Paul Bunyan International Peewee A Tournament

[ALSANITI]

Here is the list of teams for this tournament. Who are the big boppers?

~ Armstrong, Minnesota
~ Andover, Minnesota
~ Bemidji, Minnesota - Host Team
~ Cloquet, Minnesota
~ Crookston, Minnesota
~ Devils Lake, North Dakota
~ Ft. Frances, ON, Can
~ Grand Forks, North Dakota
~ Hastings, Minnesota
~ Hermantown, Minnesota
~ Keweenaw, Michigan
~ Rogers, Minnesota
~ Sioux Falls, South Dakota
~ St. Cloud, Minnesota
~ Virginia, Minnesota
~ Waconia, Minnesota

[roundhead]

http://www.paulbunyanhockey.com/Documen ... hedule.pdf

[royalhockey999]

Here are the pools............

[b]Andover[/b]
Sioux Falls
Grand Forks
Virgina

[b]Rogers[/b]
Hermantown...they look good also should be a good game with rogers
Armstrong/Cooper
Keewenaw

Hastings
Waconia
[b]St. Cloud[/b]
Crookston

[b]Bemidji[/b]
Fort Frances
Cloquet
Devils Lake

Bold are the teams I like....but seriously what do I know?! HAHA

[old goalie85]

Looks like a good tourny. Not the same old teams.

[frederick61]

This tourney should be a good tourney for all involved.

The Bemidji tourney is always unpredictable, but I will give it a shot and make my predictions.

First, the format seeds all four pool teams in their own four team tourney (pool #1’s place each other, pool #2 play each other, pool #3 play each other and pool #4 play each other). My predictions are for all four seeds in each pool and each four team bracket tourney.

North Division:
#1. Bemidji. The Lumberjacks were upended by Thief River Falls 3-0 after a good twin cities tour that included a 3-2 win over St. Cloud and a win over Blaine. Bemidji, since that loss, has won four straight games (Red Lake Falls, East Grand Forks, Warroad and Roseau). This team looks like a team that gets stronger as a tournament gets longer.

#2. Cloquet. The two Lumberjacks will duke it out for the #1 seed in the North, axe versus axe. Cloquet is not quite there yet.

#3. Devil’s Lake. The Flames play in the North Dakota Peewee A League (North) with the three Grand Forks teams (Greyhounds, Golden Eagles, and Seawolves). They are in the middle of the standings and have tied the Golden Eagles 5-5 early in the season. They lost recently 3-1 to the Minot Sabres, a team that did well in the Fargo tourney two weeks ago.

#4. Fort Francis. This team played well in the International Falls tourney a couple of weeks ago, but will really have to be flying to get by the Lumberjacks.

South Division:
#1. Rogers: Rogers is currently leading a tough 12 team D10 league. They lost to Elk River 5-3 and beat Andover 2-1 in D10 games last week.

#2. Hermantown: The Hawks are 2 for 2 in tourneys this year (two tourney titles in two tourneys played). The Hawks have a tough pool draw and will not likely make it 3 for 3.

#3. Armstrong: The Falcons are playing .500 hockey in D3 halfway through the season. They are an improving team.

#4. Keweenaw: Keweenaw is one of two Tier II Major (1998 birth year) AA peewee teams from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula “Northern International Hockey League” playing in Minnesota Tourneys over the holiday week (the other is Marquette Center Ice team playing in Bloomington). Keweenaw leads the league, but will find it tough going in a strong pool.

East Division:
#1. Grand Forks Greyhounds. The Greyhounds have beaten Thief River Falls 7-1, Crookston 7-1, and last weekend East Grand Forks 4-3.

#2. Andover. The Huskies have been an up and down team this season. They beat Blaine 3-0 two weeks ago, but have lost their last three D10 games to Princeton 5-0, Irondale 4-3, and Rogers 2-1.

#3. Sioux Falls Blue. This team plays an aggressive schedule. They have played in the Mankato tourney, Albert Lea tourney and a Fargo tourney in the past month and have always placed in the middle of the pack. They could move up in this tourney.

#4. Virginia. The Blue Devils had a good trip to Rochester winning three games but are still struggling. This tournament is one they always enter and it always seems that the Blue Devils get better after playing in this tourney.

West Division:
#1. St. Cloud. This team is on top of D5 by one point with St. Michael/Albertville chasing them. The two teams have yet to meet in D5. St. Cloud had three D5 wins over MALM, Buffalo and Litchfield in the past week.

#2. Waconia. The Wildcats lost to Burnsville 5-1 and played Edina last week. They showed improvement in the Burnsville game over their play in the Owatonna tourney two weeks ago where they placed fourth (beating Owatonna, losing to Princeton and Crow River). But this is a tough draw for the Wildcats and beating Hastings and Crookston will not be easy.

#3. Hastings. The Raiders start later than other D8 teams and are usually up and down at this time of the year. This year is no different. Three weeks ago, they surprised Lakeville South, tying the Cougars 4-4. But they lost last week to Sibley 3-1. The Raiders are still a work-in-progress.

#4. Crookston. The Pirates are always a little mysterious. It’s sort of like watching Johnny Depp in the Caribbean movies. Is he good or bad? One thing is certain, if the Pirates are good at Bemidji, watch out. They have been to Bemidji before and have been good.

That sets up the following four, four team, bracket play tourneys (Championship, Lumberjack, Blue Ox, and Headwaters). This brackets are predicted below.

Championship Bracket:
Bemidji over Rogers: Two tough teams, but the Lumberjacks win.
St. Cloud over Grand Forks Greyhounds: St. Cloud played hard in the Hopkins championship game losing by a goal to Prior Lake. They will be playing hard on Sunday in Bemidji.
Bemidji over St. Cloud: A tough call but the Lumberjacks take title #2 to set up a 3-peat in 2012.

Lumberjack Bracket:
Cloquet over Hermantown: Unfortunately, the two top D11 teams would meet for the third time this year. Cloquet holds 2-1 and 7-4 wins over the Hawks and should add a third win, but it would more interesting to see these teams playing other foes on Sunday.
Andover over Waconia: The Huskies beat an improving Waconia team playing their first year of peewee A hockey in a tough D6 league.
Cloquet over Andover: The Lumberjacks should shine in this game.

Blue Ox Bracket:
Armstrong over Devil’s Lake: Armstrong has been winning games and could threaten Osseo/Maple Grove or Wayzata in the D3 District playoffs in Febuary.
Sioux Falls Blue over Hastings: The Blue keep working, Hastings needs a few more weeks of play.
Armstrong over Sioux Falls Blue: The Spartans prove too tough for the Blue.

Headwaters Bracket:
Keewenaw over Fort Francis: Another close call with two evenly matched teams.
Crookston over Virginia: The Pirates have played well. Virginia is improving, but not enough to take the Pirates.
Keewenaw over Crookston: Captain Jack Sparrow has a tough game.

[Thunderstruck]

Very nice summary of information Frederick61. I know of a few of the teams and would say you are right on with the info

[hockeymom39]

After attending this tournament, I must say, Hats off to Bemidji! BEST tournament we have ever attended!