MN High School Elite League

The Elite League is becoming a big part of our High School athletes' development and provides additional exposure to opportunities to play our game past the High School level.  Currently we have Tucker Poolman and Gage Ausmus representing our Greenwave in the Elite League.  Former Greenwave Michael Palmiscno and Jake Useldinger competed in this fall league and have continued their playing careers.  Palmiscno is currently a sophomore at St. Johns University.  Useldinger is playing for the Coulee Region Chill of the North American Hockey League in Onalaska, WI.

ELITE LEAGUE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY, STRENGTHENS HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY


From Warroad to Winona, high school hockey is part of the fabric of Minnesota. But several years ago, the sport was threatened by the growing appeal of junior hockey in the United States. Some of Minnesota’s best players were leaving their hometown high schools, foregoing their remaining high school eligibility, to seek better competition and increased exposure in junior leagues.

The Upper Midwest High School Elite League was founded to give those players another way to find top-flight competition and exposure without leaving their homes, or missing all of the great experiences that high school hockey provides.

The concept was simple: Find a way to give these players the competition and exposure they needed, without disrupting the high school experience. “We wanted to keep these kids at home, and needed to give them a reason to commit to staying with their hometown teams,” said John Russo, one of the league founders and current Commissioner of the Elite League. “At the same time, we didn’t want to do anything to reduce opportunities for kids who want to play football or another fall sport.”

Those goals were met by scheduling Elite League games on Saturdays and Sundays, spread over seven fall weekends, leaving athletes free for traditional fall sports. A rigorous tryout and selection process ensured that the league’s competition level would be high. And word quickly spread among the scouting and coaching communities that the Elite League was a terrific place to watch a number of prospects at one time.

The Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association (MHCA) recognizes the importance of keeping players in school, and the contribution the Elite League makes towards meeting that goal. In 2007, the MHCA launched an ad campaign with the theme “Nothing Compares,” encouraging Minnesota hockey players to stay in school. “High school hockey is such a terrific experience, and we want as many kids as possible to have the opportunity,” said Ken Pauly, coach at Benilde-St. Margaret’s and one of the catalysts behind the MHCA’s promotional efforts. “The Elite League has been a terrific alternative for players who want to play at a high level, perform in front of scouts and still create those special high school hockey memories with their buddies.”

After a 21-game regular season and league tournament, 40 players from the Elite League are selected for one of two Minnesota teams that compete in the Bauer National Invitational Tournament. Nearly 100 professional scouts and Division 1 college coaches will watch, along with parents, fans and many others who enjoy the special place high school hockey holds in Minnesota.

The High School Elite Hockey Development Program and the Upper Midwest High School Hockey Elite League operates from September through mid-November and is intended primarily as a high-level supplement to the High School season. The program is a non-profit, 501(c)3 venture. The league features five teams from Minnesota, one North Dakota/Minnesota combo team and Wisconsin's top prep team. Shattuck's top team and other top Midget AAA teams also participate in some of the league's action.

High School Elite Hockey has a dedicated staff of paid and volunteer individuals who administrate, promote, scout and coach on behalf of the program.

