Just like that, its over. The 20th anniversary of Hockey Day Minnesota is done and dusted, and it was a very successful weekend.
Thousands of people came out to United Heroes League, braving the well below zero temperatures to root on the Raiders and watch hockey.
Girls Down Park 2-1
The Hastings Raiders girls hockey team downed Park of Cottage Grove, 2-1, in the most entertaining game of the day. The Raiders struck first in the second period when Haley Siebenaler scored on a rebound to make it 1-0. The lead didn’t last long, as Park tied it up on the power play mere moments later, with Addie Corkish beating Addison Lanning. But it was Lanning’s only transgression of the day, as the Raider netminder was flawless otherwise.
In the third period, Hastings took the lead when Siebenaler had a breakaway and fired a puck on net. The Park goaltender thought she had made the stop but the puck rolled in from underneath her pads and the Raiders had the lead late.
Park had one late crack when a puck off a faceoff hung out in the crease, and the officials stopped play. But Lanning kept the puck out, and with one last faceoff with five seconds left, the Raiders finished off the Wolfpack for a massive win.
Boys Strike First, But East Ridge Pulls Away
The first period of the Hastings-East Ridge game had enough action for an entire game.
An incredible atmosphere witnessed a flyover from a C130 before the game, and the action heated up quick on a frigid day. The Raptors offense was all over the ice, but the Raiders drew first blood, with Carter Hanson beating goaltender Elias Tomaska top shelf just three minutes in for the 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, that lead would be short lived, and East Ridge would score three times in the first period for a 3-1 lead.
There would be no other goals in the game, which East Ridge controlled much of the rest of the way en route to a 3-1 win. The Raptors outshot the Raiders 43-12, with both goalies Charlie Stoffel and Nick Smelser playing between the pipes.
Other News and Notes
While the full numbers haven’t come out yet, the Hockey Day weekend was expected to be a significant economic boon for the Hastings community.
The game featured several dignitaries. Wild Owner Craig Leopold and General Manager Bill Guerin were on hand for the boys game, arriving via police escort in a SWAT vehicle, while NHL legend Mike Modano participated in a meet and greet.
Saint Thomas Academy defeated Rock Ridge, 4-1, in the third game of the day.
On Friday night, Hastings made history when they hosted the Iowa Wild and the Milwaukee Admirals. Not only was it the first AHL outdoor game in Iowa Wild history, it was the first professional hockey game played in Hastings, and it was also the coldest professional outdoor game in recorded history, at -8 degrees. The Admirals defeated the Wild, 3-2, in overtime.
More to come from Hockey Day
