FIRST TEST OF THE BEST BANTAM A TOURNEY BRACKETS

[C-dad]

1.) While Edina is still a top 10 team, even with the loss of CJ, BN & JL, I don't think you can count them as top 5. With these players missing, and already having MM and CW out with injuries, the whole pool is up for grabs.

I assume you mean GW, not CW. I agree, they don't look like top 5.

For the Cougar, all three went to BSM. It'll be interesting to see if they all really skate with Varsity, or with JV.

[scorekeeper]

1.) While Edina is still a top 10 team, even with the loss of CJ, BN & JL, I don't think you can count them as top 5. With these players missing, and already having MM and CW out with injuries, the whole pool is up for grabs.

I assume you mean GW, not CW. I agree, they don't look like top 5.

For the Cougar, all three went to BSM. It'll be interesting to see if they all really skate with Varsity, or with JV.

Correct. I meant GW.

Does anyone know if those players who are trying out for BSM are actually lost for the season, or do they just have to refrain from team activities during BSM tryouts? In other words, if they don't make the varsity team, can they come back to the bantam team?

[C-dad]

1.) While Edina is still a top 10 team, even with the loss of CJ, BN & JL, I don't think you can count them as top 5. With these players missing, and already having MM and CW out with injuries, the whole pool is up for grabs.

I assume you mean GW, not CW. I agree, they don't look like top 5.

For the Cougar, all three went to BSM. It'll be interesting to see if they all really skate with Varsity, or with JV.

Correct. I meant GW.

Does anyone know if those players who are trying out for BSM are actually lost for the season, or do they just have to refrain from team activities during BSM tryouts? In other words, if they don't make the varsity team, can they come back to the bantam team?

I don't know for sure, but BSM has them listed on their roster on the MSHSL website and they're off the Edina Bantam roster on their team page. Looks pretty final to me.

[Juststopitplz]

Scorekeeper, your intimate knowledge of the OMG team is interesting. JG out with an AC Joint - really? You must a OMG parent and my guess is you are at all of their games and not the "wish I could be there" BS.

OK, gotta make some pre-tourney tweaks based on the new information posted on this blog.

1.) While Edina is still a top 10 team, even with the loss of CJ, BN & JL, I don't think you can count them as top 5. With these players missing, and already having MM and CW out with injuries, the whole pool is up for grabs.

These absences really shine a spotlight on the first game with Andover and also put the Hornets at a disadvantage in the rematch with OMG.

2.) OMG is not fully healthy. They played short in Duluth, missing JG (AC Joint) and NC (Concussion) to injuries and were also missing CO, though not injured. That's 3 huge losses and they still did rather well.

They will have both CO and JG back, giving them one of their top 2 d-men and top 3 fwds back on the ice, but NC is out still, which is a huge loss, as he is a high energy player who is a leader on the ice.

This really changes the dynamics of the Pool and opens it back up to a wide open 3 way race. Given these dynamics, I'll tweak my forecast ...

-----------------------------

Championship Bracket

- Eden Prairie v Wayzata - (Winner Wayzata)
- OMG v Minnetonka - (Winner OMG)

- Championship Game Edina vs Wayzata - (Winner Wayzata)

- Third Place Eden Prairie v Minnetonka - (Winner Eden Prairie)

Consolation Bracket

- Stillwater v Prior Lake (Winner Prior Lake)
- Andover v Elk River (Winner Andover)

- Consolation Final Andover vs Prior Lake (Winner Prior Lake)

[Bluewhitefan]

Scorekeeper, your intimate knowledge of the OMG team is interesting. JG out with an AC Joint - really? You must a OMG parent and my guess is you are at all of their games and not the "wish I could be there" BS.

1st Post? Or just a name change to rip somebody? Seems to know quite a bit about a number of teams. Maybe OMG is his team. So what? Keep up the good posts Scorekeeper.

[icedad]

Keep up the good posts Scorekeeper.

Totally agree. Great stuff. Clearly knows a lot more than just OMG. LOVE all the Bantam A insight.

