Upper Midwest High School Elite League

Southwest no surprise as Elite League leader

 

By Melissa Zeleny

 

The Upper Midwest High School Elite League finished off its eighth week of play with a predicted win from Team Southwest, led by head coach Reed Larson. Despite Joe Dziedzic’s Team Northwest upsetting Sean Toomey and  Team Southeast on Friday night with a win, then beating Team North on Saturday, Team Southwest, touted by many as the predicted team to win, beat Northwest in Sunday’s championship game.

Going into the third period with the score tied 1-1 for much of the game, it looked like Northwest might pull ahead as a surprising champion. Dziedzic lamented, “We ran out of gas killing too many penalties. They scored on the power play late in the third and scored again when we pulled our goalie at the end of the game.” 

Despite the loss, Dziedzic’s boys showed cohesive and strong play.

“I was proud of my team’s effort in the playoff,” complimented Dziedzic. “They came together as a team and learned what it takes to compete at the elite level. We learned to play without the puck and bought into our team system. Even though we lost the game, we ended the year on a positive upswing.” 

Dziedzic credited forwards Joe Rehkamp from Breck, Blaine’s Nick Bjugstad, Andover’s Cal Decowski and Benilde-St. Margaret’s Brett Patterson as instrumental players this season. On the defensive end, Dziedzic praised Maple Grove senior Wally Cossette, Osseo’s James Hansen and Armstrong’s Tom Fallon for their strong play, as well as Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior Pat Borer who ended the season as one of the top 15 defensive men.

With three of the league’s top 10 scorers being from Team Southwest this season (Holy Angels’ Danny Mattson, and Edina’s Marshall Everson and Anders Lee), it was no shock to see Southwest take home the title. Eden Prairie’s Nick Leddy finished the season as the second-ranked defenseman with Minnetonka’s Andrew Prochno and Bloomington Jefferson’s Jeffrey Pauluk also on the list.

With many of Larson’s players graduating this year, next season could show a surprising new upset while also allowing the younger players their chance to step into the spotlight and shine.

 

Melisa Zeleny is a freelance writer who has written for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, MnSportspage Weekly and the Winter Park Manifest. She can be reached at Quack1029@comcast.net.

 

Team Southwest captures Elite League tournament title

 

Regular season champion Team Southwest captured the championship of the 2008 Upper Midwest High School Elite League Playoffs last weekend with a 3-0 record at the postseason tournament at New Hope Ice Arena.

Southwest, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, routed No. 8 seed Great Plains 9-1 in the opening round before edging No. 4 seed Team Wisconsin 4-3 in the semifinals to gain a spot in the title game. To capture the championship, Southwest downed No. 6 seed Northwest 3-1. Led by head coach Reed Larson, Southwest finished the season with a 17-6-1 record.

Wisconsin rebounded to capture third place in the tournament with a 5-4 win over No. 2 seed North. Wisconsin opened the event with a 6-0 triumph over No. 5 seed Northeast. Team Wisconsin finished the 2008 season with a 13-6-2 overall record.

In the consolation bracket, 2007 champion Russell Stover – one of the top-ranked major midget teams in the nation out of Kansas City – rolled to the title with a pair of convincing wins. After its opening round loss to North, No. 7 seed Russell Stover cruised to the consolation title with a 5-3 victory over Southeast and an 11-3 rout of No. 5 seed Northeast in the consolation championship contest.

 

Tardy leads Elite League scorers

Team North’s Max Tardy, a junior from Duluth East High School, claimed the Elite League scoring title with 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points, six points better than Team Wisconsin’s Matt Paape’s (Appleton United) 33 points (18-15--33).

Northeast’s Tyler Pitlick (Centennial) led the league with 20 goals, while Tardy and Southeast’s Justin Crandall (St. Thomas Academy) finished with a league-best 20 assists.

Wisconsin’s David Jacobson (Janesville-Parker-Craig) led the league with a 3.23 goals-against average, followed by Northwest’s Dan Harper (Blaine) at 3.48 and Southwest’s Alex Fons (Hopkins) at 3.60.

 

Nike Bauer NIT set for Nov. 7-9 at New Hope

 

One of the most outstanding tournaments showcasing high school hockey players from around the nation will be coming to the New Hope Ice Arena this weekend. The Upper Midwest High School Elite League will be hosting the 2008 Nike Bauer High School Elite Hockey National Invitational Tournament on Nov. 7-9.

The eight-team tournament features the top Midget AAA teams in North America (including perennial power Shattuck-St. Mary’s), and two all-star teams made up of the top performers from the Elite League. Given the quality of teams set to compete, this tournament features some of the top NCAA and NHL prospects from across North America.

In addition to Shattuck St. Mary’s, Minnesota Red and Minnesota White, the 2008 Nike Bauer High School Elite Hockey National Invitational Tournament will include Team Wisconsin, the LA Selects, the San Jose Jr. Sharks, the Michigan Stars and the Malmo Redhawks (a junior hockey club that competes in the Swedish Elite League’s 18-and-under first division).

All games of the Nike Bauer NIT will be played at the two-sheet New Hope Ice Arena and promise to showcase a phenomenal field of talented high school-aged hockey players.

Many prominent players have played in past tournaments, including Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins); Alex Goligoski (Pittsburgh Penguins), R.J. Anderson, David Fischer, Jay Barriball and Justin Bostrom (University of Minnesota); Matt Smaby (Tampa Bay Lightning); and T.J. Oshie (University of North Dakota), among others.