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Lumberjack Cup: Friday Live Blog

By YHH Staff, 12/20/24, 11:45AM CST

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The tournament kicks off in the north metro as teams from all over the state vie for the Lumberjack Cup.

2024 Lumberjack Cup Information

Morning Notebook


International Falls' Joshua Glashauckas boasts one of the tournament's finest uniforms.

Bantam A

Rochester edges Centennial in extra innings 

Easton Ackley scored two goals in regulation and Finn Morrey scored in the shootout to give the Mustangs the 4-3 win over the Cougars in the Red-and-Black Bowl. 

The Cougars took a 2-0 lead on goals by Austin Ariola and Brayden Hartman, but the Mustangs galloped back with three power play goals in just over two minutes to take a 3-2 lead and hold on the for the eventual win. 

Weaver leads White Bear Lake to shutout win over Waseca 

Finn Spence gave White Bear Lake  a 1-0 lead in the first period on Friday, spotting the Bears a slim advantage. In the second, Nolan Weaver took it upon himself to pull the Bears away from the Blue Jays, scoring three times in five minutes to give the Bears their eventual final score of 4-0. 

With his hat trick, Weaver leads the Bantam A Division in goals. 

Peewee AA 

Wayzata escapes Prior Lake in shootout 

Callen Senden turned the opening morning of the Lumberjack Cup into his own personal showcase, scoring a goal and adding two assists in regulation before scoring in the shootout to lift the Trojans to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Lakers. One of Senden’s assists came at the perfect time, as he found Chase Gunderson for the game-tying goal with 3:11 left in regulation. 

The “Falls” makes its YHH event debut 

The fabled Broncos of International Falls trekked nearly 300 miles south to Blaine for this year’s Lumberjack Cup, marking the first time an I-Falls squad has participated in a Youth Hockey Hub event.

While the Broncos fell to Mahtomedi in their opening game, having a team from one of the original hockey powers in Minnesota adds a nostalgic element to this year’s tournament. 

Peewee A 

Roseville, Chaska/Chanhassen and Shakopee hit double-digits 

The Raiders, Stormhawks, and Sabres wasted no time putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard, as each team recorded at least 10 goals in their first Lumberjack Cup games. 

Roseville blitzed Blaine 14-0 behind six-point performances by Luciano Howarth (five goals, one assist) and Liam Dziedzic (four goals, two assists).

Chaska/Chanhassen got four points each from Brady Brandt, William Swarthout, and Easton Nichols, plus a hat trick and two helpers from Cam Alrich in a 10-1 win over Andover.

In Shakopee’s 10-0 victory over New Ulm/Sleepy Eye, Colton Van Bokern (yeah, that Colton Van Bokern) led all skaters with a hat trick and two assists.


Otis Herman, Roseville

Diers helms the leaderboard after the morning session 

Woodbury’s Conor Diers led all Peewee B skaters with five points after the first batch of morning games. Diers recorded a hat trick and two assists as the Predators devoured Rogers 9-1 in Blaine. 

Minnetonka makes quick work of opposition

By 12:30 PM on day one, the Minnetonka Skippers had consumed breakfast (the most important meal of the day), completed this weekend’s homework (maybe), and punched their ticket to the semifinals.

The Skippers topped Blaine 9-3 and Osseo-Maple Grove 8-1, sending each game into running time early on. Through two games, Gunnar Hendricks and Emmett Zapzalka lead the team in scoring with six points apiece.

Evening Notebook

Peewee A semifinals set 

Roseville will take on Chaska/Chanhassen in the first of tomorrow’s Peewee A semifinals, with Shakopee and Minnetonka battling in the other semi for a place in Sunday’s championship game. 

Roseville topped Blaine 14-0 and Woodbury 6-2 on Friday, paced in scoring by Luciano Howarth and Liam Dziedzic. Both players have totaled six goals and eight points through two games for the Raiders. 

Chaska/Chanhassen also won big in its opening game, thumping Andover 10-1 before beating Wayzata 4-1 in the quarterfinal round. There is no shortage of scoring options for the Stormhawks, with four players ranking among the division’s scoring leaders. Brady Brandt has six total points, while Cam Alrich, William Swarthout, and Easton Nichols each have five points. 