[scorekeeper]

... and they are off

Stillwater 3
Rogers 3

Wayzata 2
Prior Lake 0

What a game to start the Tournament! Excellent hockey! Prior Lake is for real!

[ahastars03]

Wayzata 2
Prior Lake 0

What a game to start the Tournament! Excellent hockey! Prior Lake is for real!

Prior Lake won the first and second period of this game but couldn't find the back of the net. 0-0 after 2 periods. Wayzata got a goal from a shot outside the blue line to make it 1-0 early in the 3rd. The second goal was a breakaway to make it 2-0.

Good start to the tourney. Any other scores to update?

[scorekeeper]

Farmington 2
White Bear Lake 2

Edina 4
Andover 1

Elk River 5
Monticello 0

[hockey4ever]

EP 5
Eagan 1

[IMHO]

OMG 7
Lakeville North 2

District 6 refs were again totally out of control. Given alternatives to these tournaments, these tournaments are going to start losing teams. I know it's already affected Edina with theirs, all do to refs.

[Towelie]

Clearly it was the refs fault you lost 7-2.

[Cdale]

OMG 7
Lakeville North 2

District 6 refs were again totally out of control. Given alternatives to these tournaments, these tournaments are going to start losing teams. I know it's already affected Edina with theirs, all do to refs.

. So a 7-2 game woulda been totally different with a ref from what district? I highly doubt refs care which districts little Billy or Jonny wins. Maybe (I stress maybe) an argument could be made for diff ref styles/bias's from up North vs cities.

[hockey4ever]

I watched 2 games today and cound not complain about the officials in either of those games. Didn't see the LN/OMG game but in the two games I did see there was nothing wrong with the officiating.

[inthenet]

OMG 7
Lakeville North 2

District 6 refs were again totally out of control. Given alternatives to these tournaments, these tournaments are going to start losing teams. I know it's already affected Edina with theirs, all do to refs.

:roll:

. So a 7-2 game woulda been totally different with a ref from what district? I highly doubt refs care which districts little Billy or Jonny wins. Maybe (I stress maybe) an argument could be made for diff ref styles/bias's from up North vs cities.

Lets just say the refs messed up again. Let the boys play hockey...

[Cdale]

OMG 7
Lakeville North 2

District 6 refs were again totally out of control. Given alternatives to these tournaments, these tournaments are going to start losing teams. I know it's already affected Edina with theirs, all do to refs.

. So a 7-2 game woulda been totally different with a ref from what district? I highly doubt refs care which districts little Billy or Jonny wins. Maybe (I stress maybe) an argument could be made for diff ref styles/bias's from up North vs cities.

Lets just say the refs messed up again. Let the boys play hockey...

So what would score have been if refs from (you pick where) had done game?

[inthenet]

cdale,

I don't care where the refs were from. These boys are bantams, and physical hockey is part of the game. They were calling all kinds of penalties that were just your ordinary checks. I never said anything about the score, I just said let the boys play hockey...!!!

[scorekeeper]

Eden Prairie 2
Rogers 0

Stillwater 6
Eagan 1

Wayzata 3
Farmington 0

White Bear Lake 2
Prior Lake 0


Here's a good link for scores, although it's missing the Minnetonka/Rochester score ... anyone have that?

http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/docu ... l_Play.xls

[Cdale]

cdale,

I don't care where the refs were from. These boys are bantams, and physical hockey is part of the game. They were calling all kinds of penalties that were just your ordinary checks. I never said anything about the score, I just said let the boys play hockey...!!!

. Well at any rate I'm sorry you had a poorly reffed game, that can be frustrating. It's just that you called out D3 refs.

[scorekeeper]

No real upsets after day 1 of the FIRST TEST OF THE BEST, but the event is living up to expectations and putting on a real showcase of competitive high end Bantam hockey. Always a well run event, so a shout out to the organizers for a top shelf job!

The North Pool

Rogers has a decent Bantam A hockey team. You don't hear much about them but they brought game to Eden Prairie. A nice result to start the day with Stillwater and very game effort against the Eagles in a very competitive 2-0 affair. They came into this event with a 6-2-1 and established themselves so far as a team to keep an eye on. Could make some noise for sure in their district.

