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Jan. 18—HASTINGS, Minn. — The snow began to fall during the second period.
It wasn't heavy, but it was noticeable.
A handful of Century/John Marshall players on the heated bench took a brief second to look around and take in the setting. Likewise for a few of their opponents from Rochester Mayo on the adjacent heated bench.
They are all Minnesotans. They've seen their share of snow. Just not while playing an organized high school hockey game.
"It was wonderful. I've never played outside before in an actual organized game," said Century/John Marshall senior goalie Zach Bohan. "It was just ... I love this rink, especially playing against our rivals. I've played a little bit (of pick-up hockey outdoors), but definitely not an organized game like this."
If the Century/JM players had any nerves about dropping the puck on Hockey Day Minnesota '26 week Saturday morning, they didn't show. Or maybe those nerves were frozen by the minus-11 wind chill at Scheels Rink at the United Heroes League complex.
Perhaps the nicest outdoor hockey venue in Minnesota, the UHL features 1,200 permanent seats, with twice as many temporary seats brought in for the eight-day celebration of hockey in the State of Hockey.
Century/JM (5-10-0 overall) snapped a six-game skid and earned a split of its regular-season series with Mayo (6-10-0). The Panthers got goals from Hodge, Gustavs Baltavics and Drake Waters (his first varsity goal) in a 3-1 victory. But the lasting memory for the players will be more about the environment than the scoreboard.
"It was pretty amazing coming in here and seeing this, then being freezing cold while you're warming up," said Century/JM junior defenseman Hatcher Hodge, "and going on the ice and seeing ... a decent amount of people who came to see (Saturday's game) when it's negative-11, that's pretty amazing, pretty surreal."
The official Hockey Day Minnesota '26 is set for next Saturday, Jan. 24. That's when three high school hockey games will be televised to a multi-state viewership on Fan Duel Sports Network North.
But Scheels Rink will get plenty of test runs in the days leading up to Hockey Day.
Those test runs started at 10 a.m. Saturday, when rivals Century/John Marshall and Mayo played in their second regular-season matchup of this season.
"The environment was great and the rink was awesome," said Mayo senior forward Henry Collura, who had an assist on the Spartans' lone goal. "Overall, the environment was awesome. We're really lucky that we got to come up here and play our rivals, even though we didn't win. It was fun and I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life."
John Marshall was part of Hockey Day Minnesota in 2009, when it was played at Phalen Park in St. Paul. Saturday marked the first time Mayo has been part of the days-long or week-long event.
"The facility was great. The day was great," said Mayo head coach Matt Notermann, whose team also played an outdoor game on Dec. 30 against Fargo (N.D.) North High School, at the West Fargo (N.D.) Winter Classic holiday tournament. "The other team is playing in the exact same environment that you are. I do think it's a little bit difficult out there. The ice is a little bumpy, and the puck wasn't sitting flat at times, but (Century/JM) had to play in the same exact condition, so you can't make more of it than it is.
"It was awesome. A beautiful facility, a beautiful park."
Century/JM got off to a fast start, with first-period goals by Hodge and Baltavics. Waters scored with just more than 5 minutes to play in the second period, for a 3-0 Panthers lead. That helped settle a team that was looking for — and got — its first win in more than a month, since beating Owatonna 3-2 on Dec. 13.
"I think our guys just had a heck of a time," Century/JM co-head coach Matt Erredge said. "The old adage is they skate outside a lot with their buddies, but they really never play organized games outside. And I think it took us a little bit to adjust to some of the ice conditions. Great ice here, great facility, but even at this temperature, the puck just doesn't settle down enough. But our guys responded well."We told them that it was going to be an experience for them, and to enjoy that experience. Wometimes they forget that that's what we wanted to give them, was the outdoor game. It's a great facility and great to be a part of Hockey Day week."
For Mayo coach Notermann and Century/JM co-head coaches Erredge and Josh Klingfus, the day was a bit of a throwback to their childhood, when playing on outdoor rinks with friends and kids from the neighborhood was the way many skills were developed.
"This is the Taj Mahal of outdoor rinks," Erredge said. "I grew up in Austin and went to a place called Sherman Park, spent a ton of time out there. I remember my parents would drop me off with a sack lunch and a cooler. I'd have a couple of waters and I'd play and sit in the warming house for a couple of hours and then go back out and do it until dark.
"It's just kind of what we did. For the guys to have this experience, that was fun. And to get the win is just a bonus."
—Members of the Shannon O'Hara Foundation's board of directors were on hand Saturday to present $1,000 scholarship checks to one player from each high school team that played in Hastings during the day. Rochester recipients were Noah Hagen from Mayo and Jarek Solak from Century/John Marshall. The Shannon O'Hara Foundation will present a $1,000 scholarship to one senior from each of the varsity teams that plays at the UHL rink this week in the leadup to, and on Hockey Day Minnesota. The Foundation also is busy this weekend with its annual Shannon Cup Tournament at Graham Arena in Rochester. It will also hold its annual Scholarship Night in Rochester on Thursday, between periods of the Mayo vs. Century/JM girls hockey game.