Minnetonka gutted out a 5-3 win over Centennial and then blanked Chisago Lakes 4-0 to earn a spot in the semifinals. Patrick Bull leads the Skippers on the scoresheet with three goals and four points, and William Anderson has a goal and two assists so far. 

Like Roseville and Chaska/Chanhassen, Shakopee cranked up the scoreboard wattage in game one, blanking New Ulm/Sleepy Eye 10-0 before edging Osseo-Maple Grove 5-3 in a penalty-filled affair. Speedy Colton Von Bokern leads the Sabres in scoring with three goals and six points, followed by Seth Youngberg with two goals and five points. 


Liam Reeb, Chaska/Chanhassen Peewee A

Skippers take on Bears, Thunderhawks face Zephyrs to round out Peewee B final four 

Minnetonka is led into the semifinals by the dynamic duo of Gunnar Hendricks and Emmett Zapzalka, who have each totaled three goals and six points in the team’s first two games. The Skippers downed Blaine 9-3 and Osseo-Maple Grove 8-1 on Friday.

Keeping with White Bear Lake tradition, the Bears have proven adept at winning in close games. The Bears scored three times in the second period, held on for a 3-0 win over Moorhead in their opening game, and traded haymakers with Edina in a 7-5 victory. Koy Frank stopped 28 of 33 shots in the win, while Jackson Larson led the skaters with two goals and an assist. Larson and Lincoln Lashomb (three assists) are White Bear Lake’s leading scorers. 

Grand Rapids scored three times in the third period to pull away from Centennial for a 6-4 win in game one, then topped Wayzata 5-1 on Friday afternoon. Lewis Dick is tops on the scorecard for the Thunderhawks with two goals and four points, with Andy Vanquekelberg, Samuel Johnson, and Luke Carlson following with three points apiece. 

It’s been a total team effort for Mahtomedi Gold thus far, with 10 players recording points through two games. Kelen Csatlos leads the Zephyrs with a goal and two assists in wins over Prior Lake Gold (3-1) and Woodbury (4-2). 


Sammy Johnson, Grand Rapids Peewee B

Peewee AA Pool leaders emerge 

Except for Pool C, the Peewee AA Division has seen leading teams emerge after the first day of competition. 

Andover leads Pool A, defeating Grand Rapids 5-2 and Wayzata 7-4. Blake Nelson leads the Huskies in scoring with five goals and seven points. Nelson is tied with Osseo-Maple Grove’s Brayden Dean for the Peewee AA scoring lead. Dean has six goals and seven points for the 2-0 Leafbirds, who lead Pool D after wins over Champlin Park and White Bear Lake. 

Pool B is in Rogers’ hands after the Royals slipped past Hermantown 3-1 and hung eight on International Falls on Friday in an 8-3 win. Kellen Blair, the Royals’ standout from October’s Big Pumpkin, leads the team with three goals and six points thus far. 

Pool C offers an entertaining quagmire that could all come down to the final game. Both Centennial and Stillwater are 2-0, with the Cougars eking out a 4-3 win over Duluth East and then blanking St. Cloud 5-0. The trio of Tyler Kobeska, Treyson Dittrich, and Easton Woeltge pace the Cougars in points with three apiece. 

The Cougars will take on Stillwater on Saturday morning for ultimate Pool C supremacy. The Ponies downed St. Cloud 5-2 and then doubled up on Duluth East’s pain by defeating the Hounds 3-2 in a shootout. With three goals, Davis Longnecker is the leader in the Stillwater clubhouse. 

Orono and Mankato find magic in shootouts 

Orono and Mankato remain deadlocked in Pool B after two games, with each team winning once in regulation and once in a shootout for a total of five standings points. Orono snuck past River Lakes 2-1 in a shootout to start the day, then leading scorer Rocco Pasqua scored the game-winner with 1:36 left in the third period to lift the Spartans to a 4-3 win over Blaine. 

Tucker Dickerman leads Mankato in scoring with four total points on the day, followed by Cole Lebens with three points. The Mavericks notched a 4-2 win over Blaine in their first game of the day, then inched past River Lakes 4-3 in a shootout. 


Josiah Brueske celebrates after scoring in Mankato's win over River Lakes.

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