As expected, the North Pool now rests on the outcome of the Eagles/Ponies game at 4PM. The Eagles would be well advised to not take the Ponies lightly, as Edina, Minnetonka and Sibley can all attest, this Stillwater team can jump up and bite ya' in the beezwax.

A Stillwater win puts the Ponies in the Championship Pool and sends Eden Prairie to the Consolation Pool. If it goes the other way, send Eden Prairie to the Championship Pool and get out your pencils. Stillwater enters the game +5 while Rogers is -2 and facing Eagan. Remember that Rogers lost to the Eagles by only 2 goals, so a significant margin of victory for both Eden Prairie and Rogers, could send the Royals to the Consolation Pool and put the Ponies on the express back to Stillwater.

The South Pool

Prior Lake played the morning game with a ton of heart, skating with top ranked Wayzata from wire to wire and out-playing the Trojans at various points in the game. They also lost a war with White Bear Lake, dropping a hotly contested 2-0 affair. These results speak volumes about the competitive nature of this pool, where a top ranked team like the Lakers can be winless through 2 games. This Pool of Death has been every bit as competitive as advertised;

. Wayzata 2, Prior Lake 0
. Farmington 2, WBL 2
. WBL 2, Prior Lake 0
. Wayzata 3, Farmington 0

Goaltending has been spectacular in this pool. Only 11 goals combined through the first 4 games. With only 2 games left in Pool play, the only team who is officially out of any playoff contention is Prior Lake.

Farmington can make the Consolation Pool with a win over Prior Lake and a WBL loss. Currently, Farmington is -2 and WBL is +3, so Farmington is going to need some margins of victory in one or both games. In a Pool where goaltending is exceptional and goals are scarce, that's going to be a tall order, but room for optimism, as the Trojans beat WBL by 5 (7-2) in their previous meeting this season and Farmington scored 3 goals against Prior Lake in their previous meeting this season, a 3-3 tie.

WBL still control their own destiny and there is no love lost between the Bears and Trojans, so expect one of the most entertaining games of the season so far as long as this game stays close. If WBL starts a parade to the penalty box then the game is over, but if they can stay disciplined then Wayzata is going to get all they can handle in a very emotional and climatic 7PM Saturday tilt. If you want to get out of the house for a couple of hours and take in a terrific hockey game, this one comes highly recommended. Bring some pop-corn and sit amongst the losing teams parents for some extra entertainment value. (just kidding )

The East Pool

The Edina Hornets are just fine. A lot of hype surrounding players they don't have , but the real story here is the players they do have are playing excellent hockey. So far so good, as they passed a real test in beating a legitimate Top 10 Andover Huskies team in relatively convincing fashion. The Hornets should get a real confidence boost in a feel-good game on Saturday morning, as Lakeville North is just not quite playing at the level it needs to play at to be competitive in this Tournament.

OMG cruised as expected in a 7-2 game 1 win over Lakeville, but their player carousel continues. They did have the 3 players back in the lineup who had been missing games, but in this game, DA took his turn on the sick-list. Being one of their strongest forecheckers, his presence is pretty critical in a Saturday morning affair with the physical Huskies. This morning game becomes the focal point in the Pool now, as OMG can solidify a playoff position, while the Huskies can re-insert themselves in contention to win the Pool, and the Tournament by beating OMG in the morning. As mentioned, OMG is 0-5-1 against Top 7 teams and both teams suffered 4-1 losses to Edina. If OMG beats Andover it will be the first top team they have beat this season. That said, Andover is 0-2 against Top 10 competition, so a win for either team will be breaking new ground on the season. Common opponents show each team losing 4-1 to edina, but OMG has 2 impressive wins over Sibley, (6-3 & 6-2) while Andover lost to the Generals 6-3. I expect this game to be very close and probably decided by which team has better discipline.

If OMG survives the Andover game then they will meet Edina in a battle of undefeateds with the winner advancing to the Champiosnhip Pool and the loser playing the Consolation Pool. However, if Andover wins, then OMG will be fighting for Tournament survival against Edina and an OMG win in that game could have a 3 way 2-1 tie at the top.

