Since Minnesota Hockey split the peewee A level into AA/A at the start of the 2012-2013 season, Minnatonka’s peewee A teams has struggled.  The Skipper A’s have not been a strong team.  The A's have never had a winning season and they have never made it to a regional tourney.  Last season, they lost in the District 6 playoffs to Shakopee.  This season is different, the Skippers are a strong team with good size and a good defense.  They are fourth in the nine team District 6 Peewee A league, but look poised to make a run in the remaining month of regular season play right into the D6 playoffs and South Regional.  This year could be the Minnetonka Association's year to send their peewee A team to the peewee A state tourney.  In the first three peewee A state tourneys, the only one District 6 team, Edina A, has played in the state the state tourney.  This season, District 6 will send three peewee A teams to the 2016 South Regional to be played in New Ulm February 26-28.  At New Ulm, the three D6 teams will be joined by three teams from District 4 and two teams from District 9.  But to get to the South Regional, the Skippers need to beat Edina A, Shakopee, or Chaska/Chanhassen A; the three top District 6 teams in the league to get one of the three D6 seeds to the South Regional.  At the South Regional, the two District 6 teams will likely be challenged by Mankato, Northfield, and Luverne.   

The eight team Anoka Classic Peewee AA/A tourney field last week drew teams from six Minnesota Hockey Districts including top teams from District 2, District 5, and District 15.  Two District 10 teams were entered, host Anoka and Princeton.  Both teams are in the bottom half of the D10 peewee A league.  Anoka had some success earlier in the season, but both the Tornadoes and Princeton have struggled over the holidays.  Sibley and Woodbury AA play in District 8.  The Warriors play in District 8’s peewee A league and Woodbury plays in District 8’s peewee AA league.  They too are struggling in league play. The other four teams entered were each from different districts.  Besides Minnetonka (District 6), Sartell (District 5), Northern Lakes (District 15) and Roseville (District 2) were entered.  Sartell is unbeaten and leading District 5’s peewee A league.  The Sabres are the favorites to win the D5 playoffs and advance to the West Regional to be played in Crookston.  Northern Lakes is in a battle with Fergus Falls, Little Falls, and Detroit Lakes for District 15’s title and for one of the two D15 seeds to the West Regional.  If Lightning get to Crookston, Northern Lakes could end up playing Sartell.  Roseville plays in District 2’s peewee league and will likely battle Mounds View/Irondale and White Bear Lake for one of two seeds to the East Regional played at Cottage Grove this year.  The two District 2 seeded teams will be joined by three teams from Districts 3 and 8.  The East Regional is one of the toughest regionals to be played this year.  The Anoka Classic Peewee AA/A tourney this year had four possible state tourney teams (Minnetonka, Sartell, Northern Lakes, and Roseville).    

Anoka, Sartell, Roseville, and Sibley played for one berth in the championship game.

Host Anoka played Sartell in their quarterfinal game Friday night.  The Sabres beat the Tornadoes 4-1 scoring twice in the second period and twice in the third period for the win.  The opening period was a tightly played game with Sartell having a shot advantage due in part to a 90 second 5-on-3 power play.  The Tornadoes penalty kill stopped the Sabres from scoring in the first period  But one minute into the second period, an Anoka defender thought he cleared the puck deep and went for a shift change.  The puck was stopped by Sartell’s Michael Webster in neutral ice.  Webster turned the Anoka mistake into a solo rush on the Tornadoes’ net for a goal hitting the upper left part of the Anoka net.  Two minutes later, Sartell’s Joshua Kern scored with Joseph Folsom and Parker Comstock assisting.  Sartell led 2-0 going into the third period.  Anoka’s Carter Boehler scored a power play goal in the opening minutes of play with Jack Novack getting the assist to cut the Sabres’ lead to 2-1.  For most of the third period, the two teams battled evenly before Sartell’s Hayden Walters scored the insurance goal with two minutes to play.  The Sabres Kern and Folsom combined to score again with a minute left to play.  Kern got the goal and Folsom the assist.  Sartell won 4-1.

In the second quarterfinal game in the upper bracket, Roseville beat Sibley 4-1 in a wide open race horse game.  The Warriors scored first when Max Nagel picked up a loose puck to the left of the Roseville net, skated across the top of the crease and backhanded a shot into the upper part of the net from the right crease area to put Sibley up 1-0.  Sibley held the1-0 after the first period.  There were 17 shots on net in the opening period (YHH count).  Roseville tied the game in the opening minute of the second period on a goal by Zakary Goodwin.  Gavin Carlson got the assist.  The race horse style of play continued.  Neither team could score the tie breaker until with 5 minutes were left in the second period.  Roseville’s Joey O’Neill scored from low left to put the Raiders up 2-1.  Three minutes later, a hard shot from the left point rebounded to Matthew Belin.  Belin took the rebounding puck and beat the diving Sibley goalie with a shot from the edge of the right crease.  James Bartel got the assist.  Roseville led 3-1.  O’Neill would add a late third period score with Tony Leahy assisting to end the scoring 4-1.

