This year’s Edina’s Peewee A tourney has a strong field.  The NOW ranked #7 Edina A has lost six games in 2013-2014 (compared to six all last year), but is still a tourney favorite.  The nationally ranked #20 (out of 887 peewee 2001 Tier 2 team) Colorado Arapahoe AA team has entered.  The Warriors are stronger than last year’s Invitational entry posting a 20-7-2 record (four of the losses and the two ties were to the #11 nationally ranked Denver Pioneers).

This year’s tourney has an 8 team tourney broken into two pools (A and B) with four teams in each pool.  The top two teams in each pool are seeded into semifinal games once pool play has ended.  If the tourney organizers follow last year’s seeding, the two pool winners will be seeded #1 and #2 and the two pool runner-ups seeded #3 and #4.

Spring Lake Park, another strong entry, is a top D10 peewee A team and is the NOW ranked #2 peewee A team in the state behind the NOW ranked #1 team Chaska/Chanhassen A who is also entered in this tourney.  Mounds View from District 2 has played well at the Edina tourney in the past; Andover A has struggled losing the majority of their games most by a single goal; Mankato is a top team out of District 9 and is contending for #1 in D9 at the season’s halfway mark; and Minnetonka A has proven to be a dangerous team that has upset some of the top AA/A teams this season including beating Rosemount AA at the Burnsville Thanksgiving tourney to eliminate the Irish.

Edina A are 15-6-3 on the season.  Last year at this point in the season, the Edina A’s dominated the peewee A teams in the state.  This year, the Hornets are not as dominant.  One reason is the overall improvement of the peewee A level teams play this season.  The number of good skating peewee A teams has increased this year from last season.  One of the Edina losses was to Chaska/Chanhassen A 6-5.  The Hornets and Hawks are in a battle for District 6’s top spot and the Hawks are entered in this tourney.  For Edina’s opening game, the Hornets draw Mounds View A, a team that is struggling in District 2.  Halfway through the D2 season, the Mustangs have posted a 1-8 record and are near the bottom in D2’s peewee A league.  They have struggled most of December since taking second place at the Super Rink Spectacular Tourney at Thanksgiving (lost to Eagan AA 6-2).  But the Mustangs always seem to play better in the Edina tourneys.

The Colorado Arapahoe come into the Edina tourney as the leading the Colorado PW AA league with a 9-1-1 record.  Their only league loss was to second place Denver Pioneers 3-0 (a team they have played six times posting a 0-4-2 record).  They tied Littleton 3-3.  At Thanksgiving, the Arapahoe lost 4-2 to Denver Pioneers in the Quebec Qualifier and with that loss the opportunity to represent Colorado as the Colorado Avalance (all expenses paid) at the Quebec International Peewee B tourney played in February.  Spring Lake Park is one of the top peewee teams in the state.  The #2 Panthers are veteran team that won the District 10 regular season and playoffs last season.  Most of those players have returned this year and have posted a 20-3-2 record (losing to Sartell 7-1, the #7 ranked AA team the Minneapolis Storm 6-4 and Elk River A 5-4).  They have tied St. Francis 1-1 in D10 play and are currently in a three team battle for the top spot in D10’s peewee A league with the St. Francis and Coon Rapids posting an 8-1-1 record in league play.

Pool A Forecast: Edina should beat Mounds View.  The question is by how much.  This pool shapes up to be a battle between the Hornets, Arapahoe and Spring Lake Park and the three teams could end pool play in a three-way tie.  Only two of the three teams can advance and tie breakers could be critical.

Goal differential (a maximum of 5 goals per game) becomes the ultimate tie breaker under last year’s tourney rules.  The Hornets will try to beat Mounds View by 5 goals or more in the opening pool game.  Last year they beat the Mustangs 9-2.  Arapahoe had a good team in last year’s Invitational eventually losing to Mound/Westonka 5-4 in semifinal play.  They have a better team this year, their offense should beat Spring Lake Park’s defense.

