The games in Grand Rapids this weekend are round robin, each team plays each other once.  The weekend games are similar to a pool play at a tourney.  At Stevens Point Ice Hawk arena, two teams play two games and two teams play three games.  TCF draws the Fury on Saturday and plays Team Wisconsin Sunday; Starkey plays Team Wisconsin Saturday and the Fury on Sunday.  The Badgers and the Fury play an 8:00 PM game Saturday.

Featured Game Preview: MAP versus Luther’s

Saturday morning MAP plays Luther's.  Based on last weekend’s performance, MAP should roll through their games this weekend.  They should beat Luther's in their first game this weekend.  But this is Minnesota hockey and the game is being played on Northern Minnesota ground.  The north/south rivalry exists.  A number of players on the MAP team play for Twin Cities’ high schools (Grand Rapids' rivals in Section 7AA) and a number of players on Luther's play for northern high schools.

Despite the rivalry, MAP has the guns.  Their team, led by Jacob Jaremko/Elk River and Carter Roo/Benilde-St. Margaret’s, won their three games last weekend by a collective score of 29-13.  Jaremko has been on fire since playing in the Eagan Summer High School tourney in July.  His high school team, Elk River, is a threat to knock Grand Rapids and Duluth East out of contention in Section 7AA next March.

Luther’s has players from all over Minnesota and North Dakota.  Most MAP players live in the northwest part of the Twin Cities and will play for the Class AA title next March.  Luther’s is truly an out state Minnesota team.  Most of the players on the Luther's roster will play for the Class A State High School Championship next March.  Luther's had a good, solid, opening weekend going 1-1-1 and should have beaten the TCF Bankers in their third game Sunday instead of getting a 3-3 tie.  The Luther's defense had a strong showing last weekend.  The question is can they do well offensively this weekend.  Luther's has the talent at the forwards.  Kobe Roth/Warroad has speed and can score.  Forwards John Richards/Detroit Lakes, Chaz Smedsrud/Luverne, and Ryan Marciniak/Alexandria all had good games last weekend.  The penalty kill play of forwards Doug Larson/Crookston and Jake Leach/Bemidji was outstanding.  

MAP should come out of the weekend adding three wins and posting a 6-0 record Monday.  But Luther's could upset them in the first game Saturday.

Luther’s defense held three opponents last weekend to 8 goals; that is the good news for the Great Plainers.  The key to winning will be Luther’s defense, but it will be stretched facing good MAP lines (the two high scoring lines, one centered by Jacob Jaremko/Elk River and one centered by Carter Roo/Benilde-St. Margaret’s) and two more if all the MAP forwards show.  Play did not fall off when a MAP line centered by Ben Meyers/Delano (with Zach Sitarz/Andover and Henry Enebak/Lakeville South) was on the ice last weekend.

Luther’s defense is anchored by Luke Jaycox/Warroad and Toby Sengvongxay/Luverne.  The pair moved the puck quickly when clearing their zone and minimized their opponents attack.  Alex Mehnert/Moorhead played smart, but also played more aggressive offensively.  Not all six Luther's defenders showed for all three games.  The Luther's defense held their three opponents to 87 shots on net.  The other six UMHSEL teams defenses gave up an average of 101 shots on net opening week.  The Luther's defense should be stronger this weekend.

MAP’s defense was one that played loose last weekend.  While the offense piled up the goals keeping the games from being close, but the defense gave up 13 goals in the three games keeping the games “closer”.  The six MAP defenders got on the scoreboard (collectively, they posted 17 points/3 goals).  Elk River’s Matt Kierstad led the defense corps in scoring (6 points/1 goal).   The MAP defense should tighten up as the season rolls, the question is will they play better in a tough Grand Rapids arena that is friendly to the northern teams.   They will have a chance to do that against Luther’s.

The Luther’s offense struggled last weekend.  The line centered by Jon Richards/Detroit Lake with wings Kobe Roth/Warroad and Brady Tatro/Bemidji was the most productive (7 points/4 goals).  After that, the other three lines had problems finding the net.  The Luther’s forwards tended to play conservative in their zone, often all five forwards would be below the hash marks (note: Team Wisconsin plays a similar style, but has the breakout mastered and can quickly transition to an all out attack).  Luther’s has that capability especially with their speed at forward, but did not show that last weekend.

Josh Kuehmichael/Hopkins is scheduled to be in the nets for Map; Tanner Bender/Grand Forks (ND) Central should be in the net for Luther’s.  Both goalies showed their rust in the single game played last weekend.  Both will have two “bites of the apple” this weekend.

Other Grand Rapids Games   

The second game at Grand Rapids Saturday morning will match Muscle Milk against Mpls St.Paul Magazine.  If any of the UMHSEL teams has a home ice advantage, it will be Muscle Milk playing in Grand Rapids.  Though the MM’s lost their first three games, they will be dangerous.  The MM’s play Mpls St. Paul, MAP, and Luther’s.  Their 6:00 PM Saturday game against MAP should be the best game of the weekend at the Rapids arena,  Muscle Milk lost last Sunday to MAP 10-6 in a wild game that MAP broke open with four third period goals (two by young guns Ben Meyers/Delano and Henry Enebak/Lakeville North).  This weekend the MM's have 10 reasons to do better.

