If you like Bantam hockey try to catch Grand Forks this week in Edina
Happy New Year!!!
The next five days in Minnesota is a hockey fan's dream. Squirts, PeeWees and Bantams chase tournament titles all over the state. High school hockey has hundreds of great games in a very short stretch and a few great tournaments.
YHH will be all over the state snapping pictures, tweeting and even broadcasting a few high school games in St. Louis Park.
So many great story lines at the high school level...#2A Delano and #1A Hermantown could face off in Duluth, the top two AA teams #1AA Stillwater and #2AA Elk River face off in St. Louis Park. If that isn't good enough, Schwan Cup will bring in the new year with four championship games at Ridder on New Year's Eve.
At the youth level, Edina hosts six tournaments at Braemar (PWB to BAA). Elk River hosts two events at Bantam B and PeeWee B. The annual Paul Bunyan PeeWee tourney should be a great event in Bemidji. And, don't forget the little guys - OMG hosts a great Squirt event in Maple Grove and The Pond has a great Mite and Squirt event, too.
Here is a list of events we will be tracking over the next week.
Boys High School
Ben Meyers and Delano could see Hermantown in Duluth this week
Holiday Tournaments
| Tournament | YHH Pick | Don't Sleep On | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schwan Cup (Gold) | Eden Prairie | STA or Edina | Possible re-match of last Thursday tilt in EP? |
| Schwan Cup (Silver) | STMA | Cretin/Breck winner | 5-6 teams that could be at the X |
| Schwan Cup (Bronze) | Chanhassen | Hudson | Storm may be best team in Metro West |
| Schwan Cup (Open) | Minnehaha Academy | Spring Lake Park | Redhawks are off to 7-1 start |
| Hilltopper Holiday | Hermantown | Brainerd | Potential matchup between H'Town and Delano |
| South St. Paul | Woodbury | Eagan | Wes Bolin has the Royals playing well |
Jax Murray and the #2 Elks will play 3 big games in SLP
Other Games to Watch
| Event | Team 1 | Team 2 | YHH Pick | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLP Holiday* | Moorhead | Holy Family | Holy Family | Both teams with great speed |
| SLP Holiday* | Lakeville North | Elk River | Elk River | Elks more mature and deeper than LVN |
| SLP Holiday* | Elk River | Stillwater | Stillwater | #1 vs. #2...this one will be fun |
| *Live Streamed on YHH |
Bantam
| Tournament | YHH Pick | Don't Sleep On | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edina Invite AA | Grand Forks | White Bear Lake | Potential Rematch of EP final...Edina has not won since '12 |
| Edina Invite A | Orono | Edina | Spartans down Lucas Jorgenson still tough to beat |
| Elk River Twaddle | Elk River | Buffalo | An Elks-Bison battle would be fun to see. |
| Edina Invite B | Edina (Green) | Edina (White) | White still stinging from Nov. 19 loss |
Watch out for Kory Bell from Burnsville BAA this week
PeeWee
OMG and Edina could meet for the fifth time in Edina Invite final
| Tournament | YHH Pick | Don't Sleep On | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edina Invite AA | Osseo Maple Grove | Edina | Some things just stay the same (OMG v. Edina in a title game) |
| Paul Bunyan | Hermantown | Grand Forks Seawolves | GF won Roseau, can Hawks stop Cole Spicer? |
| Bloomington AA/A | JCNSP | Farmington | Undefeated Polar Devils will get #5A Jefferson in pooll play and a great opponent in finals |
| Edina Invite A | Edina | Sartell | Should be some good games in bracket play |
| Elk River Twaddle | Elk River | Osseo Maple Grove (White) | Elks and White could be great matchup for Twaddle |
| Bloomington B | Chaska Chanhassen | Mounds View Irondale | No easy road for #7 Stormhawks - JFK in pool play and MVI in finals |
| Edina Invite B | Edina (Green) | Edina (White) | First matchup of state's two best teams...should be fun! |
Kennedy will be tough to beat at the Bloomington Showdown this week
Squirt
| Tournament | YHH Pick | Don't Sleep On |
|---|---|---|
| OMG Extravaganza A | OMG Crimson | Chaska/Chanhassen |
| OMG Extravaganza B | Stillwater (Black) | OMG Gold |
| The Pond New Year's | Playmakers and Hat Trick | Elves |
Danny Nelson will be hard to stop in the OMG Squirt Extravaganza
Recent MN YHH News
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- By Peter Odney 04/12/2024, 2:15pm CDT