—Mayo's goal was scored in the third period by Max Gargollo. The Spartans were inches away from tying the score, though, as they had a shot hit a goalpost and another hit the crossbar in the third period.
—The game was officiated by a crew of referees and linesmen from southeastern Minnesota. Referees Ryan Yetzer and Austin Houska, and linesman Matt Bloxham are from Rochester, and linesman Gabe Kinney is formerly of Red Wing; he now lives in Wisconsin. Yetzer played in Hockey Day Minnesota 2009, when he was a sophomore at John Marshall. The Rockets fell that day to St. Paul Johnson, when HDM was held at Phalen Park in St. Paul.
—The Rochester Grizzlies will get their chance to play at Scheels Rink at UHL on Friday, Jan. 23, when they face the Granite City Lumberjacks in a North American 3 Hockey League rivalry matchup, at noon. That game will precede one of the big highlights of the week, an American Hockey League game between the Iowa Wild and the Milwaukee Admirals, which is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Friday. The Iowa Wild are the Minnesota Wild's top minor-league affiliate. The Admirals are the top affiliate of the Nashville Predators.
1. Hatcher Hodge, Century/JM: The junior defenseman scored the game's first goal, then assisted on Gustavs Baltavics goal that held up as the game winner.
2. Drake Waters, Century/JM: The senior forward assisted on the game's first goal, which gave the Panthers the lead for good, then he scored his first varsity goal with 5:32 to go in the second period, for a 3-0 lead.
3. Max Gargollo, Mayo: The senior forward scored his second goal of the season, and his first since Dec. 29.
CENTURY/JM 3, MAYO 1
Mayo 0-0-1 — 1
Century/JM 2-1-0 — 3
First Period — 1. CJM, Hatcher Hodge (Drake Waters) 10:07. 2. CJM, Gustavs Baltavics (Hodge) 16:17. Second Period — 3. CJM, Waters (Owen Lent, Nolan Frank) 11:28. Third Period — 4. RM, Max Gargollo (Henry Collura) 12:42.
Shots on goal — RM 6-6-9 — 21; CJM 9-6-8 — 23. Goalies — RM, Colton Brandt 20 saves-23 shots. Power-play opportunities — CJM, Zach Bohan 20 saves-21 shots. Penalties — RM 2-4 minutes; CJM 5-10 minutes.
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It wasn't heavy, but it was noticeable.
A handful of Century/John Marshall players on the heated bench took a brief second to look around and take in the setting. Likewise for a few of their opponents from Rochester Mayo on the adjacent heated bench.
They are all Minnesotans. They've seen their share of snow. Just not while playing an organized high school hockey game.
"It was wonderful. I've never played outside before in an actual organized game," said Century/John Marshall senior goalie Zach Bohan. "It was just ... I love this rink, especially playing against our rivals. I've played a little bit (of pick-up hockey outdoors), but definitely not an organized game like this."
If the Century/JM players had any nerves about dropping the puck on Hockey Day Minnesota '26 week Saturday morning, they didn't show. Or maybe those nerves were frozen by the minus-11 wind chill at Scheels Rink at the United Heroes League complex.
Perhaps the nicest outdoor hockey venue in Minnesota, the UHL features 1,200 permanent seats, with twice as many temporary seats brought in for the eight-day celebration of hockey in the State of Hockey.
Century/JM (5-10-0 overall) snapped a six-game skid and earned a split of its regular-season series with Mayo (6-10-0). The Panthers got goals from Hodge, Gustavs Baltavics and Drake Waters (his first varsity goal) in a 3-1 victory. But the lasting memory for the players will be more about the environment than the scoreboard.
"It was pretty amazing coming in here and seeing this, then being freezing cold while you're warming up," said Century/JM junior defenseman Hatcher Hodge, "and going on the ice and seeing ... a decent amount of people who came to see (Saturday's game) when it's negative-11, that's pretty amazing, pretty surreal."
The official Hockey Day Minnesota '26 is set for next Saturday, Jan. 24. That's when three high school hockey games will be televised to a multi-state viewership on Fan Duel Sports Network North.
But Scheels Rink will get plenty of test runs in the days leading up to Hockey Day.
Those test runs started at 10 a.m. Saturday, when rivals Century/John Marshall and Mayo played in their second regular-season matchup of this season.
"The environment was great and the rink was awesome," said Mayo senior forward Henry Collura, who had an assist on the Spartans' lone goal. "Overall, the environment was awesome. We're really lucky that we got to come up here and play our rivals, even though we didn't win. It was fun and I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life."
John Marshall was part of Hockey Day Minnesota in 2009, when it was played at Phalen Park in St. Paul. Saturday marked the first time Mayo has been part of the days-long or week-long event.
