Northfield’s 2013 Jesse James Showdown Peewee A Tourney proved to be a tough one this year.  Strong teams from Minnesota Districts D3 (Armstrong and North Metro), D6 (New Prague), and D10 (Anoka) were entered.  The Waukesha Warhawks, Tier II 1A team, from one of the larger Wisconsin programs were entered along with three D9 teams (Red Wing, Dodge Country and host Northfield).  In the championship game, the District 9 league leading Red Wing peewees beat Armstrong's D3 peewee A league leaders 2-1.  It was an outstanding championship game played Sunday at the Northfield Arena, a game dominated by good goaltending.  It was a tourney dominated by good goaltending.  Both of Saturday’s semifinal games were decided by the goaltenders with Red Wings Tyler McGrath and Armstrong's Nikki Harnett winning the showdowns.  Seven of the twelve tourney games were decided by 1 or 2 goals.  Two games went into overtime; one went to a sudden death shootout.

Northfield’s tourney this year used an eight team, bracket play, format with each game consisting of three 15 minute stop time periods.  Ice was cleaned only between games.

Quarterfinal action

Armstrong beat New Prague 4-1 in the opening tourney game played Friday night.  The Trojan’s Andrew Picka scored late in the first period on Armstrong’s goalie, Nikki Harnett to put New Prague up 1-0.  Harnett was going for her eleventh shutout of the season.  Armstrong’s Charles Deterding scored early in the second to tie the game 1-1.  A power play goal by the Falcons’ Drew Eid put Armstrong ahead 2-1 early in the third period.  The game was close until the final three minutes when Armstrong’s Lucas Carter scored unassisted and Jonah Jangula scored an empty netter.  New Prague’s goalie, Collin Dorzinski, stopped 30 of the Falcons 33 shots on goal.  Dorzinski had a good game in the nets.

In the second upper bracket quarterfinal Waukesha beat Northfield 7-1.  The Warhawks took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, scored a power play goal halfway through the second to take a 3-0 lead.  Northfield’s Will Tidona scored to cut Waukesha’s lead to 3-1.  The Warhawks came back to score two more second period goals to lead 5-1 going into the period.  Waukesha added two more goals in the third to win 7-1.  Waukesha’s Justin Rauser got the hat trick, scoring three goals.  Rauser also got an assist.  Sam Cleary, Chad Larsen, Thomas Knoke, and Garrett Wilderman each scored once.

In the lower bracket, Anoka beat Dodge County 4-2.  Dodge took an early 2-0 lead on goals by Nicholas Retzer and Aaron Stewart.  Anoka came back in the first period to tie the game 2-2.  Timothy Mirabal and Parker Jaeger scored for the Tornadoes.  The Bulldogs goalie, Westley Mcghee, was shelled by Anoka in the second period facing 23 shots stopping 21.  Anoka’s Kieren Mueller and Quinn Putt scored for the Tornadoes to put Anoka up 4-2 going into the third period.  In all, Dodge County’s Mcghee faced 44 shots.

The final quarterfinal game, Red Wing beat North Metro 4-2 in a physical game that ended seven third penalties being called.  Five minutes into the first period, Red Wing’s Camryn Blue scored a power play goal to give the Wingers a 1-0 lead going into the second period.  North Metro’s Quinton Peterson scored unassisted to tie the game 1-1 five minutes into the second period.  Two minutes later, the Wingers’ Garvin Lampe scored a power play goal to put Red Wing up 2-1 at the end of two periods.  Red Wing’s goalie Camden Callstrom stopped a Pirates penalty shot in the opening minutes of the third period.  Less than a minute later, the Wingers’ Carter Collins scored the game winner.  The two teams exchanged goals halfway through the third period to end the scoring 4-2.  The Wingers’ Blue scored his second goal of the game, North Metro’s Bryan Taft scored the Pirates' goal.  The Pirates outshot Red Wing 27-14.

Semifinal Excitement

Both Saturday’s semifinal games were nail biters.  In the first game, Red Wing beat Anoka 5-4 in a double overtime shootout out sudden death game.  The Wingers took a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period on two goals by Camryn Blue and a goal by Michael Stoffel.  Gregory Findingstand scored for Anoka.  Both teams scored in the second period.  Parker Jaeger scored for the Tornadoes; Josh Rikil scored for Red Wing.  In a hard fought cleanly skated third period, Anoka came back to score twice on goals by Kieren Mueller and Jack Ahart to tie the game at the end of regulation time.  Two scoreless overtime games failed to break the tie.  A five player shootout failed to break the tie.  Sudden death broke the tie, Red Wing won 5-4.

