Each year we try to summarize the season in one article. In theory, if you read one piece, you could read this one and get a pretty good lens on what happened in Minnesota hockey. The year 2018 saw the University of Minnesota-Duluth grab a national title on home soil - with a team comprised of mostly Minnesota-born players who cut their teeth on local ice playing Squirts, PeeWees, Bantams, and High School here in the state of hockey. 

Here is a look at some players, teams and moments that caught our eye and our lens from January to December.  Our staff saw over 1,000 games, captured over 250 via live stream and countless photos, tweets, and fun interviews. Here is a squirt-sized taste.

Player: Kyle Kukkonen
Team: Osseo Maple Grove Bantam AA

Over the course of the calendar year, all Kukkonen did was lead his team to one of the most impressive state-championship runs dating back to the 2013 Edina team that knocked off Duluth East at Braemar. Kukkonen and linemates Justin Janicke and William Matzke helped blitz #2AA Eden Prairie for seven goals and nearly 50 shots in the state title game at Parade Ice Garden in March. YHH named Kyle the co-player of the year with longtime teammate Brock Faber. Since departing Bantam hockey, Kukkonen was chosen to the USA Hockey National camp as one of 20 top players his age and made an immediate impact for Maple Grove high school skating with Janicke and his older brother Trevor.

Honorable Mention: Carter Batchelder, Jimmy Clark, Brock Faber, Maddox Fleming, Drew Holt, Isaac Howard, Connor Kurth, Luke Levandowski, Justin Janicke, Chaz Lucius, Luke Mittelstadt, Charlie Stramel

Player: Max Plante
Team: Hermantown PeeWee AA

Max is not the most physically imposing player his age, and he doesn't have the hardest shot or the most fabulous moves. However, no one will argue that his hockey IQ and will to win are off the charts. Max and his brother Zam helped lead the Hawks to a second place finish in the state tournament. Later in 2018, Plante was named MVP of the PeeWee Challenge and the Western States Invite in successive weeks. Also this year Max was named to the All-Tournament team of the Big Pumpkin in Moorhead where the Hawks fell just short to number one Chaska-Chanhassen.

Honorable Mention:  Jimmy Clark, Luke Giuliani, Landen Gunderson, Tanner Henricks, Ty Henricks, Javon Moore, Danny Nelson, Wyatt Olson, Zam Plante, Gracyn Sawchyn, Sawyer Seidl, Will Skahan, Charlie Stramel, Ty Tuccitto, Brodie Ziemer

Player: Shjon "Junior" Podein
Team: St. Louis Park Squirt A

Have you ever seen someone who was born to do something? Paint, play the violin or dance? Alternatively, heard the term, "he/she's a natural?"

That is Junior Podein on a hockey rink. No matter whom he plays with or where he plays, it looks easy. One coach told YHH, "the first time I saw him, I thought to myself there is no way a player that small can hurt our team. Then Junior had five points, and I became a believer." 

Every time he hits the rink, more and more players and opposing coaches believe.

Honorable Mention: Lincoln Ayers-Asad, Cole Baumgarner, Carson Clark, Owen Corkish, Cameron Dean, Dylan Dean, Parker Deschene, Landon Huber, Mason Jenson, Danny Klaers, Will Kortan, Sam Laurila, Logan Lutner, Ryan McPartland, Matuschek Twins, Gavin McNeil, Luke Myers, Andrew O'Neill, Jackson Rudh, Tre Peck, Victor Plante, Sam Spehar, Bryce Wiitala

Player: Bobby Brink
Team: Minnetonka BHS
Tourney: 2018 State Tourney

There are a lot of big talkers in sports. It seems no matter where you look on today's stream of media, a bold prediction or statement can be made by a player. One player that is refreshingly the opposite is Bobby Brink. At every level, Bobby hasn't said many words, but he's blown up scoresheets from Squirts, PeeWees, Bantams, High School and now in the USHL with Sioux City. In 19 USHL games, Brink has totaled 15 goals and 33 points.  

Last March, Brink had seven points in three games for Minnetonka helping the Skippers claim their program's first-ever boys state title. 

Honorable Mention: Josie Hemp (Andover - 12A State), Mason Jenson (Great Plains - The Show), Sarah Peterson (Edina - 12A State), Junior Podein (St. Louis Park - Squirtacular), Max Plante (Great Plains - Western States), Connor Woidtke (Moorhead - PWAA State)

Coach: Connor Clark
Team: Minneapolis Bantam AA, Team North America 2007, Great Plains 2004

The proper balance of ice-intelligence, personality and the ability to teach make up a great coach. With his father as a role model, Connor Clark took his love of hockey and parlayed it into becoming one of the best youth coaches in Minnesota. Most modern dictionaries today refer to the word "Clark" as a synonym for passion.  

Connor coaches bantams during the Winter season, has coached in the District 3 High Performance program as well as the MN Bantam Elite League.  Some would measure his success with wins and losses, but those are secondary measurements for Clark, where with the Dartmouth-educated bench boss the most satisfaction is building strong relationships and making good players great.

