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Sixty-eight of the best boys and girls high school hockey teams in Minnesota will battle in the seventh annual Schwan Cup hockey tournament, December 26-28. And Crystal Clear Sports will once again stream many of the very best games live on the web.
The top four divisions will get the most attention. The gold and silver boys’ divisions will play at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and Aldrich Arena in Maplewood. The blue and red girls’ divisions will play at the Schwan Super Rink at the National Sports Center in Blaine, with championship games at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. All four brackets are loaded with top-ranked teams.
In addition to these marquee divisions, the tournament will also offer an additional eight-team boys division playing at the Brooklyn Park Arena, and four additional girls’ divisions playing at the Schwan Super Rink, with championship games at Ridder Arena.
In addition to the 68 high school varsity teams, Schwan Cup divisions will be offered for 48 junior varsity teams, and 48 youth teams. The youth teams will play at the Schwan Super Rink at the National Sports Center in Blaine, December 28-30. A total of 164 teams will participate in the event.
The National Sports Center, Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission, the Minnesota Wild and its parent company Minnesota Sports & Entertainment will host the tournament, which is sponsored by the Schwan Food Company. Irondale High School will host the girls’ tournament at the Schwan Super Rink.
Here is a summary of the teams in the top four divisions. Rankings in parenthesis are from Let’s Play Hockey magazine, November 15, 2007 rankings.
The top boys’ high school division, with most of the games played at the Xcel Energy Center December 26-28, boasts a field with seven of the eight teams all ranked in the top twenty in the state. Included is the 2005 and 2006 Schwan Cup gold champion Holy Angels (#4AA), as well as the other semifinal teams from last year’s gold division, runner-up Centennial (#6AA), third-place Hill-Murray (#3AA), and fourth-place White Bear Lake (#14AA). Rounding out the gold division field is Duluth East (#5AA), Moorhead (#9AA), Minnetonka (#16AA) and Roseville.
The second boys’ high school division, the silver division, offers an intriguing potential cross-class championship match-up between AA powerhouse Edina (#2AA) and 2006 A state champion St. Thomas Academy (#1A). Rounding out the silver division is Cretin-Derham Hall (#20AA), Breck (#13A), Blaine (#10AA), Benilde-St. Margaret’s (#11AA), Wayzata (#19AA) and Brainerd. This division will play preliminary games Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, on December 26-27, with the championship game scheduled for the Xcel Energy Center on December 28.
The top 16 girls’ teams, also split into two eight-team divisions, will play all their preliminary games at the eight-sheet Schwan Super Rink at the National Sports Center, December 26-27. Championship games will be at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota on December 28.
The blue division will be led by two of the top-ranked A teams in the state, Blake (#1A) and Warroad (#3A). Joining that pair will be Coon Rapids (#19AA), Eagan (#14AA), Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (#12AA), Irondale (#16AA), Hopkins (#13AA) and Elk River.
Teams playing in the second red division are Rochester Mayo (#20AA), Silver Bay (#16A), Forest Lake, Minnetonka, Anoka, Orono, Cambridge-Isanti and Duluth.
Last year’s tournament drew over 18,000 fans, with the biggest crowds turning out for the boys’ games at the Xcel Energy Center and the girls’ championship games at Ridder Arena.
Single-day ticket prices vary from $10-$12 per day, depending on the venue. Student and senior tickets are priced at $8-$9, depending on the venue. Tickets are good for all four games played on a given day. A discounted tournament pass is available for those wanting to attend games on all three days. Children nine years of age and under will be admitted free. All tickets are general admission and may be purchased at the door.
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here to view the entire tournament schedule. |