Here is a list of all of the Former Elite League NHL Draft Picks

UMHSEL Draft Selections


Name Elite League Team High School Draft Year NHL Team Round Overall College

Nick Leddy Southwest Eden Prairie 2009 Minnesota 1st 16 Minnesota

Jordan Schroeder Southeast St. Thomas 2009 Vancouver 1st 22 Minnesota

Zach Budish Southwest Edina 2009 Nashville 2nd 41 Minnesota

Ben Hanowski North Little Falls 2009 Pittsburgh 3rd 63 St. Cloud State

Josh Birkholz Northwest Blake 2009 Florida 3rd 67 Minnesota

Troy Hesketh Southwest Minnetonka 2009 Edmonton 3rd 71 Wisconsin

Dan DeLisle Southwest Totino Grace 2009 Chicago 3rd 89 Minnesota-Duluth

Michael Lee Great Plains Roseau 2009 Phoenix 3rd 91 North Dakota

Nick Oliver Great Plains Roseau 2009 Nashville 4th 110 St. Cloud State

Seth Helgeson Southeast Faribault 2009 New Jersey 4th 114 Minnesota

Alex Fallstrom Shattuck Shattuck 2009 Minnesota 4th 116 Harvard

Jeff Costello Wisconsin Madison 2009 Ottawa 5th 146 Notre Dame

Nick Jensen Northwest Rogers 2009 Detroit 5th 150 St. Cloud State

Anders Lee Southwest Edina 2009 NY Islanders 6th 182 Notre Dame

Erik Haula Shattuck Shattuck 2009 Minnesota 7th 182 Minnesota

Kirill Gotovets Shattuck Shattuck 2009 Tampa Bay 7th 183 Colgate

Max Tardy North Duluth East 2009 St. Louis 7th 202 Minnesota-Duluth

Jake Gardiner Southwest Minnetonka 2008 Anaheim 1st 17 Wisconsin

Aaron Ness Great Plains Roseau 2008 N.Y. Islanders 2nd 40 Minnesota

Cory Fienhage Northeast Eastview 2008 Buffalo 3rd 81 North Dakota

Justin Jokinen North Cloquet 2008 Buffalo 4th 101 Mankato

Nick Larson Southeast St. Thomas 2008 Calgary 4th 108 Notre Dame

Drew Olson North Brainerd 2008 Columbus 4th 118 UMD

Jeff Foss Great Plains Moorhead 2008 Nashville 6th 166 RPI

Joe Gleason Southwest Edina 2008 Chicago 7th 192 North Dakota

Nate Condon Wiscosin Wausau West 2008 Colorado 7th 200 Minnesota

Ryan McDonough Northeast Cretin Derham 2007 Monteral 1st 12 Wisconsin

Patrick White North Grand Rapids 2007 Vancouver 1st 25 Minnesota

Nico Sacchetti North Virginia 2007 Dallas 2nd 50 Minnesota

Mike Hoeffel Northeast Hill Murray 2007 N.J. 2nd 57 Minnesota

Jake Hansen Northeast WBL 2007 Chicago 3rd 68 Minnesota

Travis Erstad Wisconsin Stevens Point 2007 St. Louis 4th 100 Wisconsin

John Lee Great Plains Moorhead 2007 Florida 5th 131 North Dakota

Josh Turnbull North Duluth East 2007 L.A. 5th 137 Wisconsin

Scott Kishel North Virginia 2007 Monteral 7th 192 UMD

David Fischer Southeast Aple Valley 2006 Monteral 1st 20 Minnesota

Carl Sneep North Brainerd 2006 Pittsburgh 2nd 32 Boston College

Mike Forney North Thief River Falls 2006 Atlanta 3rd 80 North Dakota

Aaron Marvin Great Plains Warroad 2006 Calgary 3rd 89 St. Cloud

Andy Sackrison Southwest St. Louis Park 2006 St. Louis 5th 124 Mankato

Jordan Fulton Northwest Breck 2006 Calgary 6th 179 UMD

Chris Hickey Northeast Cretin Derham 2006 Minnesota 7th 192 Wisconsin

Jay Barriball Southwest Holy Angels 2006 San Jose 7th 203 Minnesota

Boys' College Committments

HS Grad Year Name High School College Elite League Team

2010 Mark Alt Cretin Derham Hall Minnesota Southeast

2010 Joe Basaraba Shattuck Minnesota Duluth Shattuck

2010 Nick Bjugstad Blaine College Northwest

2010 Chris Casto Hill Murray Minnesota Duluth Northeast

2010 Jason Clark Shattuck Wisconsin Shattuck

2010 Willie Corrin International Falls Minnesota Duluth North

2010 Justin Crandall St. Thomas Minnesota Duluth Southeast

2010 Cal Decowski Andover Minnesota Duluth Northwest

2010 Joe Faust Bloomington Jefferson Princeton Southeast

2010 Danny Fick Forest Lake Harvard North

2010 Derek Forbort Duluth East North Dakota North

2010 Tyson Fulton Breck Union College Northwest

2010 Max Gaede Woodbury Minnesota State Southeast

2010 Max Gardiner Minnetonka Minnesota Southwest

