53 local players selected for Minnesota Hockey High Performance Spring Festivals

Apr. 18—Ida Huber and Sydney Ries have been at opposite ends of the ice through some big-game battles over the past two seasons.

This week, the talented goalies will share the same crease and protect the same net.

Ries, who has been vital to the success of the Simley High School girls hockey program, and Huber, who backstopped Dodge County to the Class 1A girls hockey state championship game in late February, are the two goalies chosen to the Section 1 team for this week's Minnesota Hockey High Performance 17s Spring Festival.

A team of 20 players comprising the best sophomores and juniors in Section 1, Class 1A and Section 1, Class 2A, will play three games at Plymouth Ice Arena, one each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Huber is one of more than 50 local players — girls and boys — who will compete in the High Performance program's Spring Festivals over the next two weeks.

The HP program and festivals are the first step in players from around the state attempting to earn a place in their age group's USA Hockey National Development Camp this summer.

Huber has been outstanding in goal for the Wildcats over the past three seasons, going 50-26-2 in that time, with a 1.93 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and 22 shutouts. She helped Dodge County beat Simley 5-2 in the Section 1-1A title game in mid-February, then stopped 44 of 46 shots in her first two state-tournament games this year to get Dodge County to the title game in its first state tournament appearance.

She'll be joined on the Section 1 team this week by Ries, who was 10-13-1 against a challenging schedule this season, with a 2.43 GAA, a .924 save percentage and 5 shutouts. The highlight of Ries' 2023-24 season came a week before the postseason, when she made 47 saves to lead the Spartans to a 3-1 win against Dodge County.

Huber will be joined by four Dodge County teammates this week: forwards Nora Carstensen (Post Bulletin Player of the Year, 35-23 — 58); Mollie Koch (16-22 — 38); Hannah Peterson (13-9 — 22) and Zoe Heimer (10-22 — 32).

The top 54 players from this week's HP 17s Spring Festival will move on to the HP Final 54 Festival in South St. Paul, April 26-28. The top players from the Final 54 will earn invitations to a USA Hockey National Player Development Camp this summer.

Here's a look at local players who have made the rosters for the other HP Spring Festivals over the next two weeks:

Five local players — four from Dodge County, one from Rochester — were selected to the Section 1 team for the HP 16s Spring Festival, which will run simultaneously with the Girls 17s this weekend at Plymouth Ice Arena.

Forward Taylor Kurtz is the lone Rochester player selected for the festival, while Dodge County will send forwards Maysie Koch (25-25 — 50) and Bryn Spreiter (5-7 — 12), and defenders Alexa Van Straaten (7-11 — 18) and Kylie Meyer (3-15 — 18).

The Section 1 team will be coached by Dodge County assistant Dana Rasmussen and Red Wing head coach Katelyn Hadler. They'll play their first Festival game at 2:15 p.m. Friday against the Section 3 team.

Rochester and Dodge County will combine to send eight players to the HP 15s Spring Festival at Doug Woog Arena in South St. Paul, April 26-28.

Teams for the HP 14 and HP 15 Festivals are organized by Minnesota Hockey's Districts. The local players chosen for the festival will play on a team consisting of players from Districts 4 and 9.

The Rochester invitees include Century/John Marshall's Katie Nelson (11-12 — 23), Mayo's Josie Fulton (6-3 — 9) and two players from the Rochester Youth Hockey Association's U15-A team, defender Addison Vaszily and forward Marley Smith.

The Dodge County representatives at the HP15s include freshman goalie Faith Humphrey, freshman defender Sophia Buesking, and freshman forwards Grace Roethler (2-1—3) and Taryn Wernecke (3-7—10).

The District 4/9 team plays its first game at 8 p.m. Friday, April 26.

The Girls HP 14s Spring Festival is set for April 26-28 at Heritage Arena in Duluth.

Four local players, including three from Rochester, were selected for the District 4 and 9 team: forwards Kennedy Stewart and Maggie McLaughlin, and goalie Haley Roth from Rochester's U15-A girls team, and Daisy Harens, a speedy forward who played on the third line for Dodge County's Class 1A state runner-up team. Harens, an eighth-grader, had 8 goals and 10 assists in her second season of varsity hockey.

