Duluth East beats Mankato 8-1...The Hounds scored four first period goals en route to an easy win over Mankato. Charlie Erickson continued his hot hand Saturday scoring 2G/1A and Josh Locker added a 1G/2A for the Hounds as they took it to Mankato in Virginia. The Hounds moved the puck with precision and got production from all three lines and their defensive corps.

St. Paul beats Alexandria on Gleason buzzer beater 4-3...the day's other most exciting game was between Alexandria and St. Paul. The Cards got off to quick start when Caleb Strong and Josiah Gronholz scored to give them a 2-0 lead. Late in the first, Jack Nei got an important late period goal to keep St. Paul in the game. After Strong added his second to make it 3-1, Matthew Gleason showed why he is the most important (we didn't say Most Valuable) player in this tournament. He scored on a pretty backhander to stem the Alexandria tide and cut their lead again to 3-2. With the score tied at three late, Alex looked to finish off St. Paul late, like they have done a few times already this year (just ask Chask Chan). With under two minutes to go, they had three great chances to win it, but Caps Goalie Carsten Lardy came up big. After a great clearing play, St. Paul the puck into the Alex zone for one last chance of their own with ten seconds left in the game. Gleason this time got a loose puck with three seconds left and fired a shot in desperation that hit traffic in front and found the net just a second before the final buzzer went off for the win!

Forest Lake ousts Mahtomedi 6-3...Forest Lake is catching fire the last few weeks and Mahtomedi saw first hand how good the Rangers can be. Kole Hause lead the Rangers with 2G, both scored early in the game to establish that they were not to be taken lightly. Early in the third with Mahtomedi threatening to tie it at 3, Connor Blanchard fed a streaking Coleton Roberts who buried a one timer to give Forest Lake a 4-2 lead. That goal shifted the momentum back in favor of the Rangers. Cole Carpenter and Brady Gutterman scored two more goals to extend the lead to 6-2. Tyler Steffens made 26 stops on 29 shots to help the Rangers cruise to 6-3 win in Coleraine.

Orono loses lead to Warroad and then wins in Shootout, literally...in one of Saturday's most exciting games that featured more highlights than a Lebron James SportsCenter segment.  Grant Slukynsky scored the game's first goal on a 70 foot slap shot. Warroad overcame a 6-3 deficit with three goals in the third period to send it to OT. After an exciting Overtime, in the shootout Owen Meeker was given a second chance to shoot when Orono Goalie Carson Limesand was penalized for leaving the crease prior to Meeker starting his attempt. On his second attempt, Limesand came up big, again. After the Meeker miss, Orono hero, Lucas Jorgenson beat Zach Foster with a backhander for the win. Slukynsky had a Hatty for the Warriors and Kyle Swanholm and Riley Paul had 2Gs a piece for the Spartans.

Orono beats Duluth East 5-3...Cooper Klaers had 2G/1A for Orono and Carsten Limesand had 24 saves as the Spartans knocked off Duluth East 5-3 in the Founder's Cup Semifinal. The Spartans made the most of a few great opportunities to help them win. Nolan Aleff had 1G/1A for the Hounds including a pretty one-timer on a great feed from Finn Hoops. The most important goals for the Spartans came on two hard working second chance goals by Jamie Bazil and Kyle Swanholm to give them a 4-2 lead. With the score 4-3 late in the game and the East Goalie pulled, Klaers snuck in a very important ENG to preserve the win.

St. Paul punches a ticket to finals on Gleason's 5 Goals...earlier this week we proclaimed that Matthew Gleason may be the best PeeWee in Minnesota. On Saturday, he showed why. He netted five goals for the Capitals, several of highlight variety. The first was a sick top shelf bar down shot two minutes into the game, with others with just as much flair. He finished the game with 5G/1A as the Caps made a statement to their Sunday opponent that if Gleason cannot be contained they won't have a chance. At times it was like watching a man playing with boys, he was that dominant. Gleason is a perfect package of hands, power, and grace. Normally players with a lopsided goal to assist ratio can be named "selfish." If anything, Matthew is too unselfish as he tried too hard at times to include his teammates.

Prediction: St. Paul > Orono 

Quarters

Hibbing > Grand Rapids (7-2)
North Branch > Detroit Lakes (8-6)
Virginia > Superior (6-4)
STMA > Pine City (6-3)

Semis

North Branch > Hibbing (7-5)
Virginia > STMA (11-5)

Prediction: North Branch > Virginia

Quarters

Apple Valley > Park Cottage Grove (5-2)
Eveleth > White Bear Lake (6-2)
River Lakes > Minneapolis (3-2)
Greenway > East Grand Forks (5-1)

Semis

Apple Valley > Eveleth (6-4)
Greenway > River Lakes (4-2)

Prediction: Greenway > Apple Valley