Editor’s Note: due to a failed camera, no photos of the championship game can be provided.  Use your imagination that I had great pictures of Trevor Janicke and Grant Silianoff scoring for their teams and great saves made by Nate Romanelli from Edina and Cooper Olson from Maple Grove.

In the early games Elk River, the early leader for state’s biggest team beat Mankato 34-9.  Rosemount had their way with Stillwater 21-11. Roseville edged Eden Prairie 16-14 and in a mild surprise, Chaska Chan beat Tonka 23-21 in a preview of what’s to come this Winter in D6 as teams battle for #2 behind Edina.

In the Championship, it was quite the opposite of last Sunday of which was decided on the last play of regulation.  Edina got four goals before Maple Grove could get their car out of first gear and it was all but over.  Tourney leading scorer, Trevor Janicke was held in check most of the game, both by the Edina defense and Edina goalie the unsung Nate Romanelli goalie (full disclosure, his dad helped me down from the ladder today and I owe him one).  On a serious note, Nate had a great weekend for the Hornets.

Edina got up 7-1 with 37 minutes to go and never let Maple Grove to within five the rest of the way.  They continued to use a man very high in the neutral zone once they got possession of the puck which is only possible to execute if you skilled forwards and confident defensemen.  This strategy opens a lot of doors and several offensive options for a team loaded with offensive weapons.

By the halfway mark, the outcome was not in question.  By the end it was 21-8, Edina.  To the credit of Maple Grove, their team is age-wise much younger than Edina.  They fought hard despite being overmatched physically. The Crimson trot out  a handful of ’02 players, a handful of ’01 players and two ’00s.  Edina on the other hand had almost all ’00 players and a few ’01s.  Not illegal by any stretch, just an indication of how talent rich their association is today.

Give Don the car guy credit, he picked Maple Grove to take second in this tourney.  I, on the other hand missed on Rosemount…they finished the tourney 2-3.

Observations: This weekend, YHH saw 7 teams: Chaska/Chan, Minnetonka, Edina, Maple Grove, Roseville, Eden Prairie and Mankato (missed Rosemount, Stillwater and Elk River). Minnetonka and Chaska Chan emerged a little higher than I would have thought.  Rosemount and EP have always performed better on larger sheets and both are very young age-wise.  Elk River and Stillwater will be able to use their size to their advantage when games matter. Maple Grove had a great weekend, winning a well balanced Pool quite easily.  Their young guns: Oakland, Kelly and Leafblad will contribute late in the year, meanwhile Trevor Janicke’s star continues to rise.  What can you say about this Edina team, they are a fun group of athletes to watch.  Gifted, unselfish, size, speed, and competitive are just a few adjectives that you can use about this team.  Will they go undefeated again this year?  Yes.  It is very possible.

Tourney MVP: It’s hard to pick just one kid on a team filled with stars. But the one kid who seems to be super valuable to this team is Ben Brinkman.  He’s physical, but not cheap.  He’s got a great shot, but he only uses it when necessary.  He’s their rock.  I’ve covered three seasons of 3v3 and he is the first kid in 10 tournaments (with more than five points) who has more assists than goals. Honorable Hornets: Grant Silianoff, Jack Jensen and Liam Malmquist were all awesome today, they brought their “I never lose” attitude to the rink today.

Other Standouts on our Radar: Ethan Benze from Chaska Chan is a very nice player. He sees the ice well and plays very unselfish.  Trevor Kukkonen had a great weekend..third leading scorer…he played well in every game this weekend. Did not see Jack Perbix this weekend, but a shout out to him.  He is a very good player that is always a threat to score. Mike Koster from ChaskaChan is another kid that needs to be accounted for by all defenders. Ryan O’Neill is a kid from Roseville who has all of the tools to be a star…I can’t wait to see him in the BIG Pumpkin in October, great skater…a player who plays bigger than his size.

Scoring Leaders

Trevor Janicke – 44-19-63

Josh Luedtke – 30-10-40

Trevor Kukkonen – 25-12-37

Ethan Benze – 29-7-36

Jack Bayless 21-13-34

Jack Perbix 26-7-33