The District 4/9 team opens festival play at 6:45 p.m. Friday, April 26.

The Ted Brill Great 8, which runs Friday through Sunday at Doug Woog Arena in South St. Paul, features eight teams — four comprising the top seniors from around the state and four comprising the top juniors.

The top Section 1 players in those age groups will be paired with the best from Section 3. Each team will play four games — one against each other team in its division, followed by placewinner games on Sunday.

The top 20 players in each division will be selected and invited to participate for Team Minnesota in the CCM National Invitation Tournament, April 25-28 in Plymouth. The NIT also includes teams from North Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado and Michigan.

—HP SENIORS: Eight local players were selected to the Section 1 and 3 team for the HP Seniors team at this week's Great 8. That group includes the top three scorers in the state this year and four of the top 10 — La Crescent-Hokah's Wyatt Farrell (52-40 — 92), a second team All-State selection and the Post Bulletin Player of the Year; his Lancers teammate Noah Gillette (47-39 — 86), Winona's Teis Larsen (45-39 — 84) and Dodge County's Gryffon Funke (44-30 — 74).

Two players from Section 1, Class 2A champion Century/John Marshall were also selected for the team — defenseman Brody Josselyn (10-25 — 35) and forward Aiden Emerich (22-30 — 52). La Crescent-Hokah defenseman Colton Holzer (13-30 — 43) and Northfield's Kamden Kaiser (37-20 — 57), an Austin Bruins tender, also made the Section 1 / 3 team.

—HP 18s: Two members of the Section 1-2A champion Century/John Marshall Panthers will play for Section 1 and 3, as will the state's eighth-leading scorer.

Century/JM's Kyle Lappi (20-6-2, 2.80 GAA, .890 save pct.) is one of two goalies on the HP 18s team, along with New Prague's Cole Murphy. Lappi's teammate, forward Brock Clarey (12-23 — 35) will join him this weekend. So will the top scorer from Section 1, Class 1A runner-up Dodge County, junior forward Brett Ludvigsen (29-48 — 77).

Among the four local players who were selected to the Section 1 team for the HP 17s tournament this Friday through Sunday at Plymouth Ice Arena are three who played AAA hockey this season and one who played in the Class 2A state tournament.

That group is headlined by Century/John Marshall junior forward Ole Fevold (18-23 — 41), the second-leading scorer on the Section 1-2A champion Panthers.

He'll be joined by three Rochester natives who played away from home: forward Jackson Bielenberg Howarth, a Rochester native, who had 11 goals and 27 points for Sioux Falls Power 16U AAA; forward Oscar Balkins (Rochester, 12-17 — 29 for Windy City Storm 16U AAA); and defenseman Jaxon Johnson (Oronoco, 4-11 — 15 for Northstar Christian Academy 16U AAA).

Seven Rochester players, including four who played varsity hockey this season, will represent their schools at the HP 16s Festival this Friday through Sunday at Plymouth Ice Arena.

Defenseman Owen Barclay (1-3 — 4 in limited time due to an injury) and forward Jack Phillips (3-8 — 11) from Lourdes are on the Section 1 team, as are Mayo forward Jacob Canfield (5-3 — 8) and forward Calvin O'Reilly (9-6 — 15) of Section 1-2A champ Century/John Marshall.

Three players headed to Lourdes in the fall are also on the team: Defenseman Charlie Kor and forwards Dominic Haugen and Nolan Dubois.

Section 1 opens Festival play at 5:45 p.m. Friday against Section 3.

Five Rochester youth players, three from Dodge County and one from Austin have been selected to the District 9 team for the boys HP 15s Spring Festival, April 26-28 at Plymouth Ice Arena.

Austin's Talon Hall is part of a forward group that also includes Dodge County's Peter LaRock and Camryn Koch, and Rochester's Elliot Schell.

Rochester goalie Colton Brandt, an eighth grader, is one of two goalies on the team, along with Mankato's Blake Brekke.

Dodge County defenseman Liam Huso joins three Rochester blueliners on the District 9 roster — Chay Cunningham, Michael Norman and Gavin Groettum.

Rosters were not yet available for the HP14s boys Spring Festival, set for April 26-28 at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth.