It is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and is FREE.  Hor d’oeuvres will be served.  Location at DeGidio’s will be in the back room.

The association historically has hosted three major events each year; a fall luncheon, a golf tourney and a spring roast. 

Their primary charity is the John Mariucci Lodge at Camp Confidence for disabled children, located at Lake Sylvan in northern Minnesota. They have raised several hundred thousand dollars for this program to-date and was one of  Mariucci’s favorite causes. This State Tournament Preview is a first for the Old Timers Association. 

Mike McGraw, a local well-known hockey celebrity, is now the President of this organization.

The State Tournament Preview will be in the format of an expert panel discussion.

Featured presenters/panelists include:

• Danny Ryan Youth Hockey Hub
• Loren Nelson Legacy Hockey
• Dave La Vaque Legacy Hockey, MN Hockey Hub
• Jerry Borough Minnesota Hockey Connection
• Karl Schuettler Minnhock blog and Youth Hockey Hub Podcast

Each of these analysts sees a minimum of 50 high school games per year and they attend fall Elite League games.

This new format promises to very informative and entertaining. 

Each presenter will have 10 minutes to talk about the Class A and the Class AA tournaments, followed by 5 minutes to talk about who they see as top performers and their picks for Mr Hockey and the Frank Brimsek top goalie.

The evening discussion will finish with questions.  It should be fun evening and a great way to get some serious insight in the upcoming tournament.

If you would like more information on this event, on the association’s other events or on how to join the MN Old Timers Hockey Association, please contact:

Mike McGraw
President of Minnesota Old Timers Assoc.
612-801-1660
mcpuck93@aol.com

The post Old Timers Hockey Assoc. Hosts State Tourney Preview appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Please consider partnering with us.  I am looking for a limited number of advertising partners to help support the creation/publication of this year’s Minnesota Hockey Magazine Special Tourney Edition, a fan favorite keepsake.  Last year’s magazine was a huge hit, so popular that the Saint Paul Hotel has doubled their order this year, asking for at least 500 copies.

To view last year’s magazine, please open the following link: Minnesota Hockey Magazine 2015 State Hockey Tournament Guide.

Cover From 2015 Tourney Edition

Our rates are very affordable for any budget.  Please click HERE for our 2016 rates.

Our distribution is right to the hockey market.   We will again be distributing to the doors of every room in the Embassy Suites,  Holiday Inn and the St. Paul Hotel in downtown St. Paul, where the teams and fans will be staying for the greatest high school hockey tournament in North America.  In addition, we will be handing this magazine out at the world’s largest hockey trade show that is held in conjunction to the tourney.

Besides this annual printed piece, this magazine will also be available on line, with easy access viewing.  Once again, we are encouraging our sponsors to break the news and share this with their customers and social media contacts.

We also have our social media platforms and our website that we can offer to help you get your message out.  You can find our 2016 MHM website and social media advertising rates HERE.

Please let me know if you are interested or if I can be of further assistance.

The post Become a partner in our 2nd annual Boys High School Tourney Guide appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

A hot debate among Minnesota amateur athletics perpetually rages on in Minnesota and it centers around boys high school hockey.  Key to the discussion is  the impact the game is having in developing hockey players and its role to get  them to the next level.  In the October 23rd edition of Let’s Play Hockey Magazine, a compelling discussion regarding the benefits of high school hockey and some of the issues it could resolve to improve the game were examined by hockey experts over nine pages.

There are those that passionately defend the system as one of the largest purveyors of opportunity in this fertile breeding ground that has delivered a large quantity of ‘next level’ players that have moved on to college and even professional careers.  Questions among the debate center around, what is the responsibility of the MSHSL and player development, is the business side of hockey development such as private businesses sabotaging the discussion for financial gain, and what is the role of parents in this discussion.

This topic is too large to be discussed in this space and I personally would like to invite each of our readers to join us for the debut show of “On the Ice” that airs this Saturday from 9am-11am.  The show will be hosted by yours truly and St. Paul Pioneer Press beat writer Chad Graff on Sports Radio 105 The Ticket.

Joining our discussion panel will be former NHL player and current player agent Neil Sheehy, Florida Panthers scout Fred Bandel, and past Minnesota Coaches Association President and current Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knight head coach Ken Pauly.  We will look at the topic by addressing it from all angles.  The two hour show will also feature Wild talk with St. Paul Pioneer Press beat writer Chad Graff ,  Fox9 News spots director Jim Rich who will be fresh of the SCSU and U of M men’s hockey game call, and a look at the MIAC and their preview that is underway in Blaine, MN this weekend.  Of course, we will take your calls.

