Minnesota Hockey’s Select 15 Summer Camp ended Thursday with the six teams playing their final games. For those who are counting wins and losses; the Red team beat the Lt Blues 8-0 in the fifth place game, the Grey and Royals tied 3-3 in the third place game, and the White team beat the Gold 5-0 in the championship game. Now the 100 or so kids have a drive home and a wait for the posting of the 20 or so kids that will travel on to New York as part of Minnesota Hockey’s 2013 Select 15 team.
If there was a “rink rat” championship game, Thursday morning’s Select 15 championship game would certainly qualify. The selection pressure was off. After the final round of games played Wednesday, the evaluators huddled Wednesday night and came up with a final list, but the announcement will not be till Friday.
All three Thursday games were loosely coached and refereed; after an intense six days, the players had fun in today’s games.
So nobody was upset when a quick referee whistle prevented an embarrassing own goal on delayed penalty by one of the teams in one of the games. The ref just blew the whistle before the puck hit the net, lined the players up and as sort of a concession, lined the teams up in neutral ice. The players were just playing for fun and wondering if they made the final 20 or so player roster.
In the second half of Thursday 3-3, Dayton Rasmussen relaxes for a moment in what turned out to be an equally intense half of pressure. Rasmussen and the other 100 or so players attending the summer camp face an intense Thursday night waiting for Minnesot
Select 15 Championship Game (White-5 Gold-0)
The three games played Thursday morning were left to the players to prove to themselves. The championship game qualified as a “rink rat” championship game. The game was more about individual skills within an informal game setting; informal because nobody expects good team play at this point in the summer camp. The game had no “pomp”, no “circumstance”, and no “ceremonial parading”. Forty players took the ice and played just to play the game.
The White team jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes of the opening half. Defenseman 00030 (#7 White) Harmon Sorenson/Wayzata scored with a blast from the right blue line area to put White up 1-0; defenseman 00023 (#5 White) Tristian Moss/Wayzata got the assist. A minute later 00026 (#9 White) Cameron Buhl/South St. Paul put a rebound into the net from the low left crease area to put the White team up 2-0. It was an unassisted goal.
Most of the first half was evenly skated after that until the 6 minute mark when 00209 (#16 White) Luke Patterson/Wayzata scored unassisted from the right faceoff circle on shot that was deflected high beyond the goalie’s glove. That put the White team ahead 3-0. Buhl scored his second goal at the 4 minute mark to put White up 4-0 at halftime.
Late in the second half, 00254 (#17 White) Beau Wilmer/Warroad scored the final goal giving White a 5-0 win. Defenseman 00001 (#2 White) Davis Beauchamp/East Grand Forks got the assist. It was “rink rat” hockey at it’s finest and it was a fitting way to end the camp.
Third Place Game (Royal-3 Grey-3)
The third place game started with two quick goals by the Royal team. The Grey team came charging back to take a 3-2 with 12 minutes left in the half. The Royal’s tied the game just before the halftime 3-3 and the two goalies; 00110 (#35 Grey) Dayton Rasmussen/Holy Family and 00103 (#1 Royal) Thomas Hanson/Minnetonka shut down the scoring in the second half. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.
The Royal’s first goal was scored by 00201 (# 8 Royal) Joey Anderson/Hill-Murray. Anderson beat the defense swinging wide, came into the top of the crease and beat the goalie with a low shot into the left side of the net to put the Royals up 1-0. Forward 00239 (#9 Royal) Graham Brickner got the assist. Brickner scored the second goal on a solo. Skating down the slot, he beat the goalie low left; the Royals led 2-0 four minutes into the first half. Defenseman 00034 (#6 Royal) Tanner Vescio got the assist.
Five minutes later, 00028 (#10 Grey) Henry Enebak/Lakeville South scored from the center slot area off a hard rebound to cut the Royal lead to 2-1; 00240 (#17 Grey) Riley Tufte/Blaine got the assist. Grey scored two quick goals at the 12 minute mark to take a 3-2 lead; 00203 (#15 Grey) Luke Ranallo/Mounds View scored unassisted to tie the game 2-2; and Tufte scored charging the net and sliding the puck through the goalie’s 5-hole. Enebak got the assist on the third goal.
Two minutes later, defenseman 00010 (#3 Royal) Dylan Hewitt/Wayzata made a nice hard pass from the right corner that 00218 (#11 Royal) Kevin Fellows/Prior Lake one timed into the net to tie the game 3-3. After that, the goalies took over. No overtime was played.
Fifth Place Game (Red-8 Lt. Blue-0)
The Red team scored three goals in the first half and five more in the second half to beat the Lt Blues 8-0. The Red team scoring was led by 00224 (#17 Red) Garrett Wait/Edina with two goals and two assists; 00236 (#14 Red) Austen Long/Spring Lake Park and 00216 (#9 Red) Mitch Bourgerie/STMA each scored two goals. Bourgerie also had an assist. Defenseman 00017 (#4 Red) Matt Kierstad/Elk River and 00221 (#12 Red) Curtis Hansen/Prior Lake each scored once; Hansen had an assist.
Wait, Bourgerie, and Long had good game for the Red team this morning. The Red goalies 00108 (#1 Red) Spencer Olson/Anoka and 00111 (#34 Red) William Woolever combined to shut the Lt. Blues out.
The players left the St. Cloud Campus by earlier afternoon. Now they have to wait until tomorrow’s news.
Good Luck to all the players from YHH
YHH hopes the best for all who attended the summer camp. Tomorrow many of the 100 or so players will be disappointed. But a year from now that will change and two years from now, it will change again. For all who have attended this year’s summer camp, you have made a step forward. And that is the most important thing.
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