Honorable Mention: John Erickson (Woodbury PWAA), Niko Kapetanovic (Eden Prairie BAA), Billy Kohn (Stillwater SQA), Bob Evers (St. Louis Park SQA), Todd Gibson (Rochester PWAA), Izzy Marvin (Warroad GHS), Sami Reber (Edina GHS), Ian Resch (Alexandria BHS), Will Scholz (Orono BHS) and Andrew Woodard (Moorhead PWAA)

Player: Josie St. Martin
Team: Stillwater 12A
Title: Kayak

When you score the game-winning goal on a blue-line clap bomb and drop to the ice and start kayaking down the ice, you win. Congrats to Josie St. Martin, this year's winner of best celebration. 

Honorable Mention: Carter Batchelder (Bazooka), Trevor Boschee (Fist Pump), Ray and Rob Christy (Body High Five), Joe Paradise (Selfie), Garrett Worth (Gotcha), Quintin Schaeffer (Spiderman)

Game: Breck vs. Warroad
Level: Girls HS state title game

It was finally Breck's turn. For five straight seasons, the Mustangs had run into a slightly more powerful Blake team in the Class 1A, Section 5 finals, and each time the Bears had come away victorious. For the 2017-2018 season, Blake moved to Class 2A, and Breck had Section 5 to itself. A 3-2 win over Orono in the section finals sent the Mustangs to St. Paul, where they won their first two games by a combined score of 15-2.

The title game was a pinnacle for Warroad as well. The Warriors had come close the past two seasons, relegated to the third-place game twice due to semifinal losses to St. Paul United. However, United had been ousted in the first round by Alexandria, and the Warriors found themselves facing Breck after a pair of decisive victories of their own. 

With the Mustangs ahead 2-1 in the final minute of the final game, Marlie Johnston tied the game for the Warriors, sending the battle to overtime and an assumed epic finish. That finish reared its head eight seconds into the extra frame, as Breck's Sadie Lindsay scored the game-winner to lift the Mustangs to their first state championship since 2012. 

Honorable Mention: Alexandria over Hermantown (BHS), Andover over Edina (GHS), Andover over Duluth East (Regular Season - BHS), Duluth East over Andover (Section Final - BHS), Duluth East over Edina (State - BHS), Centennial over Edina (GHS), Hermantown over Greenway (BHS), Maple Grove over Edina (BHS Turkey Trot), Minnetonka over Holy Family (Section Final - BHS)

Game: Hermantown vs. Woodbury
Level: PWAA State Title

We've seen our share of state title games, and in each one, the champions take center ice for a picture with their state championship trophy.  

If you follow the breadcrumbs closely, we weren't surprised when Hermantown and Woodbury posed together for a champions/runner-up picture last March in Duluth. Many of these boys play together in the off-season and last January the two teams played a real game and then later scrimmaged splitting teams up without coaches and referees. 

Many lessons can be learned from playing with others. The main message is while hockey and winning are essential. These wins are fleeting. However, learning to lose with dignity and win while staying humble is something that can last forever. 

Player: Luke Lamaster
Team: Duluth East HS

Each year we interview dozens of players for both our HS Player of the Year and State Tourney Preview.  Getting a morsel of gold out of each interview isn't that hard, pick the right guys, ask the right questions. Some years you hit the jackpot (Hank Sorensen) and other years the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

Last season, we took a trip to Duluth to interview a few of our favorites. After a short interview with Tyler Watkins in Hermantown, we met up with Ryder Donovan, Luke Lamaster, and Ian Mageau. We were a little worried about three guys, one team - one might be right on the air, possibly two. However, no way could three guys kill it in one 15 minute session. 

Just like what they did to Edina at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday night, these guys nailed it.Ian Mageau chose to save his dog (that he doesn't even own). Ryder Donovan sang their team's postgame song and Luke Lamaster gave the whole state a glimpse of what hall-of- fame head coach Mike Randolph is all about.

Was Lamaster's interview 24-karat Hank Sorensen? No, but it was still pretty shiny and worth a ton more because he did it with two good friends. Thanks, fellas, for a great memory!

Player: Teddy Lagerbeck
Team: Minnetonka BHS
Game: Section 2AA Final

Excitement levels can be measured in a variety of ways. Teddy Lagerbeck's game tying goal with 3 seconds left in the section 2AA final was a table turner.  Holy Family needed to clear the zone one more time to make their first ever trip to the state tournament. At which point, the Skippers held the zone got the puck the net. The puck found Lagerbeck's stick and the junior forward banged it home setting off one of the loudest and most unexpected cheers of the Mariucci section final era. The Skippers would get the game winner from Josh Luedtke in double overtime and then win three straight at the Xcel Energy Center to claim their school's first ever state title. None of which happens, if it weren't for this one goal.

Honorable Mention: Logan Anderson (Duluth East - Section 7AA Final), Cameron Lantz (Greenway - Section 7A Final), Sadie Lindsay (Breck - Class A State Tournament Final), Matt Mason (Edina Bantam A - State)

Game: Moorhead over Osseo Maple Grove - State Quarters
Level: PeeWee AA

In the first round of the Peewee AA State Tournament, Moorhead drew the Osseo-Maple Grove Leafbirds, a team that had won 21 of its last 22 games entering the tournament. The Leafbirds had outscored their opponents 314-96 over the course of the season.

