This year’s Gobbler Championship Sunday will go down in Youth Hockey Hub history as one of the most nerve-wracking, nail-biting, squeeze-your-coffee-cup-till-it-explodes slates of games. 

That is, unless next year’s Gobbler can top it. 

In the Bantam division, Eden Prairie started fast and ended clutch, blanking Rogers 11-0 in its tournament opener the day after Thanksgiving. Then, the Eagles held off a late charge by their future Lake Conference rival Minnetonka for a 4-2 victory, sending them to the semifinal round on Saturday. 

Eden Prairie emerged victorious in a thrilling shootout against a plucky Woodbury Black squad featuring a handful of players from last year’s Peewee B Gobbler champion. The extra-inning dramatics would continue on Sunday as the Eagles eked out another 2-1 shootout win over Blaine, which featured Bantam All-Tournament Team goaltender Jacob Eisenbrei. 

Eagle forward Charlie Shultz was named the Bantam Most Valuable Player, recording six goals and seven points in the four games. Shultz’s six tallies led the tourney, and his seven points were tied for most in the field with Lakeville North’s Samuel Bennett. 

On the Peewee side of the event, Osseo-Maple Grove turned a loss into a pair of wins when it mattered most. The Leafbirds began with victories over Prior Lake Navy and White Bear Lake by a combined score of 11-1 in their first two contests, then lost a heartbreaker to Edina Green on Saturday by a score of 3-2. 

Forcing their way into the semifinals as the tournament’s Wild Card seed, the Leafbirds scored in the first and second periods against their pool play nemesis Edina Green, with Henry Passehl and Jacob McElroy spotting OMG its advantage. Judson Haymaker pared the lead to 2-1 with 3:45 left in regulation, but the Leafbirds held strong and gutted out the 2-1 win. 

The championship game featured a three-goal third period from Osseo-Maple Grove, which broke open a 2-2 tie after two periods against Edina Green. McElroy, Passehl, Mason Howell, Brant Faust, and Andrew Dorn scored once in the title-game win. With two goals and seven points during the weekend, OMG’s Passehl earned Most Valuable Player honors.