2010 Kirill Gotovets Shattuck Cornell Shattuck

2010 Zane Gothberg Thief River Falls North Dakota Great Plains

2010 Garrett Hendrickson Virginia St. Cloud State North

2010 Caleb Herbert Bloomington Jefferson Minnesota Duluth Southwest

2010 Troy Hesketh Minnetonka Wisconsin Southwest

2010 Justin Holl Minnetonka Minnesota Southwest

2010 Christian Isackson St. Thomas Minnesota Southeast

2010 Adam Krause Hermantown Minnesota Duluth North

2010 J.P. Lafontaine Shattuck Minnesota State Shattuck

2010 Tony Larson Blaine Alaska Anchorage Northeast

2010 Ben Marshall Mahtomedi Minnesota Northeast

2010 Michael Morin Breck Colorado College Southwest

2010 Jimmyy Mullin Shattuck Miami - Ohio Shattuck

2010 Brock Nelson Warroad North Dakota Great Plains

2010 James Polk Shattuck Nebraska Omaha Shattuck

2010 Andrew Prochno Minnetonka St. Cloud State Southwest

2010 Connor Reilly Holy Angels Minnesota Northeast

2010 Ryan Reilly Holy Angels Minnesota Northeast

2010 Eric Scheid Blaine Alaska Anchorage Northwest

2010 Archie Skalbeck Hopkins Colorado College Southwest

2010 Brett Stern Centennial Minnesota State Northeast

2010 Andy Welinski Duluth East Minnesota Duluth North

2009 Matt Bruneteau Shattuck Vermont Shattuck

2009 Cody Strang Madison Edgewood Wisconsin Wisconsin

2009 Ben Hanowski Little Falls St. Cloud State North

2009 Danny Mattson Holy Angels North Dakota Southwest

2009 Zach Budish Edina Minnesota Southwest

2009 Nick Leddy Eden Prairie Minnesota Southwest

2009 Tyler Pitlick Centennial Minnesota State Northeast

2009 Nick Oliver Roseau St. Cloud State Great Plains

2009 Josh Birkholz Blake School Minnesota Northwest

2009 Seth Helgeson Faribault Minnesota Southeast

2009 Marshall Everson Edina Harvard Southwest

2009 Tyler Lapic New Prague Wisconsin Southeast

2009 Max Tardy Duluth East Minnesota Duluth North

2009 Zach Palmquist South St. Paul Minnesota State Southeast

2009 Ben Persian Orono Air Force Northwest

2009 Alex McLean Duluth East Air Force North

2009 Joe Rehkamp Breck Air Force Northwest

2009 Thomas Fallen Armstrong Air Force Northwest

2009 Patrick Borer Benilde St. Margarets Nebraska Omaha Northwest

2009 Izzak Berglund Little Falls Merrimack North

2009 Erik Haula Shattuck St. Marys Minnesota Shattuck

2009 Anders Lee Edina Notre Dame Southwest

2009 Aaron Harstad Stevens Point Colorado College Wisconsin

2009 Matt Paape Appleton United Wisconsin Wisconsin

2009 Dan Delisle Totino Grace Minnesota Duluth Northeast

2009 Nathan Sinz Shattuck St. Marys Colgate Shattuck

2009 Tyler Landman Roseau Providence Great Plains

2009 Brendan Baker Edina Holy Cross Southwest

2009 Alexander Fallstrom Shattuck St. Marys Harvard Shattuck

2009 Bill Simon Lakeville South Providence North

2009 Aaron Jamnick Hibbing Providence North

2009 Willie Hess Centennial Providence Northeast

2009 Nate Schmidt St. Cloud Cathedral Minnesota North

2009 Ryan Walters St. Thomas Minnesota Southeast

2009 Jeff Costello Catholic Memorial Notre Dame Wisconsin

2008 Ryan Bohrer Cretin Derham Hall Northeast Canisius

2008 Bo Dolan Hill Murray Northeast RPI

2008 Ben Lynch Blaine Northwest RIT

2008 Cory Thorson Armstrong Northwest St. Cloud State

2008 Chase Drake Mosinee Wisconsin Wisconsin

2008 Seth Soley Eau Claire Michigan Tech Wisconsin

2008 Jefferson Dahl Eau Claire Wisconsin Wisconsin

2008 Ted Behrend Oregon Colorado College Wisconsin

2008 Cody Strang Madison Edgewood Wisconsin Wisconsin

2008 Aaron Ness Roseau Minnesota Great Plains

2008 Brandon Bahneman Rochester Lourdes Bentley Southeast

2008 Jordy Murray Shattuck St.Mary's Wisconsin Great Plains

2008 Joe Gleason Edina North Dakota Southwest

2008 Jake Gardiner Minnetonka Wisconsin Southwest

2008 Joey Frazer Brainerd Nebraska Omaha North

2008 Alex Rush Eden Prairie Princeton Southwest