The second semifinal was equally tense and matched the play of two good goal tenders.  Armstrong beat Waukesha 1-0 on a third period goal by Ian Bahr.  Bahr’s goal was unassisted.  Both Armstrong’s Nikki Harnett and Waukesha’s Garrett Larsen were tested in the first period each facing double digit shots on goal, a number of them tough.  In the second and third periods, Armstrong’s forwards were constantly attack Larsen low, using their physical size to hold position around the net.  Waukesha work the “sweet spot” in front of the net to perfection often setting up a Warhawk coming down the slot.  But could not beat Harnett.  In the end Bahr picked up a loose puck in the left corner and attacked the Larsen skating down the end line.  His tough angled shot deflected off Larsen caroming into the net over Larsen’s right shoulder.  It was a great game to watch.

In the consolation rounds, North Metro beat Dodge County 13-1.  Joseph Clark and Kevin Kvaal each got hat tricks.  Kvaal picked up three assists in the game to post 6 points.  Clark added two assists to post 5 points for the game.  Tyrel Eskro posted 5 points (4 assists).  Quinton Peterson and Ryan Solz each scored two goals.  Dodge County’s Cade Spreiter scored the lone Bulldog’s goal.  New Prague edged host Northfield in the other consolation game 4-3 behind goals scored by Jake Parent, Frank Ruzicka, Jon Vonbank, and Troy Scrimsher.  Parent’s and Ruzicka’s scores were unassisted.  Scrimsher got the game winner.

Sunday’s Championship game

Going into the championship game, at YHH the story was can the Red Wing forwards beat Armstrong’s goalie Nikki Harnett; would Harnett post another shutout as she did Saturday posting her eleventh shutout in twenty games in beating Waukesha 1-0?  Coming out of the game, the story was the play of Red Wing’s goalie Camden Callstrom.  The Falcons outshot the Wingers 37-14 (YHH count) in the game but could not beat Callstrom.

Two minutes into the game, Red Wing’s Carter Collins beat the Armstrong defense wide left and beat Harnett on a hard shot swinging in front of the goal from left to right to put the Wingers up 1-0.  Late in the first period, Armstrong’s Matt Campion beat the Wingers defense coming down the slot, out reached Callstrom’s poke check and scored to tie the game 1-1.  Late in the second period, Red Wing’s Cecil Belisle scored the game winner from the left faceoff circle putting the Wingers up 2-1.  The Armstrong defense misplayed the puck setting up the Red Wing attack.

After that score, it was Callstrom stepping up his play to stop the Armstrong rushes.  In the second and third periods, the Falcons outshot the Wingers 30-8.

Waukesha took third place beating Anoka 4-2.  The Warhawks’ Hadley Malcomson figured in every score (two goals and two assists).  Ethan Hermann and Nikolai Larsen scored the other two Warhawk goals.  Kieren Mueller and Bobby Chancellor scored the two Anoka goals.

North Metro beat New Prague 2-1 in the Consolation Championship game.  Kevin Kvaal scored both Pirate goals; Grant Yackly scored for the Trojans.  Northfield beat Dodge County 4-1 in the seventh place game.  

All-Tourney Team

Goalie: Nikki Harnett/Armstrong, Camden Callstrom/Red Wing, and Garret Larsen/Waukesha WI. Ethan Hermann/Waukesha WI,

Forwards: Noah Tews/Anoka, Jonah Jangula/Armstrong, Carter Collins/Red Wing, Justin Rauser/Waukesha, Sam Cleary/Waukesha WI, Ian Bahr/Armstrong, Camryn Blue/Red Wing, Kevin Kvaal/North Metro, and Ethan Hermann/Waukesha WI.

Red Wing earned their championship.  The Winger’s Camryn Blue and Carter Collins can move the puck and score.  The Red Wing has a strong defense, not just good goaltending.

Armstrong has in three tourneys won, placed second and placed third.  In the 11 tourney games they have played, they have shut out six opponents and have given up 13 goals behind their outstanding defense and goalie Nikki Harnett.  But at Northfield, Armstrong’s defense was outgunned like the James gang (only “out goaltended” would be the better word) by Red Wing’s Camden Callstrom and company.

Waukesha’s goalie Garret Larsen played an excellent tourney and deserves to be on the All-Tourney team.  Three goalies may seem like a lot for an all-tourney team, but more goalies could have been picked.  This tourney was truly a battle of goal tenders.

Defensively, Waukesha’s Ethan Hermann played very well and was often key in starting the Warhawks’ attacks.  The Warhawks’ Sam Cleary is a smaller player, but moved the puck in traffic.  Considering that Waukesha played two of the most physical peewee A teams in Minnesota (Anoka and Armstrong), Cleary showed great deft in moving among the giants.

One of those giants is Anoka’s Noah Tews.  Tews has developed into a powerful hockey player, is fast, and moves the puck well.  Another giant is Armstrong’s  Jonah Jangula who is on the verge of putting things together.