If you are not near a radio log-in and listen at 105theticket.com/.  To catch up on the stories, pick up a paper at your local sporting goods store, arena, or go online to to Let’s Play Hockey by clicking here.

Thank you for joining the show and the discussion.

The post Let the Discussion Begin appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Thanks to everyone that participated in the recent Minnesota Hockey Magazine “Fan of the Year” Facebook photo contest at the Let’s Play Hockey Expo the weekend of the State Boys High School Hockey Tournament.

Close to 100 photos of hockey fans were taken on a Minnesota Hockey Magazine backdrop and posted to our Facebook page.  Entrants were encouraged to tag themselves, share with friends and family, and Like MHM.

Regular Contest Winners.

The two $50 winners were selected based on the most Likes their photos received from our Facebook page.

The two winners of $50 gift certificates at Dave’s Sports were:

Rebecca Cline Fletcher

Rikki Mays-Reak

1.  Rikki Mays-Reak

2.  Rebecca Cline Fletcher

The $100 winner was selected by drawing.  Any entrant that had 20 likes on his picture plus Liked MHM on Facebook was eligible.

The winner of a $100 gift certificate at Dave’s Sports was:

3.  John Lindberg

All contest winners will be contacted directly by a MHM representative.

Special Winner.  

One of our young fans noticed an error (by design?) on our MHM backdrop.  We had East Ridge listed as a tournament participant instead of Chisago Lakes.

Error in MHM backdrop noted by
young editor-to-be,
JoNathan Chartrand

In his words, “Whyd you put East ridge in, they were not, chisago lakes was”.

Who would ever notice something like that?

Well, JoNathan Chartrand did!  Were we really testing our audience for a “Where’s Waldo-type” mistake?  This may set a precedence for next year.

With that, we proudly declare JoNathan Chartrand the winner of a $50 gift certificate at Dave’s Sports.

Way to pay attention!

The post Facebook Photo Contest Winners Announced appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The end of February and March is a special time in Minnesota. No, not the time at which we’ve officially had enough of winter, although that certainly coincides.

It is the boys and girls state hockey tournament and they are, in my mind, among the best tournaments in the country, for so many reasons.

First of all, the tournament brings out such strong emotions. Not bad, nasty emotions that breed contempt and ill will, but fun rivalries. Kids are allowed to skip school, they come up with cutting chants and cheers that dance on the border of “okay-ness” but, by and large, are all in good fun.

It is a time in which folks from Eden Prairie truly do hate the kids from Edina, although just about everyone dislikes Edina; it’s the price of being the best. But the hatred is only jersey deep.

This year, for the first time in a long time, there are NO private schools in the tournament. Ask a public school coach how they feel about that. After they are done pumping their fist in triumph I am sure they’ll be happy to tell you about it.

Secondly, it’s the hair.

It’s hard to explain to anyone outside of Minnesota or even just outside of the hockey community why the kids do the things they do to their manes. They dye it, they shave it, they grow it, the give themselves mullets and they do other things you couldn’t even imagine. All in the name of solidarity with their brothers and it’s awesome.

While watching the tournament on television this week with my parents (who were visiting from New York) my mother, watching a team get introduced, yelled at me, “What did he do to his head?” in reference to a young man who had a mullet with shaved lines in the side of his head.

I replied, “It’s what they do, it’s just a Minnesota hockey thing.”

“Making yourself look like a fool is a hockey thing?” she openly wondered.

I guess it is and it’s one of the things that make the tournament great and what also confuses those on the outside of this phenomenon.

Third, it can’t be described, it must be experienced.

Have you been to one of these games? It’s sold out. An NHL arena is SOLD OUT for a high school game. Do you think the Florida Panthers would love to have that kind of attendance one night? Maybe they should do a Duluth-East vs. Hermantown series. Fans dress up in neon colors, tout signs and yell (see my earlier discussion on chants). It’s a full on hockey party.

The ratings on television are more than decent. This year, famed hockey television play-by-play man Gary Thorne called the tournament. Partly because a few other people were not available (how he was not on the top of the list I’ll never know) but mainly because he says it was on his “bucket list”. Think about that. A guy who has called big time college games, NHL playoff games and more wanted to fly to Minnesota to call this tournament. If that doesn’t say everything about just how much regard the country has for this time of year, I don’t know what does.

Finally, it’s the memories.

Former Warroad star T.J. Oshie—who won State titles in 2003 & 2005—had a pretty big game for Team USA in the Olympics against Russia. He single handedly won the game by going 4-for-6 in the shootout for the Americans, a game which, sadly, become their biggest win of the tournament.

I spoke with Oshie afterwards and asked him how the pressure of playing in the Olympics compared to playing for Warroad in the State Tournament. I’ll admit it was more of a joke question; I was hoping for nothing more than a laugh and to make a connection that we had come all the way from Minnesota just to talk to him (as well as others).

