skip navigation

2025 Squirtacular: Friday Live Blog

By YHH Staff, 01/24/25, 9:15AM CST

Share

Notebook, scores, standings, and stats from this year's Squirtacular opening day.

Squirtacular Friday Morning Notebook


Lakeville South SQA's Emmett Haan was seeing double on Friday morning, scoring twice in a hard-luck loss to Osseo-Maple Grove.

Squirtacular turns 13 as 2025 tourney kicks off in north metro  

Since 2013, the Youth Hockey Hub Squirtacular has provided Minnesota with one of North America's premier Squirt hockey tournaments. This year, 96 teams will make their way to the Twin Cities north metro area, playing games at four arenas in Blaine, Andover, and Maple Grove.

With teams hailing from as far away as Burbank, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona, this year's event promises to feature the same fast-paced action, high drama, and lifelong memories that the Squirtacular has become renowned for over the last decade. 

This year's event features four divisions - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The Bronze and Silver divisions consist of Squirt B teams, while Gold and Platinum are made up of Squirt A squads. The divisions are divided by a team's skill level in an attempt to ensure a level playing field and competitive games for all teams involved. 

The Platinum and Silver divisions are measured by pool play, and the Gold and Bronze divisions are decided through straight bracket play. 

Defending champions from last season include Minnetonka (Platinum), Prior Lake (Gold), Edina (Silver), and Grand Rapids White (Bronze).

NHLers make their way to the Squirt (coaching) ranks 

Every so often, fans forget that NHL players have lives away from the rink. They have spouses and children. They shop for groceries and drive carpools. They deal with their local sewer systems and some of them even pay taxes. 

They also manage to coach youth teams after their careers are over, and this year's Squirtacular has several former pro players dotting various benches. At last count, Edina leads the pack with three - Zach Parise, Devan Dubnyk, and Keith Ballard are guiding the Hornets. Cory Larose is on a Wayzata bench, and Chris Stewart is molding future Warriors on the Brainerd Squirt A staff.  


Former NHL star Zach Parise kindly poses for a photo with members of a Minot Wolves team on Friday morning.

Out-of-state teams faring well on day one 

Teams from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nevada have made their presence known on day one of this year’s Squirtacular. 

West Fargo Blue and West Fargo White are currently 1-0 as of this writing in the Gold Division. Elijah Lies scored twice for West Fargo Blue, and Jacob Olson and Mason Issertell each scored once in a 4-0 win over Champlin Park. West Fargo White downed Spring Lake Park 4-2 behind goals by Henrik Sands, Andrew Richels, Easton Rogen, and Corbin Barton. 

In the Silver Division, the Omaha Jr. Mavericks cruised past Centennial Red 7-2, powered by a four-goal second period. Anthony Papstein led the way with a hat trick, with single goals coming from Beckett Steel, Cash Gentry, Braxton Barko, and Martin Urban. 

For Sioux Falls Blue, Jack Matthiesen led the way with a hat trick and two assists in a 7-0 win over Prior Lake. Gabe Hoffman scored twice for the Flyers, and Brady Cruthers and Kaidyn Kuphal each scored once. 

The Vegas Jr. Golden Knights brought the desert heat to the frigid Twin Cities on Friday, scoring three times in the first period and once more in the second en route to a 4-0 win over a talented Hermantown group. The Jr. Golden Knights had four players mark the scoresheet, with Miller Vaness, Luke Kline, Daniel DeGree, and Michael Ross III potting goals. 

Osseo-Maple Grove’s O’Leary paces scoring lead 

In Osseo-Maple Grove’s 8-3 win over Mahtomedi, McCoy O’Leary scored four times. That performance would be good enough for a day’s work for most players, but McCoy O’Leary proved Friday that he is not “most players.”

O’Leary followed his Texas Hatty with a six-goal explosion in the afternoon, tallying every Leafbird goal in a 6-3 win over Brainerd. The Leafbirds are now 2-0 and in the driver’s seat with one pool play game remaining. 


OMG Crimson SQA forward McCoy O'Leary leads all skaters with 10 goals through two games.

Gold and Bronze semifinal matchups decided 

The Gold Division (Squirt A) will come down to a quartet of metro teams. Eagan, Wayzata Blue, Mounds View/Irondale, and Rosemount will vie for a space in the coveted championship game. MVI features three of the division’s leading scorers, including division leader Croix Bostrom (six goals, 12 points). Crew Goodwin of Rosemount sits just behind Bostrom with nine points through two games. 

Edina White, Minnetonka Black, Woodbury Black, and Bloomington Jefferson will make up the Bronze Division’s semifinals. Woodbury Black’s Zachary Langer leads the division in scoring with three goals and five points.


Javen Shandley scored the go-ahead goal for Bloomignton Jefferson in Friday night's win over Edina Green.

Recent MN YHH News

  • GHS: 2025 Section Brackets

  • By Joe Ojanen 02/07/2025, 9:45am CST
  • Find all Section Pairings, Scores and Locations from both AA and A. Brackets updated as final scores become available.
  • Read More
  • 10 Minutes with Tony: Feb. 6

  • By Tony Scott 02/06/2025, 4:30pm CST
  • Interview with Adam Carlson of General Sports, Past Tourneys (Cupid Classic, John Erickson Memorial), Grand Forks tournament, roses and thorns
  • Read More