2008 John O'Neil Anoka Minnesota Duluth Northwest

2008 Adam Mueller Roseville Minnesota State Northeast

2008 Tyler Barnes Burnsville Wisconsin Southwest

2008 Nathan Condon Wausau West Minnesota Wisconsin

2008 Cory Fienhage Eastview North Dakota Northeast

2008 Jake Hendrickson Burnsville Minnesota Duluth Southwest

2008 Anthony Decenzo Hibbing Vermont North

2008 Chris Student Benilde St.Margaret Northeastern Southwest

2008 Justin Jokinen Cloquet Minnesota State North

2008 Anthony Raiola Minnetonka Massachusetts Southwest

2008 Bryce Ravndalen Warroad St. Cloud State Great Plains

2008 Matt Bergland Benilde St. Margarets Providence Southwest

2008 Dan Sova Hill Murray Michigan Tech Northeast

2008 Joe Howe Wayzata Colorado College Northwest

2008 Luke Greiner Shattuck St. Marys Harvard Shattuck

2008 Steven Hoshaw Culver Military Alaska Fairbanks Culver

2008 Corey Leivermann Mankato West Minnesota State Southwest

2008 Michael Lee Roseau St. Cloud State North

2007 Drew Olson Brainerd Minnesota Duluth North

2007 Rob Maloney Eastview Providence Southeast

2007 Luke McManus Rosemount Minnesota Duluth Southeast

2007 Zach Lehrke Park Rapids Minnesota State Great Plains

2007 David Eddy Woodbury St. Cloud State Northeast

2007 Chris Stafne Duluth Denfield Minnesota Duluth North

2007 David Brown Cloquet Providence North

2007 Jack Barnes The Blake School Army Southwest

2007 Ryan McDonagh Cretin-Derham Wisconsin Northeast

2007 Taylor Matson Holy Angels Minnesota Southwest

2007 Nick Larson Hill-Murray Minnesota Northeast

2007 Kent Patterson Blake School Minnesota Northwest

2007 Brandon Martell Elk River Ohio State Northwest

2007 Matt Reber Edina Dartmouth Southwest

2007 Joe Stejskal Grand Rapids Dartmouth North

2007 Scott Kishel Virginia Minnesota Duluth North

2007 James Knelman Holy Angels Colgate Southwest

2007 Jack Connelly Duluth Marshall Minnesota Duluth North

2007 Joe Schiller Detroit Lakes Minnesota State Great Plains

2007 Dan Vranek Eden Prairie New Hampshire Southwest

2007 Reid Ellingson Cloquet Northern Michigan North

2007 Nick Larson St. Thomas Notre Dame Southeast

2006 Patrick White Grand Rapids Minnesota North

2006 Tyler Johnson Cloquet Colorado College North

2006 Aaron Marvin Warroad St. Cloud State Great Plains

2006 Adam Estoclet Benilde St.Margaret Dartmouth Southwest

2006 Bryan Brutlag Holy Angels RPI Southwest

2006 Josh Levine Bloomington Jefferson Princeton Southwest

2006 Mike Louwerse Blake Minnesota State Southwest

2006 Jordy Christian Moorhead St. Cloud State Great Plains

2006 Chris Hickey Cretin Wisconsin Northeast

2006 John Lee Moorhead Denver Great Plains

2006 Tyler Kieffer Stillwater St. Cloud State Northeast

2006 Jeff Foss Moorhead RPI Great Plains

2006 Travis Erstad Stevens Point Wisconsin Wisconsin

2006 Tyler Thompson Benilde St.Margaret Minnesota State Southwest



..

2009-10 Bantam A Season recap

Here's an article about the great year our VFW squad had last season... Keep checking back for future articles following our Greenwave in the Elite League and season previews for our Program.

2009-10 Bantam A Season recap

The EGF VFW Bantam A team had a tough and grueling schedule. With high expectations for a group that made the Pee Wee A State tourney the last couple of years the coaches put together a challenging schedule and by the end of the season the team ended up playing 10 of the top 13 ranked teams; including all of the top 5 teams in the State.

The team’s first accomplishment was winning the Moorhead invitational tourney. In the championship game EGF blasted the hosts Moorhead 6-1 to win the tourney. EGF would also participate in 2 separate Roseau Tourneys playing State powers like Woodbury, Grand Rapids & Elk River all 3 teams eventually made it to the State Tourney.

