Hockey Day glides into Stillwater
February 9, 2017
The 11th annual Hockey Day Minnesota made a presence in downtown Stillwater. This event involves various games from high school, university alumni, college and professional hockey teams. It is broadcasted each year, and receives national coverage. Since 2007, the event has taken place in cities from St. Paul to Lake Minnetonka/Excelsior to Duluth.
With the high ranking of the boys team, high hopes were in store for the game against Eden Prairie. Eden Prairie took the win with a final score of 4-1. Despite the loss, this event’s results doesn’t have an effect on the regular season. Senior captains Noah Cates and Luke Manning have had a strong lead on the team.
Captains Olivia Konigson and Claire Knowlan led the girls team to a victory. With a final score of 2-0 against Minnetonka, it brought attention to the team.
Konigson said, “It is such a privilege and great responsibility to be captain of the girls hockey team alongside my co-captain [Knowlan]. Being able to help lead and represent your team is something that we take pride in.” Konigson enjoys being able to lead the team and this event has caused publicity for the team.
I think Stillwater is a beautiful historical landmark that ties to the history of Minnesota. The St. Croix River and Lift Bridge set the perfect backdrop to the event and what better place to host Hockey Day than the birthplace of the Minnesota.
— Olivia Konigson
This event brought in the Korean National Team, a game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Gophers alumni took place and many more. The community helped with the event as many businesses promoted it by selling apparel. The attendance of the event brought in over 5,000 people and the ice castles near the event’s location- Lowell Park were expected to bring in more people, but the warm weather conditions caused it to be temporarily closed.
Cates said, “Being named captain has been special and rewarding. The season has been great so far [and] the team is doing well and we’ve been having a lot of fun.” The strong results of the season has people excited and supporting the team.
Both the girls and boys teams have high hopes for the rest of the season and they experienced a once-in-a-lifetime hometown hockey celebration.
Konigson said, “I think Stillwater is a beautiful historical landmark that ties to the history of Minnesota. The St. Croix River and Lift Bridge set the perfect backdrop to the event and what better place to host Hockey Day than the birthplace of the Minnesota.” The unique location attracted many people with it is historical ties.
Hockey Day involved more than hockey- spectators were able to experience vendor tents, ice sculptures and a giant fire pit. It brought attention to Stillwater and its legacy has an impact on events for days to come.
Hannah Drake • Mar 28, 2017 at 9:48 am
I am so glad that The Pony Express had the opportunity this year to write a local story on Hockey Day MN. This story really captured how MN high schoolers view hockey and what a big part it plays in their lives.
Hailey Willius • Mar 28, 2017 at 9:31 am
I am not a huge hockey buff but this article was a great way to show and explain this event. Some of the vocabulary use was a bit confusing but for people would could understand it, it added to the article. The details used and the reporters ability to dive deeper made this article worth the read.
Gabe Wagner • Mar 28, 2017 at 8:55 am
I thought that it was a great article that covers a very important event for the team, city, and school. Article also had good interviews from key players and did a good job highlighting the whole weeknd.
Jack DeGonda • Mar 28, 2017 at 8:14 am
this story is very interesting because it covers a topic that was very important at the time- when hockey day minnesota was held in stillwater. I think it was an honor for us to hold the celebration, and with the rink built in downtown it attracted many visitors.
Gideon Bimpey • Mar 28, 2017 at 8:07 am
It was a great story. I could visualize everything he author was saying. Great writing and quote. I like how hey talk about both girls and boys team. Equality fam.
Jesse Zelaya • Mar 28, 2017 at 6:40 am
I like the way you wrote the title. It fit very well with the article. The story did a great job of explaining hockey day MN. It touched all aspects like the boys team, girls team, and the city of Stillwater itself.
Megan Ramberg • Mar 27, 2017 at 10:52 pm
This article is very informative and includes very good quotes. The lead provided the majority information about Hockey Day right away, which is good because you get the gist of what the article is about first hand. Very nice article.
ceci charlsen • Mar 27, 2017 at 8:20 pm
I really liked how she covered both boys and girls hockey because it draws in more reader ands it definitely appeals to a larger group of readers.
Jack Reinseth • Mar 27, 2017 at 7:50 pm
I loved how you talked to both girls and boys team. I had the experience to play in it and loved it, so reading this allows me to be able to know how others feel about the day and how much it meant to the town.
kayla gjerde • Mar 27, 2017 at 7:36 pm
This article is very well written. Olivia Konigson had some very good quotes. I like how it incorporated both the girl and boys team. The title grabs your attention too.
Olivia Weirtz • Mar 27, 2017 at 6:35 pm
I enjoyed how you focused on ideas outside of just the high school teams, and broadened the scope to the other teams that participated in the event as well. You give people a more in depth understanding of the day, besides simply the surface information of high school teams playing outside.
Hannah Boardman • Mar 27, 2017 at 5:36 pm
My favorite part about this article is that you talked about both the girls and boys teams. It was very well written and the quotes were great, showing that you asked very strong questions. Nice job!
Jared Dean • Mar 27, 2017 at 3:51 pm
I really liked in this story how you covered both the boys team as well as the girls team. The story had lots of information about Hockey Day. I also liked how you included the quotes from the captains of both teams.
Allison Heintz • Mar 27, 2017 at 12:19 pm
The article over all was very well written and of course very interesting because it was such a big deal for all the students. The quotes that the captains provided were very strong and added a lot of heart to the story. Also the coverage of both the boys and girls teams was well split.
Ebbie Benson • Mar 27, 2017 at 11:52 am
The captains were good sources to use and quotes the were really strong. The sentences are a little choppy and abrupt, and the article would benefit from more fluidity. Very relevant subject to the school, and the article had good details and information.
McKenna • Mar 25, 2017 at 6:34 pm
I agree with Ashlyn and Ciana that the title was very creative, catching my eye! The article had great background information on Hockey Day and how it impacted our community! Also, integrating both the boys and girls sides made the article very strong.
Jake Caywood • Mar 19, 2017 at 10:02 am
Good job covering both the boys and girls hockey teams with strong quotes from the captains. This article summed up the impact that Hockey Day Minnesota had on Stillwater and also covered all the events that happened on Hockey Day.
Elana Ross • Mar 14, 2017 at 8:05 am
I really liked this article, it was good to give some background behind Hockey Day MN. I also thought she had very strong quotes, I liked how she interviewed both the boys and girls captains. Overall it is a very good and informative article.
Ciana Fragnito • Mar 13, 2017 at 4:21 pm
The creative title made this story very eye catching. Great use of facts in the lead and nutgraph as well as a good variation of both boys and girls teams and the interviews with their captains.
Ashlyn Aarness • Mar 11, 2017 at 6:16 pm
Creative title and makes you want to read. Lead is a little long. Interviewed good people with the right information. Conclusion was nicely put. Very Interesting article!
Hailey Laubscher • Mar 1, 2017 at 8:24 am
This was a really well written article and it explained the different parts that make up Hockey Day MN. She interviewed hockey players which was a great addition to get their perspective on the life-changing event. The article explained all of the events that occurred in Stillwater not just the hockey games which made for an interesting article.