Minnesota Youth Hockey Epic Spans 3 Days
A Minnesota under-12 hockey playoff game lasted three days and 12 overtime periods before finally producing a winner. The marathon contest has been described by coaches and players as "unbelievable" and is being celebrated as a testament to the determination of young athletes. The game's extraordinary length has sparked national conversation about youth sports formats and competition limits.
- The marathon game was a Minnesota District 8 12U B1 playoff matchup between the Cottage Grove Wolfpack and the St. Paul Saints. - Cottage Grove's Ashlyn Anderson scored the winning goal in a shootout to end the game with a final score of 2-1. - The game was suspended twice; first on Monday night after six overtime periods, and again on Tuesday after four more overtimes. - St. Paul's goalie, Ellen Weiberg, made 55 saves, while Cottage Grove's goalie, Lydia Pettey, made an incredible 96 saves. - The total ice time for the game was approximately 6.5 hours. - To finally end the game, officials and coaches agreed to a modified format on the third day, which included a 10-minute 5-on-5 period, a 10-minute 3-on-3 period, and then the deciding shootout. - The shootout itself was a tense affair, requiring six rounds before Anderson's game-winning shot. - The head coach for Cottage Grove, Brian Deering, described the experience as "stressful," noting that while he had played in overtime games as a youth, it was "certainly nothing to this extent — nothing where it drags into multiple days."