Playing a tough schedule worked just like the coaches planned and helped the team prepare for the most important part of the season which was the playoffs. EGF ended up blowing a 3rd period lead in the district championship game to lose to Roseau, but they still advanced to the West Regional’s in Fergus Falls. Blowing that lead ended up being a great lesson to the team and they didn’t lose another game the rest of the year when they started the 3rd period with a lead. The team didn’t have much luck or any bounces go their way all season, but at Regions they would finally get there big break when they won a 3 way tie breaker with Moorhead and Andover to get a chance to play in the regional championship game with a berth to the State tourney at stake. EGF played arch nemesis Roseau. Many of the same players for both teams met 2 years earlier in the same situation in a regional championship game to go to State. In that game Roseau got a quick 3-0 lead but EGF came back to win and advance to Pee Wee A State Tourney. All the parents, players and coaches remember that game as if it was yesterday. Would Roseau get their revenge? The answer was NO! EGF came out and took a quick lead and was in control pretty much the whole game and won 3-1 to advance to the Bantam A State tourney for the first time in about 13 years.

At the State tourney in Richfield, EGF was huge underdogs vs. 3rd ranked Osseo-Maple Grove who had a 55-10 record. With strong defensive play and great goaltending EGF got the lead and never gave it up as they went on to win 2-1. The State semifinals were a Northern match up vs. #2 ranked Grand Rapids. After a scoreless 1st period Rapids got on the board in the 2nd period. Down 1-0 midway through the third EGF got into penalty trouble and Rapids would pad their lead and never let EGF back in the game as Rapids went on to win 4-0. This would put EGF in the 3rd place game vs. Wayzata. Using the same formula that got them this far EGF would get a 1st period lead and never give it up as they ended up defeating Wayzata 3-0 and capturing 3rd place.

The season had many great memories for all the players, coaches and parents. One cool thing was all the games at the State Tourney were broadcast with commentary on the internet by the Minnesota Sports Network and anyone was able to watch for free and anyone could purchase a copy of any of the games. The team also got to do some educational team bonding by touring the State Capitol in St. Paul and they attended a WCHA Final 5 game at the Xcel Center where the Sioux played Denver.

The coaches would like to thank all the kids for their hard work and dedication and the parents for all their support. We also want to give a special thanks to Judd Stauss and Kane Aubol for coming out and volunteering their time. They both had a huge impact on this team’s success.

Team members include: Grant Boyum, Jake Chisholm, Luke Beito, Nathan Peltier, Gage Ausmus, Eddie Eades, Dixon Bowen, Nick Ranten, Cale Mack, Colton Poolman, Nick Korynta, Rayce Martin, Tommy Hajicek, Brandon Loven, Kolton Aubol and Tanner Lindstrom. Coaches: Nick Bowen, Kyle Gast, Jeff Bowen, Neil Purcell.

A Hard Day's Night

Here are some pictures from the "Classic"  If you would like any of these emailed to you just throw me a quick email.

Results from "The Classic"

These champions have undoubtedly been walking a little taller since taking the prizes at the inaugural classic.  They will go down in history as being the "Original Champs"

Golf Tournament a Huge Success!

The East Grand Forks Alumni Inaugural Golf Classic was a tremendous success!  It goes to show how great of a group of people we have supporting Greenwave Hockey!  It was one of the most fun tournaments I've been involved in (obviously since it took a month and a half of recuperation to resume this blog.)

I want say thanks to all of the sponsors that helped make "The Classic" happen. 

The Premium Sponsors were:

• Joel R. Duray D.D.S. (1983)
• Cash Trucking- Wally Cash (1979)
• Spring Valley Express- Phil Hartwig (1990)
• Farmer's Elevator Company of Alvarado- Kelly Kotowicz (1988)

The Hole Sponsors were:

