North Regional (Virginia)

District 11’s associations fielded five peewee A teams (Denfeld, Duluth East A, Two Harbors, Proctor, and Silver Bay) this season.  This year was Silver Bay and Two Harbors first foray into peewee A hockey in some years.  Both teams had their successes during the season and both will contend for one of the three D11 seeds to the North Regional in the D11 playoffs.

The D11 playoffs open Valentine’s Day in Silver Bay with a single game between the #4 seed Proctor and the #5 seed Silver Bay.  It is a double elimination tourney with three teams advancing.  Denfeld and Duluth East A are the favorites to take two of the three seeds.  Based on the draw, Two Harbors and Silver Bay could meet in a key game Saturday early evening with the winner taking D11’s #3 seed; but watch out for the Agates.  Two Harbors could surprise one of the Duluth teams in this playoff.  Denfeld gets the #1 seed, Duluth East A the #2 seed, and Two Harbors the #3 seed.

When a hockey fan thinks of District 12, they automatically pencil in Grand Rapids, pause for a moment, and then add Hibbing.  These two associations have fielded AA teams the past two seasons and no longer compete in D12 peewee A playoffs.  It is worthwhile noting that the Thunderhawks made the Peewee AA State Tourney last March and lost to Wayzata in a quarterfinal game because the Rapids finished strong at the end of the year and made a run.  That is a signature of most northern teams, a late season push that often lands a northern team in the state tourney.

This season, the Rapids and Hibbing AA teams will automatically play in the Peewee AA North Regional; the remaining four D12 peewee A teams (Virginia, Greenway, Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East, and International Falls) will play a four team double elimination playoff in International Falls.  Virginia, unbeaten in league play, is the favorite for the #1 seed; Greenway was a solid second place finisher in D12 regular season losing only to Virginia and should take the #2 seed.  The D12 peewee A teams have improved greatly this season.  Virginia is a solid team, Greenway has a great line, and EGME has depth and can compete.  Oddly enough, the two weaker teams in D12 this year are Grand Rapids AA and Hibbing AA.

International Falls has struggled all year and has yet to win a D12 game, but they always manage to finish well.  They will have to beat EGME to get there and playing at home, the Broncos just might do that.  EGME has talent and did well in the Cloquet Barn Burner a week ago.  The nod here goes to the Giants, but they better hang on to their saddles playing the Broncos on Broncos’ ice.  EGME gets the #3 seed.

When the season started, YHH pointed to District 2 and said they had some of the best peewee A teams in the state.  At the seasons end, Highland, Mahtomedi, White Bear Lake A, Tartan, Stillwater A, and Mounds View A all had good moments in the season doing well in tourneys or winning a big game.  Highland and Mahtomedi finished second and third in D2’s 10 team peewee A (AA and A teams) league ahead of White Bear Lake AA and Stillwater AA.  This year’s playoff will be a six team double elimination with two teams advancing.  NOW ranked #5 Mahtomedi and #6 Highland will get seeded #2 and #1 respectively in D2’s playoff.

Mahtomedi will meet the winner of White Bear Lake A/Mounds View game.  The White Bear Lake/Mounds View game is a tough one to call.  The Bears have beaten Mounds View twice by 2-0 scores in the last two weeks, but Mounds View may have turned that corner at the Cloquet Barn Burner last weekend.  Mahtomedi draws the winner of Tartan/Stillwater A.  Tartan is a dangerous team.  The Titans beat Stillwater A 4-1 and tied the Ponies 6-6 in the last two weeks.  Still it is hard to envision the Caps or the Zephyrs losing, Highland takes #1 and Mahtomedi #2.

North Regional Draw

North Regional play at Virginia’s Memorial Arena would start February 28.  If the teams above win their districts as forecasted here, the opening quarterfinal games would match Denfeld and Mahtomedi in the first game, Virginia and Two Harbors in the second game, Highland and EGME in the third game, and Greenway and Duluth East A in the third game.  The North Region shapes up as a test for how far have the D12 association programs progressed.  All three D12 entries should be competitive.  Virginia figures to battle Highland and Mahtomedi for a trip to state; Greenway and Denfeld are contenders; Duluth East A, EGME, and Two Harbors could surprise someone.

South Regional (St. Cloud)

The South Regional will be played in St. Cloud starting on February 28.  District 3 and District 5 are scheduled to send three teams to the state tourney; District 4 is scheduled to send two teams.  Because Districts 4 and 5 play a combined peewee A regular season schedule, they have a combined D4/D5 playoff this year that will result in 5 teams being sent with their seed based on where the team finishes in the playoff.  Don't be surprised if D4's #1 seed is filled by a D5 team and D5's #1 seed is filled by a D4 team.  

