Sauk Rapids Peewee B
Season Recap
The past hockey season was one full of amazing memories. A great deal of passion is put into athletics. Hockey is a sport where that passion is amplified, especially here in Minnesota, the State of Hockey.
Our season was full of development and growth, as individual players and most importantly, as a team. Our main goal this season was to climb the mountain throughout the season, not peak too early, and make sure we were in the conversation well into the playoffs. Fortunately, that is exactly what we did.
We took a few licks on the chin throughout, as many teams do, but we took full advantage of those learning opportunities. Those challenges were the adversity we had to face as a team and overcome together. Hockey is a team sport, through and through, and we learned that we can accomplish anything if we stick together as a team. That realization for our boys is probably the biggest success to come from our season.
We had some big wins against district opponents. Beating cross town rivals like St. Cloud, Sartell and the future one seed in our district, Buffalo Black. We took 3rd place in the Breezy Point tournament that was full of top teams from across the state. We also scrimmaged several great hockey associations outside of our district, which was a great measuring stick for our team. We knew if we could continue to challenge ourselves in situations that forced us to compete intensely, it would help our team grow, and it did just that.
We earned the #2 seed in our district. After beating Buffalo Purple in our first game of Districts, we lost to St. Cloud Red. After that loss, we had to fight our way back and did so by beating Monticello, Sartell and eventually getting our revenge against St. Cloud Red. Doing so clinched our spot in the Region Tournament!
Entering Regions, we matched up against La Crescent and won, advancing to the semi-finals. Next up was Mankato Black, they edged us 5-4, forcing us to, once again, fight our way through the bracket to stay alive. We were able to win the next two games against New Ulm-Sleepy Eye and Rochester Gold to get into the Sunday game against Mankato Black to advance our season. It was an amazing battle, and we came out victorious, awarded with a trip to the Peewee B State Tournament!
The boys were ecstatic. In that moment, we all knew this team had something special, a bond that would last forever. Those are the things you can only dream of as a youth hockey player, to be with your buddies and getting the opportunity to make it to the State Tournament, a dream come true!
In closing, this season has taught us so much about hockey, life and being a part of a team. Learning the x’s and o’s is only one part of the game, and that is what makes it so special. Hearts were broken with not being able to compete at State, but our community is very proud of these players and we look forward to watching them again!