Duluth Tourney: Preview and Predictions

[YouthHockeyHub]

Did a little U10/U12 write up on this week's tourney up in Duluth.

http://youthhockeyhub.com/duluth-girls- ... edictions/

Enjoy,

TS

[Lace'emUp]

Did a little U10/U12 write up on this week's tourney up in Duluth.

http://youthhockeyhub.com/duluth-girls- ... edictions/

Enjoy,

TS

YYH's predictions are WAY too easy. Look beyond your top 10 (or LPH's or MYHockey's). Take a chance and pick just ONE upset in the 1st round. It will happen, it's a matter of who and when. In the end, I might be wrong, but I don't take the easy way out.

Pool A: Farmington - Overall, a very good team. Disappointing if they don't advance, even though they had a close 3-2 win recently vs Woodbury.
B: Anoka - Good goalie, good D, good tournament team (1st, 1st, 3rd), and physical. But they need to score more. Depends on how the calls go.
C: Eagan - Very fast/speedy team. If Duluth can skate with them for 3 periods, it might be close - especially if they have one of their top players back from illness.
D: Blaine - Great goaltending wins out as long as Blaine can score more than one goal. Already played Shakopee twice, 3rd time a charm?
E: Burns-Prior Lk - They NEED to beat a top 10 team at some point (no wins in 8 games vs top 10). Now is a good of time as any.
F: WBL - GC is good, but WBL is better. Hard to contain/stop their two top players (very fast and skilled), and a very good/skilled goalie.
G: Edina Green - Tough pool for most, but EG has already beaten CR/MW 5-1 twice, and destroyed Andover 10-0. Enough said.
H: Centennial - Close one. ER has played poorly outside D10, but scores are better within it. ER already tied Cent 2-2 earlier, but lost recently 5-0.

Quarters:
Centennial (H) over Farmington (A) - Cent's D stops the Farmington rush. Plus, they won first match 2-1, so let's stay with that.
Edina Green (G) over Anoka (B) - Again, guessing this will be physical if Anoka skates hard, but I have a feeling that EG will pass by Anoka sometime in the 3rd.
WBL (F) over Eagan (C) - WBL ties this series up 2-2 (Eagan has won 2 of prev 3).
Blaine (D) over Burns-Prior Lk (E) - goaltending once again wins out.

Semi's:
1. Centennial over Edina Green - this will go to a 3-on-3 OT period (or two). Centennial finally breaks what would be EG’s 51 game unbeaten streak. EG has to lose at some point, don't they?
2. WBL over Blaine. Too goalies stand on their heads. Not an OT game, but WBL finally breaks through in the 3rd for a goal or two.

Final:
WBL over Centennial - this will be a great back and forth game, very fast with good puck movement on both sides. If Centennial can contain WBL's top two, it could go their way. However, I predict a 3-2 final for WBL.

[YouthHockeyHub]

Great post Lace 'em. thanks.

That's my job to hold serve with the favorites. Reporting or predicting an upset would defy my staff rankings and my computer rankings.

Compared to last year, the movement at U12 has been minimal. The top is the top for a reason.

I stand by my picks and for the sake of enjoyment and drama, I hope I'm wrong. But there is no way Edina or Shakopee don't make the final...will both...doubt that, but one will be there for sure.

If they both go down before the final, I will smash an egg on my face (again on my videocast).

should be a great weekend.

Best,

TS

[Lace'emUp]

Great post Lace 'em. thanks.

That's my job to hold serve with the favorites. Reporting or predicting an upset would defy my staff rankings and my computer rankings.

Compared to last year, the movement at U12 has been minimal. The top is the top for a reason.

I stand by my picks and for the sake of enjoyment and drama, I hope I'm wrong. But there is no way Edina or Shakopee don't make the final...will both...doubt that, but one will be there for sure.

If they both go down before the final, I will smash an egg on my face (again on my videocast).

should be a great weekend.

Best,

TS

I completely understand. You're right, the top teams have been on the top for a reason. But as with past seasons at various levels, when you hit late Jan or early Feb, some of the #5-#15 teams get better. The top 5 will not lose their skill or intensity, but other teams have found themselves too, and can start to make life difficult for others around them.

I enjoyed your egg on face comment, but don't waste a good egg!
Like you said, it's all for the sake of enjoyment and fun. In the end, no matter who wins, I hope it's a fun tournament for all involved.

