Goaltending stood out early in the Peewee AA division, with four shutouts sprinkled throughout the first day of competition in Duluth. Edina, Thunder Bay (ON), Hermantown, and Osseo-Maple Grove were the squads that didn’t allow a goal, featuring quality goaltending performances across the board.

In the four games that did not feature a shutout, Duluth East topped Blaine 6-3, Wayzata eked out a 4-3 win over Prior Lake, Lakeville edged Winnipeg 2-1, and Grand Rapids snuck by Moorhead 2-1.

After one day, Duluth East and Lakeville South lead the Red Pool, Edina and Thunder Bay are tops in the White Pool, Hermantown and Wayzata are on top in the Blue Pool, and Osseo-Maple Grove is even with Grand Rapids in the Green Pool.  

In an outright rejection of the shutout trend started by the Peewees, no blank sheets were recorded at the Bantam AA level, where close games reigned supreme. Edina has a firm hold on the Red Pool with two wins on Friday, thumping Duluth East 8-1 and defeating St. Paul 4-1. The Hornets will put their four-game winning streak on the line against Blaine tomorrow. 

Denfeld sits atop the White Pool with a 1-0-1 record after the first day, knocking off Andover 5-4 and tying Stillwater 5-5. Stillwater’s draw with Denfeld was its second tie of the day, as the Ponies knotted Eden Prairie on Friday morning 2-2. Lakeville South jumped out to 2-0 on the day with wins over Minnetonka and Centennial, while Wayzata is in first place of the Green Pool with a 2-0 record.

Prior Lake, this year's Battle for the Blue Ox champion, fell to Wayzata on Friday morning, but with a 12-0 win over Cloquet, the Lakers own the best goal differential of the entire field (13-2).  

John Halverson, Edina PWAA 

Halverson scored two goals and added three assists for the Hornets in Friday’s win over Cloquet, routinely knifing through the offensive zone to create scoring chances. 

Ryder Miskovich, Grand Rapids PWAA

Miskovich turned away at least 20 shots for the Thunderhawks, including several from close range, in the team’s 2-1 win over Moorhead.

Nick Baer, Minnetonka BAA 

The reliable defender helped the Skippers rebound from a heartbreaking loss to Lakeville South on Friday morning with a 5-1 win over Hermantown to cap Friday night.