, and Buffalo AA in their pool play.

The Mounds View tourney is interesting because of the way the pools are structured; one pool (with Eagan) has four Minnesota peewee AA teams; one pool has three Minnesota peewee A teams and one team from the Winnipeg area-St. Vital Victorias peewee A; and one pool has three Minnesota peewee A teams and one team from the Thunder Bay area-Neebing Hawks peewee A.  The Sunday games when pool teams are matched will be interesting to watch.