•  SPRING HILL SUITES-TROY AUSMUS, BOWEN PEST CONTROL-NICK BOWEN , TYLER PALMISCNO, TONY PALMISCNO, DON BLUE, DAVID BLUE, EASTSIDE LAUNDROMAT-GEORGE CARIVEAU, PRECISION IRRIGATION-CORY VON RUEDEN, YANISH PAINTING-TINKER YANISH, BERT’S TRUCK EQUIPMENT-WAYNE GREGOIRE, RG TRUCK SALES-RYAN GREGOIRE, TODD ENTERPRISES-TODD GREGOIRE, TNT OUTFITTERS-TIM TWETEN, SCHEELS, EASTSIDE EXPRESS, SIMONSON’S  FILLING STATIONS, THE BLUE MOOSE, EAST GRAND STATION, JEFF BOWEN, DRAYTON FOODS-KYLE CASH, TIM SKARPERUD, THE HOCKEY ACADEMY, VALLEY GOLF, JASON SMITH-GREENBERG REALTY, MAYO MANUFACTURING-CHRIS DELISLE, EVERGREEN INSURANCE-JASON MACK

Thank again to all of our sponsors and to everyone who participated in "The Classic."  I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at our Alumni Night on December 17th when our Greenwave host the Warroad Warriors.  Check back for more details to come.

Pre-Tournament Party at the VFW Club

We would like to invite everybody to join us for a Pre-Tournament party at the VFW Club in downtown East Grand Forks. The VFW Club has played a huge part in our successes and deserve a big thank you from all of us lucky enough to wear the "Vets" jacket. The party starts at 7:00 Thursday night. See you there.

Golf Classic is 3 weeks from today!

The first ever Greenwave Alumni Golf Classic is only 3 weeks away! This is shaping up to be one of the most fun tourneys I have ever played. We have over 20 teams signed up but there still is room for more... Tell everyone who may be interested in playing the tourney to let us know so we can plan accordingly. Also if you have your 4 man team figured out let me know that as well (if you haven't already.)

A few of the golfers who have said they'd play are:
Tyler Palmiscno
Travis Cariveau
David Blue
Nate Metcalf
Kyle Cash
Keith Johnson
Ryan Gregoire
Scott Mack
Danny Parker
Jason Mack
Darren Blue
Kyle Mack
Dave Bies
Jon Hussey
Justin Hecht
Neil Purcell
JP McDonald
Pete McDonald
Judd Stauss
Scott Stauss
Nick Bowen
Travis Lind
Chad Honek
Tommy Solem
Chad Erickson
George Cariveau
Jared Hjelle
Cory Von Rueden
Jeff Vonasek
Mike Carlson
Phil Hartwig
Kyle Weber
Jeff Weber
Kevin Weber
Brett Gaddie
Wade Stallmo
Chubba McIntosh
Tim Jerome
Dave Jerome
Jeff Bowen
Kevin Peters
Kelly Kotowicz
Tinker Yanish
Chad Beauchamp
Don Riendeau
Rick Myers
Tim Spitsberg
Pat Boppre
Troy Norman
Travis Norman
Randy Galstad
Matt Fore
Tim Moe
Don Lovcik
Jon Hendrickson
Cory Chupka
Garrett Lind
Mike Palmiscno
Chris Nelson
Tony Weber
Matt Stengl
Jared Kouba
Tanner Hanson
Tyler Johnson
Luke Metcalf
Ryan Swang
Matt Metcalf
Todd Benson
Kane Aubol
Corey Pesch
Luke Brown
Shawn Schroeder
Kevin Johnson
Nick Stengl
Bob Sween

Again I'll ask you to please spread the word about the tournament, I don't want anyone to miss out on what is sure to be a great time for everybody!

Peewee A Season Recap

Another good article showcasing a bright future for our program.

2009-10 EGF Peewee A Recap

The Pee Wee A’s had an incredible season accomplishing nearly every team goal that was set at the beginning of the season. The team rolled with a record of 41 wins 4 loses and 1 tie. The offensive juggernaut averaged an amazing 7.52 goals per game while outscoring their opponents 346 to 119 on the year.

The team didn’t lose a game all year to any teams from northern Minnesota including traditional hockey powers like Roseau, Moorhead, Cloquet and Duluth East. The future Green Wave trounced opponents to capture their host tourney by a combined scores of 40-7 to win the EGF Invitational. The team also had a great showing in the annual Dick Johnson Tourney in Roseau beating some of the top State powers. In the opening game of the Roseau tourney they were matched up with Eden Prairie (who ended up finishing 3rd at the Pee Wee State Tourney). Playing shorthanded the entire weekend due to injuries, EGF pulled off a big 5-4 win in a evenly matched game. After beating Brainerd handily, EGF would play Elk River, which little at the time did anyone know these 2 teams would meet again with a trip to State on the line. But the game in Roseau may have been the most exciting game in the entire Roseau tourney with 2 highly offensive talented teams and EGF would come out on top with a 6-4 win. EGF lost in the semi’s to Edina (the eventual State Champion) and they closed out the 16 team Roseau tourney beating Woodbury to take home 3rd place.

