Youth

Edina wins four titles at 44th Invitational

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Last Updated on Friday, 04 January 2013 16:58

By Peter Knutson
Let’s Play Hockey

The 44th Edina Invitational Hockey Tournament was held last weekend at Braemar Arena. It featured several undefeated and highly-ranked teams, giving all squads a chance to benchmark themselves halfway through the season against possible future playoff opponents in the regional or state tournament.

This holiday classic has always played host to some of the best PeeWee and Bantam youth hockey teams in Minnesota as well as teams from out of state. This year featured three teams from outside of Minnesota – one from Oklahoma, one from Colorado and one from Winnipeg. While the tournament ended with many of the top ranked teams taking home the championship, there were still a few upsets. Host association Edina finished the tournament with the most hardware as they ended the tournament with four championships, one runner-up and one third-place finish.

In the Bantam AA class, Wayzata entered the tournament with an undefeated record. During pool play they swept all three games and won their semifinal game. The championship was a different story. In a rare occasion, Wayzata lost 6-1 to the host Hornets. Edina was the second-ranked team in the state, Wayzata the first. Eight of the 12 teams in the Bantam AA class were ranked in the top 20.

In the Bantam A class, the stats are much the same. Wayzata entered as the favorite, having only two losses on the season. They won all three games in pool play and again advanced to the championship. This time however, Wayzata came out on top. They defeated Edina 3-2 in a thrilling game. Wayzata was ranked No. 1 in state and Edina was No. 3. Seven of the 12 Bantam A teams were ranked in the top 20.

The Bantam B1 class featured another undefeated team in Edina. They won all three games in their pool and continued their winning streak by winning in the semifinal and championship games. They defeated New Richmond in the championship game by a score of 4-1. This pool was also filled with ranked teams as seven of them were in the top 20.

At the PeeWee AA level, the tournament was again filled with powerhouse teams featuring teams with two or fewer losses on the season. The host PeeWee AA Hornets were the favorites as they boasted a perfect, undefeated record. They cruised through pool play having a goal differential of plus-13 in three games. The winning continued as they bested Wayzata 8-3 in the semis and Centennial 4-3 in the championship game. Edina is the top-ranked team in the state. Their dominance in the tournament is even more impressive considering nine of the 12 teams were ranked in the top 20, and five were in the top 10.

The PeeWee A level was very similar to AA. Edina entered the tournament with only one loss in 30 games and after 35 games now, they still have only one loss. They dominated their pool with a goal differential of plus-12 and won their semifinal game 9-2 over Mounds View. In the championship, Mound Westtonka put up a fight but fell short as the Hornets went on to win 3-2. Edina is currently ranked No. 1 in the state, while and Mound Westtonka was the sixth-ranked team. This bracket featured five of 12 teams in the top 20 as well as two teams from out of state – one team from Oklahoma and the other from Colorado.

The PeeWee B1 level featured a few upsets. Minnetonka was the favorite entering the tournament with only one loss on the season. Minnetonka breezed through pool play, winning all three games in impressive fashion and won its semifinal game 4-0 over Minneapolis Orange. In the other pool, Edina ran the table winning all three games, also in impressive fashion.

It looked to be a thrilling showdown between the top-ranked Minnetonka and No. 4 Edina, but neither of these teams won. Tenth-ranked St. Paul Johnson/Como made an impressive run. After going 1-1-1 in pool play, they earned the No. 4 seed and a berth in the semifinals with Edina. In pool play, Edina beat Johnson/Como 6-1. This was not the case in the semis. Johnson/Como came out on top 2-1. In the championship game, Johnson/Como shut out favored Minnetonka and won in a close 1-0 game.

Four of the eight teams were ranked in the top 20 and one of the teams was from Winnipeg – a squad that took home the consolation championship.

The 44th Edina Invitational Hockey Tournament featured many of the top teams in the state and could be a possible reflection of what is to come in March. This tournament continues to be a premier holiday tournament and one that attracts players and fans from all around the country. It was a great way for teams to break in the New Year.