In January, Osseo Maple Grove ran the gauntlet of the YHH Squirtacular, beating a nice list of teams including three in a row vs. Top 10 teams to take the Skates trophy. The game featured the who's who of top Squirt hockey players in Minnesota.  The Crimson's first line of Justin Janicke, Kyle Kukkonen, and Brock Faber is as lethal as they come.  The Bears have the highly decorated Lucius Brothers Chaz and Cruz, Lleyton Roed and standout goalie Anton Castro. 

The game was as good as advertised, with OMG winning a close one 3-1.  The Moose historically draws some of the state's best teams. Earning a reputation as one of the best tournies in the state along with Eden Prairie and Bloomington (now Squirtacular). OMG looks to add the Moose to their trophy case in their quest for a perfect season. White Bear looks to gain revenge for their loss and earn a spot amongst the state's best Squirt teams.

The tournament for Squirt A will start on Thursday night with three games to start the tourney off. This tournament has 12 teams with 3 pools. Here is each pools teams and the predictions behind them. 

Osseo Maple Grove, Lakeville South, Elk River, and Burnsville: 

OMG will easily be the most talented team in this pool but they will need to work together to take this one. They have won twenty seven in a row now, with an average goal differential of 6.81. Goaltender Jack Wieneke has posted sixteen shut-outs and seven one goal allowed games. Lakeville South is currently on a three game losing streak but will be looking to end that on Friday. They already beat Elk River once this season in a one goal game. Elk River is ranked #8 right now in the state. They have been playing some really skilled hockey lately, beating a good Centennial team 1-0. The Elks only have four losses this season, a very good number. Burnsville Blaze are on the down side of the season. They currently only have one win but will be looking to change that coming into White Bear. The team that will advance from this pool will be OMG, they will have a 3-0 record with two shut outs after pool play.

Andover, Wayzata, Moorhead, and Owatonna

Wayzata will be a team to watch out for in this pool. They have only lost five of their twenty four games this season. Wayzata hasn't played any of these teams yet so it will be a fresh start for them. Moorhead has had two key wins over Alexandria this year, both one goal games. They also tied a top St. Cloud (Red) in a good battled game. Moorhead is usually a quiet team but this team will be looking to make some noise down here in the metro area. Andover is also one of the top teams in the state right now. They have also only lost a total of five games, most of them close games. Owatonna is on an eleven game winning streak right now, currently one of the best streaks behind OMG. Owatonna hasn't played any of these teams yet so they will also be new to this. Out of this pool, two teams will get to advance and that will be Wayzata and Andover. Both teams will have enough points to advance to the semi-finals.

#1 OMG > #13 Andover (5-1)

#2 White Bear Lake > #12 Wayzata (4-2) 

Third Place Game

Wayzata > Andover (3-2): This game will be a very close game. Wayzata will get a late goal that will lift them over Andover. 

Championship

#1 Osseo - Maple Grove > #2 White Bear Lake (2-1): This game will be a rematch of the game they played on January 20th. OMG won that one (3-1) with a spectacular performance by both goalies. This one will come down to who plays better defense. OMG will take the final edge late.