Each of the four peewee A regional tourneys (East, North, South and West) are played in four different locations scattered through the state.  Each regional tourney will have eight teams taken from three districts.  The number of teams per district was determined four years ago and published in Minnesota Hockey’s handbook.  The districts are moved among the four regionals each year.  The format for each regional tourney is defined in the handbook.  The tourney format is a double elimination format.  The top two teams in regional will advance to the state tourney.  The opening round of each regional is also established in Minnesota’s hockey handbook.  The peewee A opening round draw was set in 2010.

East Regional

Three teams from District 8 (Apple Valley, Farmington, and Hastings), three teams from District 9 (Rochester Black, Mankato, and Red Wing) and two teams from District 6 (Prior Lake/Savage A and Edina A) play in the East Regional. 

Apple Valley vs Edina

It is not often that a tourney opens with the #1 seed Apple Valley playing the #8 seed Edina.  That is not a mistake; it is the result of a predetermined draw made four years ago.  The Eagles came out of the D8 single peewee AA/A playoff seeded #1 as a result of beating Farmington 6-4.  The Hornets came out of the District 6’s playoffs with the #2 seed.  The Hornets had to fight avoid elimination by beating Chaska/Chanhassen 4-3.  Edina won after coming back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period and score the winner with 17 seconds left on the clock.

But don’t laugh at the #1 versus #8 seeding, thinking that is a Minnesota Hockey foible.  These two teams meet a month ago, Edina winning 5-3.  Since then, the Eagles have struggled, but played tough posting a 13-27-5 record.  Edina has struggled in their nine February games posting a 5-4 record.  In the district playoffs, the NOW ranked #8 Hornets could not beat #13 ranked Prior Lake.  This game could be close, but the nod here goes to Edina pulling away from the Eagles at the end of the game.

Rochester Black vs Hastings

Rochester Black finished third in District 9’s regular season play.  At their home tourney in mid-January, the Black (20-12-6) came back strong.  After losing their opening game to Eastview AA 3-0, they beat Kennedy 6-4, New Prague 6-1, and Centennial A 3-2 to win the Silver Division championship.  At the District 9 playoffs last week, the Black did the same thing, beating Northfield 7-1, NOW ranked #20 Red Wing 5-2, and #15 ranked Mankato 3-2.

The Black takes on Hastings, a team that has played tough, but just hasn’t finished well.  The Raiders (6-25-1) are D8’s #3 seed.  Their season record will mislead, Hastings lost two tough D8 playoff games last week 5-4 to NOW ranked #12 Rosemount AA and 4-3 Woodbury AA.  Hastings seems primed to make a late season charge.  Hastings beats the Black.

Prior Lake/Savage vs Red Wing

A late season 2-1 loss to Eden Prairie A cost the Lakers the regular season championship and dropped them to third place in District 6’s peewee A standings.  The Lakers made certain they did not lose to the Eagles again in the D6 playoffs, beating Eden Prairie 7-2.  Prior Lake went on to beat Edina twice in the D6 playoffs by identical 3-1 scores to win D6’s #1 seed.  The NOW ranked #13 Lakers are 30-17-3 on the season.  Prior Lake and four other regional entries (Denfeld, Spring Lake Park, Armstrong, and Mahtomedi) played in the 8 team Panther Classic held by Spring Lake Park last November.  The Lakers lost 1-0 to Denfeld in that tourney’s semifinals.

Mankato vs Farmington

At the start of the season, in a pre-season scrimmage with Rosemount AA, Farmington beat up the Irish.  No score was kept during that game, but the Tigers led by an all-girl line took the Irish apart.  Rosemount went on to win D8’s peewee AA/A league.  Farmington finished in the middle of the pack.  Last week, the Tigers were beaten by Apple Valley in a game that they struggled to score despite having good opportunities and lost 6-4.

Mankato won District 9 peewee A title this year but couldn’t beat Rochester Black during the regular season or in the playoffs.  They beat all the other D9 teams, but not the Black.  The Mavericks played well at the Edina Invitational over the New Year’s holiday.  The Mavericks lost a tough game to Chaska Chanhassen A 3-2, tied Minnetonka A 3-3, beat Andover A 5-2, and beat the Colorado Arapaho AA 3-0.  They had a good tourney.

This game will be the best of the quarterfinal round, the edge here goes to Farmington. 