"The facility was great. The day was great," said Mayo head coach Matt Notermann, whose team also played an outdoor game on Dec. 30 against Fargo (N.D.) North High School, at the West Fargo (N.D.) Winter Classic holiday tournament. "The other team is playing in the exact same environment that you are. I do think it's a little bit difficult out there. The ice is a little bumpy, and the puck wasn't sitting flat at times, but (Century/JM) had to play in the same exact condition, so you can't make more of it than it is.
"It was awesome. A beautiful facility, a beautiful park."
Century/JM got off to a fast start, with first-period goals by Hodge and Baltavics. Waters scored with just more than 5 minutes to play in the second period, for a 3-0 Panthers lead. That helped settle a team that was looking for — and got — its first win in more than a month, since beating Owatonna 3-2 on Dec. 13.
"I think our guys just had a heck of a time," Century/JM co-head coach Matt Erredge said. "The old adage is they skate outside a lot with their buddies, but they really never play organized games outside. And I think it took us a little bit to adjust to some of the ice conditions. Great ice here, great facility, but even at this temperature, the puck just doesn't settle down enough. But our guys responded well."We told them that it was going to be an experience for them, and to enjoy that experience. Wometimes they forget that that's what we wanted to give them, was the outdoor game. It's a great facility and great to be a part of Hockey Day week."
For Mayo coach Notermann and Century/JM co-head coaches Erredge and Josh Klingfus, the day was a bit of a throwback to their childhood, when playing on outdoor rinks with friends and kids from the neighborhood was the way many skills were developed.
"This is the Taj Mahal of outdoor rinks," Erredge said. "I grew up in Austin and went to a place called Sherman Park, spent a ton of time out there. I remember my parents would drop me off with a sack lunch and a cooler. I'd have a couple of waters and I'd play and sit in the warming house for a couple of hours and then go back out and do it until dark.
"It's just kind of what we did. For the guys to have this experience, that was fun. And to get the win is just a bonus."
—Members of the Shannon O'Hara Foundation's board of directors were on hand Saturday to present $1,000 scholarship checks to one player from each high school team that played in Hastings during the day. Rochester recipients were Noah Hagen from Mayo and Jarek Solak from Century/John Marshall. The Shannon O'Hara Foundation will present a $1,000 scholarship to one senior from each of the varsity teams that plays at the UHL rink this week in the leadup to, and on Hockey Day Minnesota. The Foundation also is busy this weekend with its annual Shannon Cup Tournament at Graham Arena in Rochester. It will also hold its annual Scholarship Night in Rochester on Thursday, between periods of the Mayo vs. Century/JM girls hockey game.
—Mayo's goal was scored in the third period by Max Gargollo. The Spartans were inches away from tying the score, though, as they had a shot hit a goalpost and another hit the crossbar in the third period.
—The game was officiated by a crew of referees and linesmen from southeastern Minnesota. Referees Ryan Yetzer and Austin Houska, and linesman Matt Bloxham are from Rochester, and linesman Gabe Kinney is formerly of Red Wing; he now lives in Wisconsin. Yetzer played in Hockey Day Minnesota 2009, when he was a sophomore at John Marshall. The Rockets fell that day to St. Paul Johnson, when HDM was held at Phalen Park in St. Paul.
—The Rochester Grizzlies will get their chance to play at Scheels Rink at UHL on Friday, Jan. 23, when they face the Granite City Lumberjacks in a North American 3 Hockey League rivalry matchup, at noon. That game will precede one of the big highlights of the week, an American Hockey League game between the Iowa Wild and the Milwaukee Admirals, which is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Friday. The Iowa Wild are the Minnesota Wild's top minor-league affiliate. The Admirals are the top affiliate of the Nashville Predators.
1. Hatcher Hodge, Century/JM: The junior defenseman scored the game's first goal, then assisted on Gustavs Baltavics goal that held up as the game winner.
2. Drake Waters, Century/JM: The senior forward assisted on the game's first goal, which gave the Panthers the lead for good, then he scored his first varsity goal with 5:32 to go in the second period, for a 3-0 lead.
3. Max Gargollo, Mayo: The senior forward scored his second goal of the season, and his first since Dec. 29.
CENTURY/JM 3, MAYO 1
Mayo 0-0-1 — 1
Century/JM 2-1-0 — 3
First Period — 1. CJM, Hatcher Hodge (Drake Waters) 10:07. 2. CJM, Gustavs Baltavics (Hodge) 16:17. Second Period — 3. CJM, Waters (Owen Lent, Nolan Frank) 11:28. Third Period — 4. RM, Max Gargollo (Henry Collura) 12:42.
Shots on goal — RM 6-6-9 — 21; CJM 9-6-8 — 23. Goalies — RM, Colton Brandt 20 saves-23 shots. Power-play opportunities — CJM, Zach Bohan 20 saves-21 shots. Penalties — RM 2-4 minutes; CJM 5-10 minutes.
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