The Burnsville tourney this year has 12 bantam A teams, 8 peewee A teams, and 12 squirt A teams entered.  Each team is placed in a four team pool with the pool winners and a wild card team advancing to Sunday semifinal games.  The Bantam A and Squirt A tourneys have three pools, the Peewee A tourney has two pools.

The draw in the Squirt A tourney had Rosemount and Edina Green grouped with Prior Lake and Woodbury.  With the Squirt teams formed the first week in November, there is little to go by in evaluating teams going into this tourney.  District 6 league play does not open until December 1st; District 8’s first regular season games start this Sunday.  Ten of the twelve teams entered play District 6 (Burnsville, Kennedy, Minnetonka, Edina Green, and Prior Lake) or District 8 hockey (Apple Valley, Lakeville South, Lakeville North, Rosemount, and Woodbury).  Osseo/Maple Grove plays District 3 and Mahtomedi plays District 2.

The squirt A battle between Rosemount and Edina Green matched unknowns.  Rosemount took a 3-0 lead into the third period and had a 4-1 lead with seven minutes to go when Edina’s offense went on a roll scoring two goals.  After scoring early in the period on a hard shot from the left face off, the Hornets put together two quick scores.  Halfway through the final period, Hornet forward Tommy Cronin beat the Rosemount defense on the left side and fired a hard shot that beat the Irish goalie on the right side.  A minute later, Jimmy Clark beat the Rosemount defense breaking down the left slot and scored to cut the Irish lead to 4-3.

In the final minutes of play, the action came down to two things could the Hornets contain the Irish defense man Whitlaw and could the Irish defense prevent the Hornet rush from getting clear shots on net.  With less then two minutes to play, Edina had their best chance to score when the Hornets #7 banged a loose puck at the edge of the left Irish post.  Instead of heading for the open net, the puck slid sideways along the goal line and into the right face off area.  Rosemount held on to win 4-3.  The Irish play Prior Lake Friday morning and Edina plays Woodbury in Pool C.  

In the other Squirt A game, Burnsville rallied from a 2-1 deficit late in the second period scoring to tie the game 2-2 and go on to win 6-2 in a Pool A game.  Burnsville plays Apple Valley and Lakeville South plays Kennedy in Pool A games Friday morning.  Opening Pool B games match Minnetonka and Osseo/Maple Grove; Mahtomedi plays Lakeville North in the second Pool B game.

In Wednesday’s Peewee A Tourney, Apple Valley beat Rosemount 6-2 in a Pool B game.  The Eagles offensive duo of Jack Novak and Jared Wright pressured the Irish most of the game.  Apple Valley plays Mahtomedi Friday.  Rosemount plays South St. Paul.  The Eagles/Zephyr game will likely decide the Peewee A Pool B winner.  Burnsville plays Eastview in their Pool A game, Sibley plays Armstrong/Cooper.

In Bantam A action Wednesday, Farmington beat Minnetonka A 2-1 in a Pool C game.  The Tigers will play Sartell Friday and Minnetonka A plays Anoka.  Burnsville draws NOW ranked #12 MAML (Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake in their Friday Pool A game.  MAML plays District 5 rival St. Michael/Albertville in a Friday morning game.  South St. Paul plays STMA in the tourney night cap Friday.  Pool B play opens with Duluth East playing Hastings and the Southeast Blizzard from Winnipeg playing Mahtomedi.  This is another good Burnsville Tourney.