Roseville beat Sartell 3-1 in the upper bracket semifinal game.  After a scoreless first period, the Raiders scored twice in the second period to take a 2-0 lead into the third.  Hunter Hefferman scored two minutes into the second period with Joey O’Neill getting the assist.  Late in the period, Gavin Carlson scored for the Raiders with James Bartel getting the assist.  Sartell’s Lauren Wensel scored in the opening minutes of the third period to make it a 2-1 game.  Hayden Walters and Michael Webster got the assists.  Halfway through the third period, Roseville’s Tony Leahy scored unassisted to clinch the Roseville victory 3-1.  Roseville advanced to the championship game, Sartell would play for third place.

Anoka beat Sibley 5-2 in their consolation semifinal game.  The Tornadoes broke open a 1-1 first period tie with two second period goals to take a 3-1 lead into the final period.  Anoka’s Frank Gulmont and defenseman Austin Lang each scored twice.  Gulmont’s second score was the game winner.  Cole Kellar got the fifth Anoka score.  Carter Boehler assisted on three Tornadoe scores.  Kellar, Carter Olzenak, Jack Novack, and Wyatt Maloney each got one assist.  Anoka advanced to the consolation championship, Sibley played for third place.    

Minnetonka A, Princeton, Woodbury AA, and Northern Lakes played for the second berth in the championship game.

Minnetonka beat Princeton 6-0 in their quarterfinal game.  The Skippers’ Casey Miller scored four minutes into the opening period on a shot from the right point to put Minnetonka up 1-0.  Brady Anderson got the assist.  The first period ended 1-0.  The Skippers broke open the game in the second period with four goals; two came in the first two minutes of the period.  Ben McBride made a neat pass to Miller in the slot out the corner.  Miller’s shot beat the Princeton goalie for the second Minnetonka score.  McBride got the assist.  The Skippers third goal came a minute later with Minnetonka’s Wyatt Smits getting the score.  Smits was setup by a neat pass from Tyler Kueppers.  Kueppers got the assist on the three pass Minnetonka play.  Walter Johnson knocked puck loose in neutral ice and soloed in for the fourth Skipper goal.  Johnson's goal was an unassisted score.  Smits got his second goal of the game as the second period ended.  Miller and McBride got the assists.  Charlie Herner scored in the third period unassisted to end the scoring 6-0.  Minnetonka advanced.  Princeton was blitzed in the first period with ten shots on net and survived giving up one goal, but their defense could not match the Skippers aggressive play in the second period giving up four Skipper scores in eight shots.

Woodbury beat Northern Lakes 3-0 in their quarterfinal game.  It was an evenly played hockey game with each team having their scoring opportunities.  Each team got fourteen shots on net, but Woodbury pressured the Lightning team low and often won getting tougher shots on net.  The Predators scored two unassisted goals off that pressure.  Alex Hanson scored four minutes into the opening period for what proved to be the winning goal.  Hanson was assisted by Derek Marner on the score.  The first period ended with Woodbury leading 1-0.  Woodbury’s Charles Schuyler scored the only second period goal unassisted.  The Predators led 2-0 after the second period.  Gabe Rasmussen scored the final Predator goal late in the third period to end the scoring 3-0.

Minnetonka A and Woodbury AA played in the lower bracket semifinal game Saturday evening.  Woodbury took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period behind goals by Charles Schuyler and Dylan Godbout.  Godbout and Gabe Rasmussen assisted on Schuyler’s score; Drew Fisher and Rasmussen assisted on Godbout’s goal.  The two teams each scored twice in the second period.  Woodbury scored five minutes into the period to take a 3-0 lead.  Dylan Sydor got the goal with Nick Landin and Godbout getting the assist.  Minnetonka got rolling halfway through the period on a goal by Brady Caron to cut the lead to 3-1.  Walter Johnson and Tyler Kueppers got the assists.  Three minutes later, Godbout scored again to put Woodbury up 4-1.  Kevin O’Connor got the assist.  Casey Miller scored for the Skippers as the second period was ending to make it a 4-2 game going into the third period.  Minnetonka dominated the play in the first half of the final period scoring four times.  Caron, Drew Hicks, Ryan Herbert, and Johnson each scored.  Herbert, Wyatt Smits, Ryan Berchild, and Johnson each got assists on the four third period scores.  Herbert’s goal was the game winner.  Minnetonka beat Woodbury 6-4 to advance to the championship game.  The Skippers would play Roseville for the championship.  Woodbury would play Sartell for third place.

Northern Lakes trailed Princeton 2-0 with eight minutes left to play in their consolation semifinal game.  The Lightning rallied to score four times to beat the Tigers 4-2.  Jakob Ince scored twice for the Lightning getting the insurance goal with a minute to play.  Robert Stephens got the second score and Hunter Nybakken got the game winner.  Cory Casanova and Caiden Kjelstrom each got an assist; Josef Slepica assisted on the winning and insurance scores.  Princeton’s Dylan Cook and Tyler Berglund each scored for the Tigers.  Dalton Wille assisted on both Tiger scores; Blake Smith assisted on the second Tiger goal.  Northern Lakes would play Anoka for the consolation title and Princeton would play Sibley for seventh place.