As expected, a lot of drama in this Pool, which may not be settled until the final whistle in the final Pool game of this Tournament. Stay tuned ...

The West Pool

The least dramatic of the Pools, the West Pool really hinges on the Saturday morning game between Elk River and Minnetonka. It should be as simple as the winner playing in the Championship Pool and the loser playing in the Consolation Pool.

That said, I haven't seen scores for any game beyond the early game where Elk River beat Monticello 5-0. For all I know Rochester ran Minnetonka out of the rink and is sitting in the Cat-bird seat, but I would be willing to wager that's not the case.

--------------------------------------------------

So no real upsets to speak of in Day 1. WBL beating Prior Lake does not qualify as an upset.

A full 9 of the top 11 teams in this Tournament still control their own destiny and all 9 have an opportunity to win this Tournament. Prior Lake (4) is the only Top 11 team that is out of contention. Farmington (10) cannot win the Tournament, but can reach the Consolation Round. Wayzata (1), EP (2), Edina (3), Andover (5), OMG (6), WBL (7), Minnetonka (eight), Elk River (9) and Stillwater (11) are all still mathematically alive to win the Tournament.

Looking forward to another day of great Bantam hockey on Saturday! Good Luck to all the teams and players!

[scorekeeper]

Great hockey again this morning, setting up a drmatic finish in each of the 4 pools.

Edina 2
Lakeville North 2

OMG 4
Andover 0

LN came to play, and you can argue that they out-played the Hornets for much of this game. The tie actually keeps Lakeville alive in the hunt for a spot in the Consolation Pool, as a significant Hornet loss coupled with a significant Lakeville win would put OMG in the Championship bracket and could put Lakeville North in the Consolation Pool and send the Hornets home. Or, the Hornets can write their own script by winning the evening game, sending OMG to the Consolation Pool and sending Lakeville home.

Minnetonka 2
Elk River 2

These teams are soooooo evenly matched that it's fitting that nothing is settled. It will now come down to which team can win the +/- battle in the 3rd and final games, with Elk River currently enjoying a 2 goal lead. Having said that, the winner of the Monticello/Rochester game can still play spoiler and either win or come second in the Pool with a big enough win in the finale.

Both the North and South Pools are also mired in 3-way heated races with nothing settled until the final games later today. The only thing we know for sure at this point is that Prior Lake, Eagan, Andover and the loser of the Monticello/Rochester game are mathematically eliminated from either of the playoff brackets and that OMG, Wayzata and EP are all guaranteed a spot in the Consolation Pool, but we know none of those teams came here with that in mind.

So all 4 Pools are coming right down to the final games. should be an interesting night

[grocerystick21]

Maple grove 4
Andover 0

Andover isn't looking to good with out their top 2 guys

[scorekeeper]

Rochester 5
Monticello 1

[RUKidding]

Maple grove 4
Andover 0

Andover isn't looking to good with out their top 2 guys

Andover Dude-

No disrepect to the two guys as they're great players, but you're not implying they would have made a 4-5 goal difference are you?

.

[scorekeeper]

Wayzata 3
WBL 1

Stillwater 2
Eden Prairie 1

Edina 5
OMG 2

Minnetonka 1
Monticello - Forfeit

(The Monticello coaches decided to forfeit the final game. I don't know the circumstances, but it would certainly be interesting to know why they pulled out. It's generally considered a pretty Mickey Mouse move to take your toys and go home, but again, I don't know the circumstances. Whatever the reason, it was very unfortunate for Minnetonka that not only did they get robbed out of a Tournament game, but they were also robbed of the opportunity to compete to win the Pool, as the forfeit messed up their +/-)

Elk River 7
Rochester 3

Farmington 5
Stillwater 4

So we did get our upset (Stillwater), and the Pools look like this ...


Championship Pool

Wayzata vs Stillwater
Edina vs Elk River

Consolation Pool

Eden Prairie vs WBL
OMG vs Minnetonka

Both tough brackets! Good luck to all the teams on Sunday!