Quintet of players lead division in scoring 

Now that each team in the Platinum Division has played a game, a handful of players have separated themselves from the scoring pack. The skates range from the Twin Cities metro area to the northern edges of Minnesota. 

Bemidji's Blake Carlson had two goals and two assists in the Lumberjacks' loss to Lakeville North, while Lucas Leathers scored four times in the Lakers' 6-4 win over Alexandria. Grant Peterson (Hermantown) and Bennett Stewart (Hastings) each recorded a hat trick and a helper in their victories, and Ari Suardini dished out four assists as Minnetonka downed Spring Lake Park 7-1. 

One-goal games evidence or true parity 

It's not even noon (11:53 AM) and we've had a remarkable 11 games decided by a single goal during the opening round of the Squirtacular. Of those 11 games, six of them have come in during Platinum Division play, three in the Gold Division, and two in the Silver Division. 

A couple of thrillers include Woodbury Black escaping Stillwater in a battle of east metro powerhouses, Minot (ND) handing Wayzata Gold a 5-4 loss, and Lakeville North's Keegan Detlefsen scoring with two seconds left in regulation to lift the Panthers to a 5-4 win over Bemidji.  

Semifinal matchups set for Saturday night

It's hard to believe, but the semifinals for the Gold Division are already set, and it's not even dinnertime on day one of the Squirtacular. This has to be some sort of record. 

In the first semifinal tomorrow evening, Bismarck will take on Eden Prairie. The Capitals downed Hibbing 5-1 in the opening round, then cruised past Orono 6-1 for the right to face the Eagles. Tyson Strom leads the Capitals with four goals and eight points, followed by Dawson Vance's five goals and six points. Jack Neset has played distribution specialist through two games, dishing out five helpers. 

Mason Wenkus has been the top point-producer for Eden Prairie in wins over Cottage Grove and Champlin Park, notching five goals and six points. Leo Berg handed out two assists in the quarterfinal win over the Rebels, and has three points heading into the semifinals. 

The California Bears have made their trek to Minnesota worth it thus far, handing West Fargo White a 5-1 loss Friday morning and then pulling away from Bloomington Jefferson for a 7-2 victory in the afternoon. Ethan Wang leads the Bears in scoring with five goals and seven points through two games. 

Joining the Bears in the semifinals will be the Yellow Jackets, a team based out of the Chicagoland area. The Yellow Jackets showed great grit in two wins on Friday, edging Rosemount 3-2 and Omaha Black 3-1. Timothy McNamara paces the Yellow Jackets with four points, with Calder Jackson right behind him with a goal and two assists. 

Pair of Squirt B1's lead field in points 

While the Squirtacular's Platinum Division may be designated for the top Squirt A teams, five Squirt B1 skaters in the Silver Division are atop the overall individual leaderboard. 

Minnetonka White's Madigan Mulcahy and Nick Osberg combined for six goals and nine points, with Mulcahy's four goals and two assists tying him with Duluth's Joshua Roed for the current Squirtacular lead with six points. 

Duluth 's Gavin Gunderson and Sioux City Gold's Donnie Hallmark are knotted with five points apiece after one game. 

Two out-of-state teams muscle their way into the Round of 16 

For those familiar with the old format of Youth Hockey Hub's Big Pumpkin Invitational, the Bronze Division of this year's Squirtacular takes on the similar flavor. 

The top eight seeds are given a "bye" into the Round of 16, while 16 other teams duke it out in Friday's early-morning hours for the right to face those top-seeded teams. The structure works out so that each team is (almost) always playing for a bracket championship, whether it loses its first game of the tournament or not. 

This morning, a pair of teams from beyond the State of Hockey's borders advanced to the Round of 16, which will be played throughout late Friday afternoon and into the evening.

From the Sunshine State, the California Bears made quick work of Chaska/Chanhassen, winning 14-0 to open the tourney. Alexander Stoubis led the way with a hat trick and two assists for the Bears. The Des Moines Jr. Buccaneers, no strangers to success at this event, downed Bloomington Jefferson 6-1 in their opening game. Willard Hughes, Jetson Braby, and Mason Moore each recorded two points in the win.