An outstanding performance in goal by Moorhead's Connor Woidtke kept the game close for three periods as the Spuds prevailed 4-3. For good measure, the Spuds took third place after falling to eventual-champion Woodbury in the semifinals. The Spuds shut out a high-powered Stillwater team 4-0 for third. 

Honorable Mention: Andover vs. Alexandria (U10A-Fargo), Stillwater vs. Chaska Chan (SQA-Squirtacular), Edina vs. Proctor-Hermantown (15A-Duluth), Edina vs. OMG (Bantam A-Regions), Moorhead vs. Minnetonka (SQA-Fargo), Rosemount vs. Chaska Chan (PWAA Regions)

Player: Skyler Vetter
Team: Lakeville North 

It would be best if you had a thesaurus to describe Skyler Vetter's ability in the net - because incredible, athletic and game-changer have already been used for the University of Minnesota commit. Besides winning the YHH Goalie of the Year award in 2018, she verbally committed to the Gophers and represented Team USA U18 teams - as a 15-year-old.

This season, she broke the gender barrier and made the Lakeville North boys' high school team at the Junior Varsity level. 

Honorable Mention: Uma Corniea (Breck GHS), Kaitlyn Groess (Centennial 12A), Layla Hemp (Andover 10A/12A), Taylor Kressin (Fargo 10A), Sarah Peterson (Edina 12A), Lily Timmons (Stillwater 12A)

Player: Evan Babekuhl
Team: Orono Boys High School

Evan Babekuhl holds many high-profile distinctions as a goalie. He was in the net when Orono Hockey won its first ever youth state title in 2015 when the Spartans grabbed a Bantam A state title in Duluth.

He did the same three years later on the big stage of the Xcel Energy Center as the high school Spartans beat Alexandria to grab their school's first ever hockey championship. Babekuhl stopped 92 percent of shots faced, only allowed two goals a game and played in all but one of 31 games for the Scarlet and Navy. Not a bad resume, and not a bad way to end a youth career.

Honorable Mention: Travis Allen (Centennial BHS), Eli Andrews (Eden Prairie BAA), Trevor Boschee (Prior Lake BAA), Jesse Brown (Stillwater BHS), Dominic Cook (Edina BA), Charlie Glockner (Minnetonka BHS), Caleb Heil (Chaska Chan PWAA), Landon Huber (Stillwater SQA), Atticus Kelly (St. Thomas Academy BHS)

Team: Osseo Maple Grove
Level: Bantam AA
Record: 55-3-2

The best team is tough to measure. All of the honorable mentions won big during and at the end of the season. This OMG team transcended greatness, winning every Minnesota tournament they entered, beat Shattuck-St. Mary's, placed second in the CCM Invite 15U level and won the state final with an impressive 7-2 win over Eden Prairie. Stacked from top to bottom, the Leafbirds beat teams with their top two lines, six defensemen and two stud goalies whom each won state youth title games.

Honorable Mention: Park-Cottage Grove (SQA), Edina (Bantam A), Edina Bantam B (Green and White), Woodbury (PWAA), Minnetonka (BHS)

Honorable Mention: Park-Cottage Grove (SQA), Edina (Bantam A), Edina Bantam B (Green and White), Woodbury (PWAA), Minnetonka (BHS),

Team: Andover 
Level: 10A
Record: 46-0-0

The record speaks for itself - the Andover Huskies took the ice and dismantled the competition. Outscoring opponents 256 (5.5 goals/game) to 27 (.5 goals/game). They had 28 games where the margin of victory was greater than five goals. 

What made this team so special was it wasn't a one-girl show. Up front, the Huskies featured Mackenzie Jones and Hannah Christenson who dictated the pace-of-play. On the back end, they had Courtney Little and Ella Thoreson whose puck control and aggressive play denied opponents any chance to succeed. Finally, they had one of the best goalies in the state in Layla Hemp.

Honorable Mention: Andover (12A), Edina (15A), Breck (GHS), Edina (GHS), Centennial (GHS)

Association: Chaska-Chanhassen

Historically, co-op programs struggle to merge two color schemes into something that a pair of eyes can digest. Last year, Chaska-Chanhassen unveiled a spectacular ensemble. The challenges with taking Chaska (purple, yellow and black) and Chanhassen (Navy and Gold) are finding common ground in a few colors. What they did was agree on a black uniform with a hint of purple and a hint of "gold" which is actually tan/cream. They also chose the tan/cream as the base color of their home sweater as well. The best touch is the font choice and stylizing of the letters "CCHA." The designer (either by design or pure luck) chose a very similar font as the Soviet Union "CCCP" font which was a stroke of genius for this classic-looking setup.

Honorable Mention: Andover (12A State), Eden Prairie (2018-19 Youth), Warroad (Youth Blue), Great Plains (The Show 2018).