East Tourney Winners

In Saturday games, Edina A should beat Hastings in the second round of games played.  Prior Lake gets upset by Farmington.  Apple Valley edges Rochester Black and Red Wing beats Mankato.  Mankato and Rochester Black are eliminated.  Prior Lake beats Apple Valley and Red Wing beats Hastings.  Hastings and Apple Valley are eliminated.

In Sunday morning’s championship game, Farmington edges Edina and gets the East’s #1 seed to the state tourney.  Prior Lake and Red Wing have a donneybrook of a battle with the Lakers winning to advance to the Elimination Final against their old foe Edina.  In the fourth game played between the Lakers and Hornets in past two weeks (all with titles on the line), Edina wins and gets Easts #2 seed to the state tourney.

North Regional Preview

Three teams from District 11 (Denfeld, Duluth East A, and Two Harbors), three teams from District 12 (Virginia, Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East) and two teams from District 2 (Highland and Mahtomedi) play in the North Regional.

Denfeld vs Mahtomedi

In Spring Lake Park’s November Panther Classic, these two teams were favored to meet.  It was a match-up both teams wanted, but Mahtomedi was upset by Prior Lake 2-1 and Denfeld beat Waconia 4-2.  The two teams went in different directions and have not played each other this season.  Denfeld went on to win D11 peewee A regular season title and playoffs.  Mahtomedi finished fourth in District 2’s peewee AA/A league behind Roseville AA, Highland, and White Bear Lake AA.  This past weekend, the Zephyrs lost to Highland 4-1 in the D2's peewee A playoff championship game and beat Tartan 4-1 for the #2 seed to the North Regional.

Denfeld has size and plays a tough physical game, but the faster and quicker passing Zephyrs should win.

Virginia vs Two Harbors

It is great to see the Agates in the Peewee A North Regional.  They had a good year in D11, finished with a winning record, and are currently NOW ranked #18.  But the Agates will be playing a tough #11 ranked Virginia team that won District 12’s regular season and playoff titles easily.  The Blue Devils beat the Agates.

Highland vs Greenway

Greenway has one of the best peewee A lines in the state, but have a short bench.  They were a pleasant surprise in the Cloquet Barn Burner three weeks ago losing in the quarterfinals to a Buffalo AA team when the Bison tied the game in the last 10 seconds.  Defense has been one of Greenway’s problems and they will need a good defense against against a tough Highland team that placed second in D2 regular season and won D2’s playoffs.  The Caps are a strong physical team and will be tough for Greenway to beat.  Caps win.

EGME vs Duluth East A

Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East Association’s peewee A team and peewee B Gold team made the North Regional.  They are one of the most improved association’s peewee program in the state this year.  In the past, they have struggled to put together even a few wins in a season, but the association has kept the program going and it could be a big payoff in the coming years at the high school level.  The EGME peewees had a good regular season playing .500 hockey with wins over Elk River A 6-5 and St. Louis Park 4-3.  The Golden Bears-Buccaneers/Giants had a good Barn Burner tourney the first week in February in Cloquet and then upend Greenway 9-4 in the D12 playoffs to take the #2 seed.

Duluth East A has quietly posted a .500 season record and placed second behind Denfeld in D12 regular season play.  The Hounds took the #2 seed to the North Regional.  In the past two months, the Hounds have played tough in losing to Farmington 4-1, Prior Lake A 3-2 and Virginia 3-2.  They could be the “surprise” of this tourney.  They should edge EGME in the opener.

North Tourney Winners

In Saturday’s games, Mahtomedi edges Virginia in one semifinal game and Highland beats Duluth East in the second game.  Denfeld beat Two Harbors and EGME beats Greenway.  Two Harbors and Greenway are eliminated.  Saturday evening Denfeld beats Duluth East and Virginia beats EGME.  Duluth East and EGME are eliminated.

In Sunday Morning’s championship game, Highland beats Mahtomedi for the North’s #1 seed to the state tourney.  Virginia beats Denfeld and advances to the Elimination Final game to play Mahtomedi for the second time in the tourney.  That game will be played at Virginia’s Miners Memorial Arena at 4:00 pm Sunday.  In the South Regional last year at Luverne, the whole town backed the peewee Cardinals when they played in Sunday’s Elimination Final.  The Cardinal fans packed the arena, cheering them on to victory.  After the game, they formed a tunnel outside the arena for the team to exit through.  It is hard to believe that it will be any different at Miners Memorial this coming Sunday.  Blue Devils win to take the #2 seed.