Monday, it will be Spring Lake Park’s turn to beat Mounds View by 5 or more.  They don’t but win.  Arapahoe beats the Hornets, setting up an Edina win on Tuesday over Spring Lake Park while Arapahoe beats Mounds View.  Edina takes the tie breaker (head to head) and goal differential does not matter.   

Pool A Game Schedule

Sunday, December 29

2:30 PM: Edina A vs Moundsview

3:00 PM: Spring Lake Park vs Colorado Arapahoe AA

Monday, December 30

7:30 AM: Colorado Arapahoe AA vs Edina A

8:00 AM: Mounds View vs Spring Lake Park

Tuesday, December 31

10:15 AM: Edina A vs Spring Lake Park

11:45 AM: Colorado Arapahoe AA vs Mounds View

6:00 PM: Championship Semifinals

Pool B: Minnetonka A, Chaska Chanhassen A, Mankato, and Andover A

Mankato is the only A team entered in this pool that does not have a AA team in its association.  The Mavericks have played well in two previous tourneys, Brainerd and Albert Lea.  They are currently in a 3 team battle (with Red Wing and Rochester Black) for the lead in District 9.  The NOW ranked #13 Mavericks have posted a season record of 14-4-2 (D9 record of 7-1-0).  But the Mavericks will open pool play against the #1 ranked peewee A team in the state, Chaska/Chanhassen (21-2-2).  The Hawks are currently District 6’s league leaders with a 9-0-1 record (Minnetonka A tied them early in the season 3-3).  Besides beating Edina A last week, the Hawks beat Minnetonka A 5-2.

The second Pool B game matches Andover A and Minnetonka A.  Andover A played in the Woodbury tourney earlier this season and has struggled in D10 play posting a 3-6 record losing to the North Country Blue Devils 2-1 and St. Francis 3-2, beating Centennial A 2-1 in their last three league games.  Minnetonka A pulled a stunner at the Burnsville Tourney at Thanksgiving, beating the Rosemount AA 8-5.  They have been an up and down team this year.  After beating the #15 ranked AA Irish, they tied the #8 ranked peewee A team, Orono 2-2 but have failed to win since going 0-5-1 in their last six games.  One loss was to Chaska/Chanhassen A 5-2 and one loss was to Edina A 4-1.

Pool B Forecast: Chaska/Chanhassen should beat all three teams in this pool and take the #1 seed.  The other three teams could tie for the #2 seed for this pool.  Avoiding a 5 goal loss to the Hawks could be the key tiebreaker.  Mankato plays Chaska on Sunday and loses, Minnetonka A beats Andover A.  Monday, Chaska beats Minnetonka A and Andover A edges Mankato A.  Tuesday, Chaska beats Andover A and Mankato beats Minnetonka A.  That leaves Chaska with a 3-0 pool record and the other three teams with 1-2 records.  The tie breaker goes to Mankato.

Pool B Game Schedule

Sunday, December 29

2:45 PM: Andover A vs Minnetonka A

4:00 PM: Chaska/Chanhassen A vs Mankato

Monday, December 30

7:45 AM: Minnetonka A vs Chaska/Chanhassen A

9:00 AM: Mankato vs Andover A

Tuesday, December 31

10:30 AM: Minnetonka A vs Mankato

12:00 PM: Andover A vs Chaska/Chanhassen A

7:00 PM: Championship Semifinals

Championship Sunday

If the tourney seeding process goes as expected; Colorado Arapahoe AA gets the #1 seed and should play Mankato.  In last year’s Edina Invitational, the Warriors tired in the semifinals playing their fourth game in three days.  Not this year, Arapahoe wins.  Edina A and Chaska/Chanhassen A meet in the second semifinal game.  This time, the Hornets win avenging that loss two weeks ago setting up a championship showdown between two similar teams.  Both Arapahoe and Edina are skilled at forward and a little shaky on defense.  The better defense wins the game.  Arapahoe wins.  Edina’s defense is shakier.