The answer I got kind of surprised me, though. Instead of laughing it off, he said those state tournament games were a kind of pressure he’s never really experienced since. Of course time factors into that—he’s played on some very big stages in some very big spots since that time—yet he still remembered that stress and excitement years later.

That is incredible to me. After so many years of hockey at the NCAA, NHL and international level, the Minnesota state high school hockey tournament still ranks up there as one of his most pressure-packed performances.

It truly is a special weekend for those watching and those playing. It’ll be amazing, and remarkable as it always is, and best of all, it’s sure to be back again the same time next year.

The post Memories to Last a Lifetime appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

SAINT PAUL—The 2013/14 regular season was one in which the boys’ Class AA rankings featured a carousel of teams in the top spot with no one seemingly willing or able to carry the baton and run with it. The state tournament, however, was a much different story as top-seeded Edina not only grabbed the baton, they ran away with it.

The Hornets dominated the tournament from the opening puck drop in Thursday’s quarterfinal to the final horn in Saturday’s 8-2 win over No. 2 seed Lakeville North at Xcel Energy Center. Neither Stillwater, Eagan nor the Panthers could slow the speedy Hornets over the weekend as they cruised to their second straight state championship.

“It’s a difficult tournament to win; it’s a difficult journey to get here,” Giles said. “To do it back-to-back is just a credit to our kids.”

Lakeville North entered the game coming off two emotional overtime wins, the second one going to two extra sessions and finishing just seconds short of two full games. Panthers’ coach Trent Eigner said he knew his team had its work cut out for it against the Hornets after back-to-back mentally and physically taxing battles.

“The emotional part of that is sometimes a tougher nut to crack,” he said. “If you’re not mentally prepared for a team like that, it can be a challenge all night long.”

Tyler Nanne opened the tournament with four goals and capped it with four assists while Kieffer Bellows and Miquel Fiddler each scored twice and added assists to their three-point efforts. Max Johnson scored both Lakeville North goals

“It’s unfortunate because I don’t think we played very well,” Eigner said. “That’s a great hockey team that beat us tonight but we kind of got out of sorts early on in the game and they have a tendency to do that to teams.

“Some people say that green and gold jersey is worth a goal.”

Nanne said the title run began in November when Giles and his staff chose the team adding they “didn’t miss one bit” in their roster selections.

“Everyone they picked deserved to be on the team and contributed,” Nanne said. “It was just 20 brothers pitching in to win a state championship and that’s what they did.”

The Hornets made habit of scoring early throughout the tournament with goals at the 54 second and 1:52 marks in wins over Stillwater and Eagan. The championship game was no exception as Edina seized a 1-0 lead just 2:09 after the opening faceoff.

Garrett Wait received a Tyler Nanne pass and drove toward the Lakeville net from the left side, selling Lakeville North goaltender Jake Oettinger on a five-hole shot. The Panther’s freshman goaltender bought it before Wait slid the puck to the net-crashing Casey Dombach who tapped it into a wide open net.

Giles said the early-game success is about nothing more than his team getting its ‘game’ on the ice as quickly as possible.

“What we really want to do is make sure they’re prepared for the start,” Giles said. “We try to give them an opportunity and a thought process to get off to a good start and be successful, but you’ve got to have good players to do that.”

Lakeville North was held without a shot for the game’s first 9:01 but the Panthers’ first puck on goal weakened the seal on the Edina net and they got on the board two shots and 34 seconds later when Johnson pounced on a rebound near the left post to tie the game at 1-1.

The rest of the period was a case of every action having an equal and opposite reaction as Edina answered just 33 seconds later on a Ben Foley goal. When the Hornets’ Miquel Fidler scored his first of the tournament at 13:16, the Panthers roared back 1:20 later courtesy of Johnson’s second goal and Edina led 3-2 after one.

Edina restored its two-goal lead at 5:36 of the second when Malmquist carried the puck behind the Lakeville North net before stopping, spinning and whipping a pass against the grain to Fidler who caught Oettinger cheating off the left post for his second of the game.

The Hornets scored twice in a 1:50 span early in the period’s second half beginning when Parker Mismash was struck in the back with Jack McNeely’s breakout pass. Mismash turned around, located the puck and blew a wrist shot past Oettinger. Shortly thereafter Kieffer Bellows deflected an Alec Oesterreich pass bar-down on a rush and Edina had a commanding 6-2 cushion.

The Panthers received an opportunity to play themselves back into the game when Edina’s Tyler Nanne was charged with a major penalty for boarding at 16:12 of the second. But Lakeville North was unable to capitalize on the five-minute man advantage and only mustered four shots in the final period when Bellows and Cullen Munson rounded out the scoring.