The team went undefeated vs. district teams through out the regular season and added 3 more convincing wins on their way to winning the District 16 Tourney Championship to advance to the Regional Tourney. At Regions, EGF would advance through pool play to the Championship game and would meet up with them pesky Elks of Elk River again. This time they would fall to the eventual State Runners up in a high paced wide open hockey game which ended in a heartbreaking 5-4 loss. It was a tough way to end a great year and to fall short of their goal to make the State tourney. But it was great game between 2 even teams and it was still a magical season and it will be a fun group to follow in future years!

Team members include: Nathan Peabody, Trent Stengl, Austin Monda, Cooper Jerome, Sam Larson, Reed Hjelle, Tye Ausmus, Trevor Selk, Jace Pesch, Taylor Brierly, Mason Kallock, Tanner Tweten, Grant Loven, Reed Corbid, Garrett Lieberg Coaches: Jason Hearn (1991) and Matt Fore (1992)

Another Season Recap

Here's another recap covering our Peewee B American Federal Bank team. Thanks to the Coaches for sending this in. Congratulations on a great year!

The 09-10 East Grand Forks American Federal Pee Wee “B” hockey was a great team. This was a team of players working together as a “team” in the true sense of the word, as there were no true standouts. They worked together as a group and when one was down someone else would pick up the slack. They were a strong team from the start and only improved from there. This team would go far and do very well in the season, tourneys, and deep into the play-offs.

With only three returning players; from a Third place at state the season before, there were a lot of questions to who would be the leaders of the team. This was a team of good skaters and not a lot of size they needed to learn to control the play early or be run over. With good goaltending, strong defense, and timely scoring the AFB went on to great things.

In tournament play, we learned a lot about our identity as a team. In a down year in the district, this is where we would find our competition and hone our skills. In our early home tourney, in early Dec., we played very strong, but ran into a very good Winnipeg team in pool play. This left us with a third place finish and a lot of confidence going into the season. In Jan. we played teams: from Blaine, Elk River, and Stillwater; all very close, but putting together a complete team weekend to take first place! We hoped to continue this run later on in the month and participating in a Roseau tourney. We again played very well, but got a little cocky in the final round robin team of Mesabi East. Who had thoughts of revenge on their minds, after being beaten soundly by the AFB the previous season at Regions. We gave away a big third period lead and were forced into a third place game. Losing to Mesabi East showed us that we could never let up, not even for a minute.

After going undefeated in District 16 play, the AFB went into the District Tournament the no. 1 seed we played two very tough games with Bemidji and Red Lake Falls. By learning the lessons from earlier in the season we came out on top, District 16 champions! With high hopes, we went into the West Region Tournament in Crookston, hoping to earn a trip to State in Roseau. We were upset early by a gritty Brainerd team 2-1 and were manhandled by a great Sauk Rapids team 9-0.We thought our season was over and the final round robin game against Moorhead would be it for the year. We thought wrong. We learned that we needed to win by two goals and we could advance to the Regional Championship. We had beaten and tied them earlier in the season; in the earlier tie we were down 2-1 and badly outplayed; but with our own gritty performance we managed to tie the game with only two seconds left in the game. We were very confident we could win the Regional game. Little did we know that this would be our game of the season. We started early going up 1-0 at the end of one period, but the ice was much tilted to our end, and by the end of the second period we were down 2-1. Our heads were down but our spirit was not broken. We spoke in the locker room that we did not want our season to end here. We told ourselves that it was only three goals and we could go on to the championship. With a goal early in the third, one in the middle, and our goalie at the door to be pulled we scored the third goal we went up 4-2 and won, all though we were outshot 42-18 we just wanted it more. We went on to the championship against Little Falls. What we saw was like looking in a mirror. It was back-and-forth the whole game, the score was 0-0 late, and with a late goal by Little Falls ended our hopes of a State berth. Even though it was a loss we all knew we left it all on the ice.

