Many teams opened district playoffs this past weekend and many had an open weekend heading into regions in two weeks.  Four got together in Brainerd for some round robin action.  The first slate of games in Brainerd were host Brainerd against Minneapolis and game two featured Duluth East and St Cloud.  Game one was a back and forth battle that was decided in the final seconds.  After a back and forth evenly matched battle, Minneapolis' Nate Heithoff scored with 15 seconds remaining in the game to lift the Storm to a 3-2 win over the Warriors.  In game two, YHH saw the Greyhounds start fast, but they were not able to keep pace with the Huskies and Jack Smith. Smith, the 2014 Wiz Wyatt player of the year finalist finished with four goals to pace St Cloud to a 6-3 win.

The third period provided the same style of play as the first two.  The play was exciting hockey as both team skated hard providing the fans with great up-and-down action.  Brainerd's Cole Beyer was able to find the back of the net midway through the period to tie it at two.  Neither team was able to take control after that goal and it appeared we would end tied as the final seconds would tick off the clock.  With under a minute to play, Brainerd was pressuring for the winner but a loose puck produced and odd man rush for the Storm. The result of this rush was Nate Heithoff lighting the lamp with 15 seconds remaining giving the Storm a 3-2 win over the Warriors in a great back and forth game.

A Greyhound is a fast dog and that is exactly the way Duluth East started their match up with St Cloud on Saturday.  Zarley Ziemski wasted little time in this one as he lit the lamp one minute and one second into the game.  The Huskies were not about to let the Greyhounds run away with this one.  Jack Smith would net the first of his four goal performance under a minute later and pace the Huskies to a 6-3 win over the Greyhounds.

After the fast start and quick answer by the Huskies the Greyhounds went back on the attack for the remainder of the first period.  St Cloud goalie Grant Martin was solid in the net for the Huskies and Jack Smith produced his second goal of the game to give St Cloud a 2-1 lead after one period even though the Greyhounds held a 16-4 advantage in shots.

The second period started with more Greyhound offense but Grant Martin and the Huskies were equal to the task.  Martin's solid play held Duluth East long enough for their own offense to kick in.  The game would change in a span of seven seconds during the second period.  Brady Balfanz and Cullen Hiltner would score back to back in a seven second span putting the Huskies up 4-1 putting the Huskies in control.  After those two goals the dimension of the game changed and the Huskies became the aggressor for the remainder of the period.  Zarley Ziemisk would score a late power play goal to make the game interesting at 4-2 after two.

It was the Huskies, not the Hounds that would start the third period fast.  Jack Smith was able to light the lamp during the first minute of play completing the Hatty and putting the Huskies up three goals once again.  St Cloud would continue to dominate play throughout the third until East's Josh Locker was able to convert on a breakaway to trim the Husky lead to two.  That is as close as the Hounds would get, Smith would add his fourth of the game and the St. Cloud would on to a 6-3 win.