Mpls/St. Paul Magazine plays the MM’s, Luther’s, and MAP.  This team is better than their 1-2 record; MSP's USA U17 players, Mark Senden/Wayzata and Riley Tufte/Blaine started to roll in Sunday’s 7-6 loss to Team Wisconsin.  Keith Muehlbauer/Eastview joins a strong defense (led by Riese Zmolek/Rochester Century and Griff Slightham/Rochester Lourdes).  In Sunday’s game and he added strength to the defense.  The coaches split the goaltender’s (Jack Burkel/Rochester Lourdes and Matt Snow/St. Thomas Academy) time opening weekend.  Both goalies showed their rust. That should change this weekend and make a difference.

Steven’s Point Games

The first game of UMHSEL’s week two was played Tuesday at New Hope with Starkey beating TCF 6-5.  The Chicago Fury U18 team joins the league for three games this weekend at the Ice Hawk Arena.  The Fury will play TCF Bank and Team Wisconsin Saturday and Starkey Sunday. The Fury U18 team split two games this past weekend beating the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 7-1 and losing 3-2 in overtime.  The best game to watch at the Ice Hawk arena will be Saturday evening’s match between the Fury and the Badgers.  It will be the most interesting game.  Both the Fury and the Badgers are teams that could end up in the U18 Tier I national tourney played March 26-30 next year at Amherst NY.  Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep team, which will join the UMHSEL in week three, are the defending U18 Tier I National Champs.  

Team Wisconsin is a before and after team.  The Wisconsin players on this team will return during the winter months to their Wisconsin high school to play hockey.  After their high school hockey season ends, the Badger players will rejoin this team and potentially play in the U18 Tier I national tourney at Amherst next March.  The majority of players on this year’s Team Wisconsin won the 2014 U16 Tier I national title as part of Team Wisconsin’s U16 team.

Team Wisconsin got off to a slow start last weekend, losing their opening game to MAP.  The Badger’s offense showed a lot of rust in a 9-3 loss; but they came back to beat Muscle Milk 5-2 and came from behind on two last minute Collin Peter’s goals to beat Mpls/St. Paul 7-6.  The Badgers will be playing for a top spot in the league this weekend.  They open Saturday morning with a game against Starkey and close weekend play against TCF Bank.  Starkey and TCF Bank are in second and third place ahead of the fourth place Badgers.

Weekend Two Opener: Starkey beats TCF Bank 6-5

Tuesday night, TCF Bank played Starkey in a UMHSEL game at New Hope Arena that opened weekend two play.  Both teams were coming off good opening weekends.  TCF Bank had gone 2-0-1 and Starkeys posted a 2-1 record.  The two teams battled Tuesday night for second place behind the unbeaten MAP team. 

Period 1

TCF Bank took an early 2-0 lead powered by Peter Tufto/St. Thomas Academy.  Six minutes into the opening period, Tufto set up defenseman Brady Schoo/Eden Prairie for a score.  Tufto got the assist.  Two minutes later, Tufto scored to put the Bankers ahead 2-0; Casey Middlestadt/Eden Prairie and Nick Swaney/Lakeville South got the assists.

Starkey came back to score a power play goal four minutes later.  Dylan Malmquist/Edina cut to the high slot coming off the right boards to meet a rebounding puck and one-timed the sliding puck towards the net.  The puck was deflected in the slot area and trickled right rolling past TCF Bank goalie, Ryan Edquist into the lower right corner.  Malmquist got the score; Casey Dornbach/Edina the assist.  Thirty seconds later, Marshall Barnes/Holy Angels scored thirty seconds later to tie the game  for Starkey 2-2; AJ Robbel and Alex Gregor got the assists.

With two minutes left in the opening period, Malmquist picked up another loose puck in the slot in front of the Starkey goal and this time buried the puck in the upper right corner.  It was Malmquist’s second goal of the period and put Starkey up 3-2.  Despite trailing 3-2 going into the second period, the Bankers outshot Starkey 18-3.  Goalie Jon Flakne/Orono had a good night in the nets for Starkey.

Period 2

Starkey’s tied the game 3-3 in the first three minutes of the second period when Nick Poehling/Lakeville North scored unassisted.  A minute later John Peterson/Holy Family Catholic tipped in a shot from the blue line to put Starkey up again 4-3.  Ben Newhouse/Benilde-St. Margaret’s got the assist.  Schoo scored from the high slot beating the goalie with a hard shot on the left side center with four minutes left on the clock in the second period to give the Bankers a 4-4 tie going into the third period.  Will Duda got the assist.  TCF outshot Starkey again in the second period 11-6.

Period 3

Starkey defenseman Matt Anderson/Holy Family Catholic scored a minute into the third period to put the Green up 5-4.  Garrett Wait/Edina and Middlestadt got the assists.  Halfway through the third period, Jack Ahcan scored to tie the game again at 5-5.  Middlestadt picked up his third assist.  Garrett Wait got the game winner at the 8 minute mark on a power play.  Anderson and John Schuldt/Minnetonka assisted on the game winner.  Starkey won 6-5 despite being outshot by the Bankers 41-18 for the game. 

What is Next?

Shattuck-St. Mary’s joins the league in week three as the league heads for the NAHL Showcase played at the Super Rink in Blaine.  The Showcase opens Wednesday with all 24 NAHL teams playing their season opener.  The Showcase is one of the biggest hockey events in Minnesota.  Last year, the Showcase drew around 500 scouts from all over the country to watch 1500 U16, U18 and junior players play.  Eighty teams played in last September's Showcase.  Besides NAHL and UMHSEL teams, both U16 and U18 High Performance League teams (Little Caesar’s, Chicago Mission) play at the Showcase. U18 and U16 teams such as Minnesota before teams (Minnesota Blades) and teams from as far away as Alaska play at the Showcase.  It is non-stop hockey with action going on all eight rinks on most of the 5 days (September 17-21).