Peewee A Super Rink Spectactular 11/27-11/29

[Ron Hextall]

Moundsview and Irondale host their annual Thanksgiving tournament this coming weekend. It is a standard eight team bracketed play tourney played at the massive Super Rink in Blaine. This years field features four teams from D10, two from D2 and one from D1 and Canada.

Quarterfinal Match-ups:

Mounds View vs Princeton
Not the same caliber of team as last years, Mounds View has the look of a mid to upper level D2 team. Haven't been blown out by anybody, with a nice victory over Mahtomedi who just won a title and Roseville. But in past years D2 teams have always battled each other well, but struggled outside of league play. Princeton on the other hand Has been a lower middle team from D10 for the past few years and this team looks to be no different. They seem to play solid defense, but their real problem will be putting the puck in the net and for anybody that has played a D2, around the front of the net will be tough going for Princeton. Mounds View wins solid and moves on.

Tartan vs Champlin Park
Tartan comes into their first tournament of the year with a nice victory over an up an coming team from Farmington, they also have a nice win over third place finisher Cottage Grove from the SLP tourney. After that though they are winless, they will find the scoring tough against Champlin Park, who is keeping the scoring down while they find their touch. Playing top ranked Elk River to a 2-0 game is impressive and should carry over into this tourney. Champlin wins like Mounds View, solid.

Cambridge vs Irondale
Cambridge is winless and struggling to score, on the flip side, so is Irondale. Irondale has some talent on their first line, but haven't been finishing around the net, if there healthy and have their full compliment of players I see them coming out on top in this first round match of their home tournament.

St. Cloud vs St. James Canadians
St. Cloud has been up and down this year, while playing well at times they have struggled as of late. In previous year this would have been a no-brainer first round win and team expected to be in the championship. But getting blown out by Andover, losing to Rogers and tieing a struggling Blaine team. This doesn't have the same feel as St. Cloud teams of the past. The St. James team travels down from Manitoba and hasn't won a league game since late October. I look for that to continue as St. Cloud starts to turn a corner here with an opening round victory.

Semi-finals
Mounds View vs Champlin Park - Tough call goes to the home team in a close game.

St. Cloud vs Irondale - St. Cloud is just too deep and talented to not win this one.

Championship:
Mounds View vs St. Cloud - St. Cloud's inconsistencies catch-up with them in the final as Mounds View comes out on top.