[lrugland]

Great games setup in the 12U A division. Wish there was a way to play for 3rd and 5th like in most tourneys. Teams are guaranteed 3 games counting your first round of playoff games based on #1 seed (8 teams), #2 seed (8 teams) and #3 seed (8 teams). After that if you lose you are done, even if you are one of the top 8 teams seeded #1 in your bracket. So in the end you will have a Championship game for the #1 seed teams, a 9th place game for the #2 seed teams and a 17th place game for the #3 seed teams. All the games will be great competition and teams need to win to continue on.

10A, 10B, 12B, 14A all have Championship and 3rd place games.
14B has a Championship and Consolation games

Anyone have a thought on this?

[loki]

Great games setup in the 12U A division. Wish there was a way to play for 3rd and 5th like in most tourneys. Teams are guaranteed 3 games counting your first round of playoff games based on #1 seed (8 teams), #2 seed (8 teams) and #3 seed (8 teams). After that if you lose you are done, even if you are one of the top 8 teams seeded #1 in your bracket. So in the end you will have a Championship game for the #1 seed teams, a 9th place game for the #2 seed teams and a 17th place game for the #3 seed teams. All the games will be great competition and teams need to win to continue on.

10A, 10B, 12B, 14A all have Championship and 3rd place games.
14B has a Championship and Consolation games

Anyone have a thought on this?

Yes...

Be sure to thank all of the tournament volunteers for the countless hours spent planning, scheduling and holding a tournament of over 100 youth girls teams at six different levels!

The 12A level is set up in the same format as the Fargo Squirt International tournament when my son went years ago. It was a lifetime memory for all of us, even though his team was in the #1 final bracket and didnt come home with a trophy.

Enjoy the experience and again say thank you to every volunteer you see - if your daughter's team's objective is to bring home a tournament consolation trophy, they shouldn't have entered this one.

[lrugland]

Yes...

Be sure to thank all of the tournament volunteers for the countless hours spent planning, scheduling and holding a tournament of over 100 youth girls teams at six different levels!

The 12A level is set up in the same format as the Fargo Squirt International tournament when my son went years ago. It was a lifetime memory for all of us, even though his team was in the #1 final bracket and didnt come home with a trophy.

Enjoy the experience and again say thank you to every volunteer you see - if your daughter's team's objective is to bring home a tournament consolation trophy, they shouldn't have entered this one.

I think you took my post as a bad thing. Not intened at all. A tourney of this size is a very hard thing to organize and I will thank ALL the volunteers I see in Duluth, along with all the parents and friends.

Life memories are what hockey is for, as many of the girls will not play beyond High School. The game is what is important and not a trophy of any kind. I do not go into a tourney looking to win the trophy, but to play the best teams there and gain knowledge of the game for the players to progress. That is what coaches should look for in all the games they play.

I would love the chance for our team to play 5 games against the best teams in the state. That is what you look for in a tourney. That is why all the teams show up in Duluth, for that opportunity. Not for a trophy - unless you only care about today and not tomorrow.

Lets just start now and say THANK YOU to the people in Duluth for a great tourney! I can not wait to get the games going. Good luck to all teams there in all levels.

[honeybadger]

I can't wait for Duluth! This tournament is without question the best girls hockey tournament of the year! I think in the 12A division 14 of the top 16 teams in the State are entered. Wow! There will be a lot of exciting action and I'm sure a few upsets to stir the pot! Of course the upsets are why they play the games. Best of luck to all the girls participating and to all the parents, enjoy the weekend and savor the memories.

I look forward to watching and seeing how all the action unfolds. Congrats in advance to all the winners. It is no easy task to win this tournament and if you are lucky enough to bring home a trophy - Good job! Lastly, thanks to all the volunteers in Duluth. This is my third year in the tourney and I can honestly say that the tournament is run first class. Great people, great teams and great memories!

[Hard water fan]

It's always great to see how well received this tournament is. From the early days when Bruce Buckner would lay out the brackets on paper on his living room floor to present day with bracket software scheduling over 90 teams- it's always been a fabulous tournament. St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth is a big part of it as they are the corporate sponsor and have helped tremendously- their financial support is amazing- everything from helping to pay for a permanent trophy in the Heritage that used historic glass to volunteers. Can't forget the many other supporters who contribute schwag, volunteer time, discounted hotel rates, etc. It all comes together for an amazing experience. The revenue is the number one contributor to helping keep the costs down for the girls program in Duluth, so its all for a good cause as well. The best part though is the hockey- really, really good girls hockey that sets the bar for the rest of the season. Much like the State tournament, the effort and quality of play gets to be pretty high. The rumor is that the team (including managers and coaches) that gives the permanent trophy a good luck kiss or touch is the one that wins it all. Considering the flu bug thats going around, a kiss probably isn't a good idea, but a good luck touch certainly won't hurt.