In winning three of the past five state championships, the Hornets now have 12 titles in 30 appearances to their credit when Edina East’s three wins in five tries are factored in. In comparison, the Panthers were seeking their first title in eight trips to St. Paul, including three attempts prior to the formation of Lakeville South.

Eigner pointed out the obvious, however, that each of those Edina teams consisted of a different mix of players, but added the Hornets are clearly extremely comfortable in the state tournament environment.

“Guys who come up are playing with guys who’ve played (in the tournament) two times and had success, and that breeds more success,” Eigner said. “Ultimately, you’re going to have to play a heck of a hockey game to beat them in our first kick at the can.”

Giles said it’s not winning state championships that he enjoys the most, it’s working with the players which brings him the most satisfaction.

“There’s a rap against Edina kids; they’re spoiled, they’re handed everything, they’re not tough,” Giles said. “It’s not true. They’re just great kids. It’s a blast.”

The post Hornets Run Away With Second Straight Title appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

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SAINT PAUL—Coming into the 2014 Boy’s Class A state hockey tournament, we knew we would have a new champion to be crowned. After St. Thomas Academy won the previous three Class A state championships, they made the move up to AA, leaving the throne unattended.

Hermantown advanced Friday to play in its fifth consecutive state championship game, all four of which the Hawks finished second. East Grand Forks blew by St. Cloud Cathedral, giving the Green Wave a shot at their first-ever state championship.

When the first period began, the Hawks appeared to be playing tight, and didn’t register a shot on goal until six minutes into the game. Though, after a series of Green Wave penalties, Hermantown started getting their opportunities.

With just 32 second remaining in the first period, the Hawks struck first. Scott Wasbotten gave Hermantown the 1-0 lead when he threw a puck out front from behind the net, which deflected off a Green Wave defender’s stick, and squeaked through the legs of EGF goaltender Josh Weber.

“To kill off those penalties and come out of that period only down 1-0 and give up a goal that was kind of flukey, that was a win for us,” Green Wave head coach Tyler Palmiscno said.

Wasbotten’s goal would be the only scoring of the first period and, with few shots throughout the period, it could have been assumed this would be a low scoring, defensive battle type of game. That was certainly not the case.

The Green Wave were explosive in the second period, putting five goals on the board and shutting the Hawks out. Dixon Bowen knotted the game at one apiece for EGF when he received a perfect one-touch pass from Tanner Tweten, springing him on a partial breakaway. Bowen split the Hawks defenders and cut to his backhand before tucking the puck into the net for the goal.

Then just over a minute later, Eddie Eades buried a goal from the high slot to give EGF the lead, and it seemed to be all Green Wave from then on.

Of the goal, Palmiscno said “Eddie’s, that was the one I thought told us we could really win this game.”

Green Wave forward Jace Pesch added a power play goal when Grant Loven collected a Hawks turnover behind the net and threw it out front to Pesch, who one timed the shot that squeaked just past Hermantown goaltender Adam Smith.

The Hawks could’t stop the bleeding, and the Green Wave added two more in the period from Loven and Corbin Reed, both of whom gathered loose pucks and fired them past Smith to push the lead to 5-1 heading into the third.

“They were great,” Hermantown coach Bruce Plante said. “They were nasty physical, and fast, they played great and stuck it to us.”

In a much more even third period, the Hawks were able to outshoot the Green Wave, and even gain a little momentum when Parker Hawk scored 2:31 into the third to pull the score to 5-2. But EGF kept pouring it on, and pulled away in this one with a slick breakaway goal by Cale Mack, and a Tweten power play goal, giving the Green Wave a 7-2 lead.

Jared Zeleznikar was able to bury a Hawks goal late in the game, but it was too little, too late for Hermantown. In a 7-3 victory, EGF skated to their first state championship in school history.

“This senior class set this goal five, six years ago,” Palmiscno said. “They set this a long time ago and then they get up and work for it, so it’s special”

Eades expressed his excitement after the game.

“It’s pretty special obviously to be the first,” he said. “We kind of did it maybe for all the times we came up a bit short.”

This time the Green Wave didn’t come up short, and were rewarded with the opportunity to celebrate in a team yard sale as the final buzzer rang, and then their Class A state championship trophy, the pinnacle of high school hockey, to finish a great season.

On the other side, the Hawks placed second for the fifth consecutive season. Plante was much more positive after this loss, though, than he has been after the championship losses the past four years.

“It feels a lot better losing to [East Grand Forks] than anyone else we’ve lost to,” Plante said. “They’re the same kind of simple program we are.”

The post Green Wave Makes a Splash at The Tourney appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

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