Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

HDM in 2011 would take place in Moorhead on February 12th.  Once again it would feature 2 outdoor High School hockey games, followed by the college game and finishing with the Wild.  Wayzata and Roseau would start things off with Wayzata needing overtime to secure a 2-1 victory over the Rams.  Hill-Murray would win a 3-2 game over the host Moorhead later in the day before we worked our way into the 2nd half of the day.

The Gophers would play host to the University of Denver, and the Gophers would lay down a 7-3 victory over the Pioneers.  Following the college game, the Wild would welcome the St. Louis Blues to town and once again find themselves on the winning side of things, securing a 3-1 victory over the Blues.  Cal Clutterbuck would score for the Wild in a game that featured more penalty minutes than actual game minutes.  Also scoring for the Wild would be Antti Miettinen and Kyle Brodziak.

Vintage Minnesota Hockey Take:

The 5th Anniversary edition of HDM moved to Minnesota/North Dakota border town of Moorhead, MN.  Held at the outdoor rink located adjacent to the Moorhead Youth Ice Arena (Later renamed Cullen Hockey Center). The rink was a 1st for HDM featuring a fully enclosed standard plexi-glass arena (see our VMH take from 2010 HDM as to why we feel this is).  The mid-February 12th day for the outdoor event, was the latest calendar date HDM thus far - with most being held in January.  The day was unseasonably warm with bright sunshine making for striking photos of the teams on ice.  Many fans in the stands were wearing t-shirts for the first game, that featured Roseau vs. Wayzata.  Curiously enough both teams skated out of their respective locker-rooms donning white uniforms, (per Moorhead organizers Wayzata was to be the away team, but didn't pack their away uniforms for the game).  Fans poked fun in the stands at this faux pas with signs reading: Go Team White! 

Following a spectacular OT session for 1st game with Wayzata coming out as the victors 2-1, the afternoon marquee game between home-town Spuds vs. Pioneers from Hill-Murray.  Head Coach Bill Lechner of Pioneers roster featured future Stanley Cup champion Jake Guentzel in his Sophomore year of high school.  The biggest story of this year, following rain in Hermantown, ice turning to mush in Moorhead, and the subsequent year in Minnetonka with game being moved indoors - Hockey Day advisors from FSN and Minnesota Wild had to have started speaking about 'what would it would take to have refrigerated outdoor ice in the future'? (first year of reefer ice was 2015 St. Paul Holman Field).