contributed article
The Sartell Youth Hockey Association has three teams advancing to the state tournament this weekend. The PeeWee A, PeeWee B, and Girls 15UB teams were either the first or second seed in their region to advance. It has been several years since the association has had this many teams advance.
Qualifying for the state tournament requires the teams are first or second seed in their district and regional tournaments. Sartell is part of Minnesota State Hockey District 5, which has 11 teams competing in the state tournament at varying levels. This is a record number for the district.
“The number of teams advancing this year is a true indication of the growth of the sport regionally,” said Dena Walters, president of the Sartell Youth Hockey Association Board. “We have had record numbers of Mite (entry level skaters) registrations for several years. As the kids age this means greater competition locally, which creates stronger players at all levels.
“We are so proud of these teams and what they have accomplished this year. Many of the kids have been skating together since they were 3 years old. We are just beginning to see years of hard work payoff.”
To read the entire article and view team photos, visit thenewsleaders.com and search Three Sartell youth hockey teams advance to state.
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contributed article
The Sartell Youth Hockey Association has three teams advancing to the state tournament this weekend. The PeeWee A, PeeWee B, and Girls 15UB teams were either the first or second seed in their region to advance. It has been several years since the association has had this many teams advance.
Qualifying for the state tournament requires the teams are first or second seed in their district and regional tournaments. Sartell is part of Minnesota State Hockey District 5, which has 11 teams competing in the state tournament at varying levels. This is a record number for the district.
“The number of teams advancing this year is a true indication of the growth of the sport regionally,” said Dena Walters, president of the Sartell Youth Hockey Association Board. “We have had record numbers of Mite (entry level skaters) registrations for several years. As the kids age this means greater competition locally, which creates stronger players at all levels.
“We are so proud of these teams and what they have accomplished this year. Many of the kids have been skating together since they were 3 years old. We are just beginning to see years of hard work payoff.”
Youth hockey in Minnesota is comprised of 16 districts. Within each district, there are numerous associations with varying numbers of teams at different age-based classifications. Sartell’s state qualifying teams are comprised of two PeeWee teams (ages 11 and 12), and a girls 15U team (ages 13, 14 and 15). Overall, there were four PeeWee teams in Sartell this year, which was a record number of players at that level for the association.
House of Pizza in Sartell organized a community send-off on March 14, offering the teams and their families an opportunity to connect prior to the tournaments this weekend. The restaurant provided complimentary meals to the players and coaches.
“We are extremely grateful for the community sponsors like House of Pizza that support youth hockey,” said Jeremy Henkemeyer, head coach of the PeeWee B team. “The regional and state tournaments have added several weeks to our regular season. Several local businesses have made financial and in-kind donations to the association during this time, to help ease the financial burden for the association and players. Tonight, is a great example of that generosity.
Girls hockey 15UB (front row, from left to right) are the following: Lilly Wateland, Rachel Lindmeier, Angelina Qiu, Abby Daniels, Ashlyn Strandberg, Taylor Scepaniak, Bailey Reiter, Bella Leen, Teagan Widman, Taylor Vos, Breeze Boom and Sadie Herdina; (back row) Alexxis McGinnis and Callie Pakkala.
PeeWee A team members (from left to right) are the following: Elliot Testa, Parker Comstock, Quentin Sigurdson, Hayden Walters, Nolan Smith, Tommy Franke, Carter Halstrom, Camron Rohe, Tory Lund, Ella Boerger and Carter Johnson; Not pictured: Casey Hanson and Logan Theisen.
PeeWee B team members (from left to right) are the following: Cullen Grahek, Aiden Hilger, Mason Horgan, Teddy McCabe, Billy Vogt, Brandon Bonach, Jack Schmitz, Parker McCabe, Lucas Smith, Gavin Henkemeyer and Brandon Janu; Not pictured: Cole Young and Zach Pekula.
Breeze Boom and Bailey Reiter, both members of the girls hockey 15UB team, celebrate at the state sendoff March 14 at House of Pizza.