The District 3 playoffs open at Parade with three first round games Sunday, February 16.  This year, D3’s associations fielded seven peewee A teams.  Their peewee AA/A league changed from last season.  The Mpls Storm, the Peewee A State champions last March, designated their top team as a AA team this season.  Wayzata and Osseo/Maple Grove associations chose not field A teams, both fielded only AA teams.  North Metro fielded a peewee A team and the Crow River Association changed its name to Delano Area.

Three D3 peewee A teams will advance to the South Regional to be played in St. Cloud.  NOW ranked #8 Orono won the D3 title; #4 ranked Armstrong finished second.  Orono will get a first round bye and needs only to beat the winner of the #4/#5 game between Delano and St. Louis Park.  Armstrong opens play against the #7 seed North Metro and most likely play NOW ranked #11 Hopkins to get to the semifinals.  North Metro has played well this season, but always seems to lose by one or two goals.

Orono and Armstrong should battle for the #1 seed; the nod here goes to Orono but with an asterisk.  Armstrong’s goalie Nikki Harnett ended the season posting 17 shutouts, 7 one goal games, and 9 two goal games in 43 starts.  Armstrong’s defense with her in the nets could carry them to a D3 playoff championship.  Armstrong gets the #2 seed.  The North Metro Pirates can be dangerous and could end up playing Hopkins for the #3 seed.  Hopkins finished their D3 season well, tying Orono 3-3, losing to Armstrong 3-2, losing to Osseo/Maple Grove 3-0, and beating Delano 7-2.  The Royals should take the #3 seed. 

District 5 and District 4 plays a combined schedule at the pewee A level.  Ten D5 and D4 associations fielded peewee A teams this season.  Nine of those teams played in D5’s peewee A league.  Sartell, the tenth peewee A team that plays in D5’s AA league during the season and plays in the peewee A playoffs.  Last March, Sartell played in the State Peewee A tourney.  Sartell A finished second in the AA league ahead of St. Cloud AA, River Lakes AA, STMA AA, and MAML AA.

D4/D5’s peewee A playoff format has been established.  League play will not be completed until Saturday, February 15.  The ten district teams have to decide to participate.  This year it appears that eight teams will play in the D5 playoffs, but the seeding will not be known for another week.  This year the D5 playoffs are being played at Marshall with three quarterfinal games played Friday, February 21.  Five teams will advance to the South Regional out of the D4/D5 playoffs.  Three of the eight teams in the playoff s will be eliminated.  The playoff format is a double elimination tourney, but all four quarterfinal winners will go to the South.  The playoff champion will get D4’s #1 seed, the runner-up gets D5’s #2 seed, the third place winner gets D4’s #2 seed, and the fourth place finisher gets D5’s #2 seed.  The four quarterfinal losing teams will play for D5’s #3 seed.   

NOW ranked #9 Sartell and #13 ranked Luverne are favored to meet in the championship game.  Luverne won D5’s peewee A league posting a 15-0 record.  This past Sunday, Sartell beat Luverne 10-3.  It was Luverne’s fourth game in two days.  In the D5 championship game, both teams will be playing their third game in three days.  A D5 championship game between these two teams will be close, the nod goes to Sartell.  They get D4’s #1 seed.  Luverne gets D5’s #1 seed.

Hutchinson is favored to finish second in D5’s peewee A league and is likely to play host Marshall.  The Hutch should win and with that win a South Regional berth.  New Ulm/Sleepy Eye will likely play Sauk Rapids in the #4/#5 game.  That game will be a toss-up.  The Indians will be slight favorites and should win and win a South Regional berth.  Hutchinson beats NUSE in the third place game for D4’s #2 seed to the South; NUSE gets D5’s #2 seed.  Sauk Rapids and Marshall should be in a Sunday morning battle for D5’s #3 seed.  The hometown Tigers win.

South Regional Draw

The South Regional quarterfinals will be played at St. Cloud’s MAC February 28.  In the opening round Orono should play Hutchinson and Luverne should play Hopkins in the upper bracket if the districts as predicted are correct.  In the lower bracket, Sartell would play Marshall and NUSE would play Armstrong.  This should be the toughest regional this year with potentially five NOW top ranked teams (#4 Armstrong, #8 Orono, #9 Sartell, #11 Hopkins, and #13 Luverne) competing for two spots in the state tourney.

But this is peewee A hockey and as most youth hockey fans know, anything can happen at play down time.  Don’t be surprise if an unknown steps forward and wows the fans and tourney sponsors.  It happens almost every year.