Best Comeback
In his element, Dave McLean is an unstoppable force.
Watching the longtime Duluth East youth program coach shake hands and crack jokes next to the concessions stand in Rochester, you’d never know he’d suffered a stroke last spring.
Only months later, McLean is back behind the Duluth East bench, guiding his beloved Hounds through another Peewee season.
Welcome back, Dave.
Best Costume
Ogie Oglethorpe (aka Josh Roueche) turned up in Rochester.
This is not a drill.
Inspired by former enforcer Bill “Goldie” Goldthorpe, the legendary Slap Shot character Oglethorpe appeared along the glass during Osseo-Maple Grove’s championship win over Stillwater, possibly providing the Leafbirds the extra juice needed to capture this year’s championship.
Will Ogie show up again this season? The Peewee hockey world can only hope so.
The one and only, Ogie Oglethorpe.
Best Jersey
After much deliberation among the YHH staff, the coveted “Best Jersey” goes to Osseo-Maple Grove.
Moving away from the crimson-and-black ensemble that the association has won multiple state championships wearing? Gutsy move. Orange on the sleeves? Even gutsier.
A blended tribute to the two high schools the OMGHA feeds, Maple Grove and Osseo, the Leafbirds have landed on a color combination that just…works.
Orange on the sleeves and socks make the Osseo-Maple Grove uniforms a winner.
Best Surprise Team
This team could also be considered the most entertaining squad in the field.
Waseca may have gone 1-3 at the Big Pumpkin, but the Peewee A Blue Jays made those losses count, racking up the seventh-most goals out of 24 teams, netting four or more tallies in three straight games after a 6-1 opening loss to White Bear Lake.
The exclamation point came in Waseca’s final game, with the Blue Jays scoring five times in the third period to put away Lakeville South, a AA program. The Blue Jays placed three players among the tournament’s top 25 scorers, with Henry Huttmeier leading the way with three goals and eight points.
Best Tribute
This year, the Big Pumpkin was played without one of its fixtures in Woodbury coach John Erickson, who passed away in September.
“Guided in spirit by Coach John” adorned the bottom of Woodbury’s sweaters, a fitting salute to the Predators’ leader.
Woodbury's commemorative jerseys honored the recently passed John Erickson.
Eden Prairie's Max Dessner tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 12 points.
Player | Team | Position |
---|---|---|
Nate Dickinson | Eden Prairie | Goalie |
Matthew Fox | Stillwater | Goalie |
Anthony Postudensek | Blaine | Goalie |
Kaenen Smith | Duluth East | Goalie |
Cooper Avelar | Wayzata | Defense |
Tate Batchelor | Stillwater | Defense |
Max Dessner | Eden Prairie | Defense |
Kaden Julik | Centennial | Defense |
Bergen Kopischke | Minnetonka | Defense |
Owen Lunak | Stillwater | Defense |
Luke Smith | Osseo-Maple Grove | Defense |
Becker Wenkus | Edina | Defense |
Amir Chebaclo | Edina | Forward |
Gunnar Conboy | Lakeville North | Forward |
Henry Huttmeier | Waseca | Forward |
Luca Jarvis | Stillwater | Forward |
Wyatt Kuznik (co-MVP) | Osseo-Maple Grove | Forward |
Paxton Lee | Chaska/Chanhassen | Forward |
Easton Monahan | STMA | Forward |
Sammy Nelson (co-MVP) | Osseo-Maple Grove | Forward |
Ryland Rooney | White Bear Lake | Forward |
Brennen Silva | Omaha | Forward |
Liam Schultz | Minnetonka | Forward |
Riley Zupfer | Woodbury | Forward |
Sammy Nelson (left) and Wyatt Kuznik of Osseo-Maple Grove were named co-Most Valuable Players of this year's Big Pumpkin.