Any predictions on 14A? This could be the year that the hometown curse is lifted. Duluth teams have never won a championship. Their 14A team is very solid...
PL

[rascalbrock]

Any predictions on 14A? This could be the year that the hometown curse is lifted. Duluth teams have never won a championship. Their 14A team is very solid...
PL

All 10 of the top 14A teams according to LPH are in this tournament. Wayzata comes in with the number one ranking, so maybe an edge goes to them.

Pool A - Wayzata should win, they are just too experienced and talented with only 1 or 2 first year players. Watched them a couple of times and all three lines can bring it. Tough draw for the home town team, but thinking they will test Wayzata.

Pool B - Cripes! The #3,#4, #5,#7 ranked teams battle in this one! ( what's up with that?) Whoever comes out of this pool will either be too beat up to continue or have enough momentum/confidence to win it all. I've seen all these teams play , its a toss up . Edina has some really nice forwards and nice goaltending. Both Roseau and OMG both have a top line that can carry a team to a championship. EP - nothing flashy but a sold team, having beat both OMG and Edina. Since Edina is currently the highest ranked team at #3, I will go with them.


Pool C - Thinking Blaine is the winner here. I expect Minnetonka to give Blaine a run, but the top end talent of Blaine is too strong . Don't know anything about Chicago though.

Pool D - Elk River looks good here, playing pretty well lately, should ride that wave out of this pool. Thunder bay is the unknown for me here .

Semi - Wayzata over Blaine
Semi - Edina over ER

Final - Wayzata.

[Ted Underhill]

"What's up with that" is an understatement for Pool B. How did these pools get formed?

[lrugland]

I would not rule out Roseau in the 14A. They have a solid team and I hope they will have one of their top players back that has been out for 2 weeks. They have a very tough pool for sure so they will test and get tested.

[NE14HKY]

I would not rule out Roseau in the 14A. They have a solid team and I hope they will have one of their top players back that has been out for 2 weeks. They have a very tough pool for sure so they will test and get tested.

Roseau is a very good team, but like a few other
top teams; Edina Green, ER, EP, CG/Wby, Tonka,
Duluth, they didn't make it to Championship Mon.

I saw some very good 14A games this weekend,
which doesn't seem to get any YHH love, with
trophies being worked on as we speak!

[pucktech]

A few Scores from the tourney...with Championship game match-ups and results for the A levels:

U10A:
Shakopee over Andover -- 5 - 0
Edina Green over OMG -- 2 - 1
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Edina Green over Shakopee -- 2 - 1

U12A:
Shakopee over Cottage Grove -- 4 - 0
Farmington over Edina Green -- 1 - 0
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Farmington over Shakopee -- 1 - 0

U14A:
Wayzata over Chaska/Chan. -- 2 - 1
Blaine over Osseo -- 2 - 1
CHAMPIONSHIP: at 1:30
Blaine vs. Wayzata --

[NE14HKY]

A few Scores from the tourney...with Championship game match-ups and results for the A levels:

U10A:
Shakopee over Andover -- 5 - 0
Edina Green over OMG -- 2 - 1
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Edina Green over Shakopee -- 2 - 1

U12A:
Shakopee over Cottage Grove -- 4 - 0
Farmington over Edina Green -- 1 - 0
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Farmington over Shakopee -- 1 - 0

U14A:
Wayzata over Chaska/Chan. -- 2 - 1
Blaine over Osseo -- 2 - 1
CHAMPIONSHIP: at 1:30
Blaine vs. Wayzata --

U14A Championship Wayzata 3 Blaine 1
Third place OMG 2 C/C 1

[pucktech]

A few Scores from the tourney...with Championship game match-ups and results for the A levels:

U10A:
Shakopee over Andover -- 5 - 0
Edina Green over OMG -- 2 - 1
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Edina Green over Shakopee -- 2 - 1

U12A:
Shakopee over Cottage Grove -- 4 - 0
Farmington over Edina Green -- 1 - 0
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Farmington over Shakopee -- 1 - 0

U14A:
Wayzata over Chaska/Chan. -- 2 - 1
Blaine over Osseo -- 2 - 1
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Wayzata over Blaine -- 3 - 1

[relax please]

Great games at the tourney. I think the top 15 teams in the state were there. Well run and as always Duluth really welcomes the teams. Hats off to the Tigers. Big wins over Edina and Shakopee. Lots of hockey left this year and there are bound to be some quality rematches. Girls high school hockey looks like it is in great shape in the state