On a sleepy fairgrounds cloaked in nature’s first teasing of winter, chaos reigned the first day of the Big Pumpkin Peewee Invitational. 

Friday’s slate of games started normally enough, with teams handing in paperwork and getting their skates under them, many for the first time this season. The first eight games of the day passed without major fanfare. 

As night settled in, the brackets and the earth (figuratively) shifted. 

Hermantown and Edina were nearly knocked off by scrappy performances from St. Louis Park and Rochester, respectively, teams that had to win Friday morning for a shot at the next round. The Hawks escaped the Orioles after shootout goals by A.J. Francisco and River Freeman, earning the right to take on Minnetonka on Saturday. The hosts weren’t exactly gracious towards the Hornets, scoring with 10 seconds remaining to force overtime and subsequent shootout. Edina goaltender Luke Tselepis stood tall during the one-on-one session, sending the Hornets to Saturday with a date against District 6 foe Shakopee. 

The Sabers pulled off their signature wins on Friday, downing Cottage Grove in game two after a 5-2 win over Wayzata. Saving best for last, or worst depending on which team you root for, Eden Prairie rattled off five straight goals to erase a 4-0 Osseo-Maple Grove lead and earn a 5-4 win over the Leafbirds. The Eagles Peewee AA program has proven itself adept at the art of the upset, slaying dragons all the way to the state championship last season.

Any given Sunday? Try any given Friday. See you Saturday morning.