With a record of 37-7-1, a tourney championship, undefeated district play, and a District 16 Championship; the EGF AFB demonstrated what being a team was all about. There were no stars on this team; only players playing for each other. They won when they were supposed to and won even in their losses. These players will go on to better things; Josh Weber, Ethan Kringlen, Mavryck Blake, Andrew Knopp, Wyatt Swanson, Tommy Pace, Casey Swanson, Nathan Heisler, Brady McDonald, Levi Pesch, Alex Heisler, Braden Shea, Jake Olson, Nick Hovde, Broc Helgeson, and Dryden Dragich may not have made it to State, but will forever be champions.

Building Towards the Future

Here's the 1st installment of the season recaps. Some people have offered to write a season recap on each team in our program and we thank them tremendously! We'll start with Peewees and finish with our Greenwave Varsity team. A lot of great accomplishments look to pave the way for future success for our Greenwave! Here's the article on the Peewee B American Legion squad.

2009-10 EGF Youth Hockey Recap

The Pee Wee B Legion had a remarkable season. UND students Billy Brewitz and Mark Schafer, both from Rosemount, MN, with a little help from Tony Weber and Chip Shea, knitted together a team made up of players that had skated Pee Wee B, Squirt A, and Squirt B hockey the previous season. The 2008-09 Pee Wee Legion team had a tough year and 2009-10 found Pee Wee Legion again the second of two B teams so expectations were not real high for this club, finishing around .500 would be considered hugely successful…so most thought! Final record was 28-6-0, averaged 4 goals a game to 1.74 for the opponents which translated to 136 to 59 scoring edge for Pee Wee Legion.

The season started with three games on the road, which they swept! That brought them to the EGF Pee Wee B tournament where they beat Grand Forks, Minot, and Bismarck sending the undefeated Pee Wee Legion team to the championship against the defending Winnipeg City Champs, the Assiniboine Park Rangers. The Rangers won the game 3-1 with an empty net goal, but Pee Wee Legion proudly claimed 2nd place and with their 6-1-0 record, having already surpassed most expectations by the first weekend in December. They played 6 more games in December and won all of them including a sweep over the two Bemidji teams, a win against Red Lake Falls, and a tough game up in Roseau.

January started out great with two wins, one against the Fargo Angels in EGF and another later that day up in Thief River Falls. The next weekend they dropped their first district game in the rematch in Red Lake Falls. The rest of the month saw Legion lose two more district games to East Grand Forks American Federal Bank and Bemidji Blue as well as a game to Grand Forks and were 18-5-0 heading into the Roseau Pee Wee B Tournament. In Roseau the boys cruised through pool play beating Grand Forks, International Falls, and Roseau, again putting them in the championship game, this time against Mesabi East who had made short work of their pool including an 8-4 win over East Grand Forks Pee Wee American Federal Bank. This was the most brilliant piece of coaching and player execution that most Eastsider's have seen in how the defensive corps completely shut down the scoring ace for Mesabi and kept every threat outside. The forwards played as a well oiled machine with excellent passing and threw everything at the net. The hero was the EGF netminder who stood on his head, totally frustrating the Mesabi East squad. After 45 minutes of nail biting, stomach churning suspense, Pee Wee Legion slammed the door on Mesabi and took the 4-0 win and the tournament championship! With this win, the February 4, 2010 edition of Let’s Play Hockey Magazine named Pee Wee B American Legion the Sports World USA Youth Team of the week! Really, really? WOW!

After Roseau, there were just two weekends and 4 games left in the season, and the boys swept those games. Legion finished district play at 10-4-0 in a tie for 2nd with Red Lake Falls, trailing only EGF American Federal Bank who finished district play undefeated at 14-0-0. RLF won the tie breaker and Legion got the #3 seed in the tournament matched up against the Roseau team they had beaten three times during the season. Roseau scored early in the first and Legion matched it in the second. Nobody scored in the third and this one went to overtime! Roseau pretty much owned the overtime and a couple minutes in won a battle in the corner, threw the puck in front of the net which pin balled around and into the net for the overtime winner. Legion worked their way up the consolation side of the bracket beating Thief River Falls and Bemidji Blue to claim the Consolation Championship.

Team members include: Connor Shea, Garrett Thoreson, Ben Olson, J.D. Rodriguez, Davis Beauchamp, Josh Blazek, Jarod Reak, Cole Weber, Clarke Peterson, Cody Wolff, Tyler Lindstrom, Cody Stengl, Cody Barta, Ben Gottberg
Coaches: Billy Brewitz and Mark Schafer