2016 MN Hockey Mag Special Tournament Edition
Your complete guide to the 2016 Minnesota Class 1A and 2 A Boys' State High School Hockey Tournaments. Includes a Q&A with Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne, features by Michael McGraw, Dave Schwartz, Roger Godin and Heather Rule as well as tournament historical data and all-time records.
Your complete guide to the 2016 Minnesota Class 1A and 2 A Boys' State High School Hockey Tournaments. Includes a Q&A with Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne, features by Michael McGraw, Dave Schwartz, Roger Godin and Heather Rule as well as tournament historical data and all-time records.
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History<br />
ROARING 1920S<br />
BEFORE THERE WAS A STATE TOURNAMENT...THERE WAS A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP<br />
“School <strong>Hockey</strong> Sextet Cops<br />
State Honors” was the headline<br />
in the Eveleth Clarion for March<br />
15, 1923 referring to a 9-2 pasting<br />
of St. Paul Mechanic Arts High<br />
School by their counterparts from<br />
Eveleth the prior Saturday. What<br />
do you mean “State Honors” when<br />
we all know that the official boy’s<br />
event didn’t get underway until<br />
1945? Well, hockey friends and<br />
neighbors I’m here to tell you that<br />
the concept of a state hockey<br />
tournament, albeit unofficial, had<br />
far earlier origins. Eveleth was<br />
then known as the Reds while<br />
the now long defunct Mechanic<br />
Arts skaters were described as<br />
the Saints based on their home in<br />
Minnesota’s capital city.<br />
The Clarion understandably<br />
went on to “editorialize” the<br />
victory with unabashed bias:<br />
“It warms the cockles of your<br />
heart to see the way the Eveleth<br />
high school men take to the<br />
winter sport. After defeating<br />
every hockey team in the Twin<br />
Cities; Mechanic Arts high found<br />
out Saturday that there were<br />
many things about the game<br />
they never knew. The visitors<br />
were bewildered and confessed<br />
after the game that they were<br />
confident when they came here,<br />
with their experience, of winning.<br />
With proper coaching, Eveleth is<br />
assured of coming (successful)<br />
hockey teams.”<br />
Eveleth’s goals came from<br />
Shafer with four, John Prelesnik<br />
three, Billy DePaul one, and<br />
“Hobo” Johnson one. Prelesnik<br />
and DePaul would go on to bigger<br />
and better things at higher levels<br />
of the sport, but this day allowed<br />
them to shine and was a precursor<br />
to the success that the Iron Range<br />
community would have in the<br />
years to come. Preslesnik would<br />
have a journeyman’s career in<br />
the minors while center iceman<br />
DePaul could claim the distinction<br />
of being the first professional<br />
player out of the Hilltop City. He<br />
was a member of the 1930-31<br />
Central <strong>Hockey</strong> League Champion<br />
Minneapolis Millers and would<br />
later have a career season with<br />
the American <strong>Hockey</strong> Association<br />
38<br />
<strong>2016</strong> MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ HOCKEY TOURNAMENT GUIDE
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