The sun had barely peeked over the clouds when the crush of players and parents arrived on the campus of the University of Minnesota, dropping bags and wondering aloud if the introduction meeting would run into the first on-ice session of the day. 

It came close, but the Maroon and Gold squads in the Minor Peewee Division made it onto the Mariucci sheet for the first practice of the 2019 NOW Prospects Combine. Every set of players took part in two on-ice practices, skated in a game, and between drop-off and pick-up participated in guest speakers, drylands competitions, and a test on the rules of the game. 

Monday's speakers included Minnesota men's hockey assistant coach Garrett Raboin and hockey skills instructor Jon Francisco. The rules test covered a variety of aspects, and the highest score counted for each team in the total team competition. The overall points are based on each team's performance in both on-ice and off-ice activities, such as performing well in the "Olympics", a set of exercises performed on the Mariucci concourse, and a trivia contest to be executed later in the week.

Game One: Minor Gold 7, Minor Maroon 3

A fast start for Minor Gold propelled the team to victory over their Maroon counterparts to start the afternoon, with Minor Gold scoring six times in the first half, including five scores in the final 12:06 of the first frame. Taven James, Sam Laurila, Bradford Skytta, and Luke Myers all recorded two points in the win for Minor Gold, while Minor Maroon got goals from Holden Pajor, Gus Berger, and Gavin Kor. 

Game Two: Minor White 3, Minor Grey 2

Facing a 2-0 hole late in the first half, Cooper Simpson put Minor White on the board, sparking a comeback run that included two goals in the seance half to pull out a one-goal win over Minor Grey. Simpson assisted on Ryan McPartland's tying goal early in the second stanza before scoring the game-winner with 13:42 to play in regulation. Max Rider and Andrew O'Neill each scored once for Minor Grey. 

Game Three: Major Gold 4, Major Maroon 0 

Nursing a one-goal lead entering the second half, Major Gold exploded for three tallies in the second and rode an outstanding performance by goaltender Isaiah Paulnock in a shutout win. Will Zellers scored the first two goals on the game for Major Gold and came close to completing the hat-trick on several more plays as the game went on. Also adding goals for Major Gold were Jordan Brothers and Leo Kompelien. 

Game Four: Major White 5, Major Grey 3

A four-goal second half lifted Major White to a 5-3 win over Major Grey in the final game of the day, with Ryan Flaherty pacing the victors with two goals and three total points. Tyler Smith, Grant Haug, and C.J. Sheffield also scored for Major White. Scoring for Major Grey were Jacob Mattson, Brittan Alstead, and Michael Risteau. Risteau earned style points with his celebration, which included tossing his glove into his team's bench like a bouquet.