"Once again, Hockey Day is shaping up to be a spectacular celebration of the game we love," said John Maher, Minnesota Wild vice president of brand content and communications. "These exciting matchups will serve as the centerpiece of a day that hockey fans can experience and enjoy throughout the State of Hockey."
"We're proud of the robust programming lineup that came together for Hockey Day, Year 11," said Mike Dimond, senior vice president and general manager of FOX Sports North. "We'll get to highlight some of the top boys and girls high school teams in the state, showcase an exciting collegiate border battle and watch Coach Boudreau lead the Wild in a match-up against his former team during primetime. What a great way to celebrate the greater State of Hockey."
"The city of Stillwater and our local hockey community couldn't be more excited about hosting Hockey Day Minnesota," said Tony Novalany, chair of the Stillwater Organizing Committee. "I can't say enough about how hard the members of the local organizing committee have already worked at making Stillwater's Hockey Day the best one ever. We are getting excited to drop the puck!"
Stillwater's festivities will be part of a day-long television event broadcast on FOX Sports North starting at 9 a.m. CT, designed as a celebration of the game from peewees to pros.
In the first game at 10 a.m. CT, the Mahtomedi Zephyrs boys' team will take on the Thief River Falls Prowlers, who topped St. Paul Academy 4-1 to finish third in the 2016 Minnesota State High School League Boys' Hockey Class A Tournament. This will be the first Hockey Day appearance for both teams.
A Class AA matchup slated for 1 p.m. CT will feature two 2016 Class AA State Tournament participants as the hometown host Stillwater Ponies boys' team faces the Eden Prairie Eagles. The Ponies will be led by Noah Cates, who garnered national attention last season with his remarkable spin-o-rama overtime goal to lift the Ponies to a 1-0 victory over Hill Murray in the Section 4AA final. The Ponies will look to knock off the Eagles, who will be led by senior Casey Mittelstadt, their leading scorer last season and a projected top prospect in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. This will be the second Hockey Day appearance for both teams (Eden Prairie, 2010; Stillwater, 2014).
At 5:30 p.m. CT, the Stillwater Ponies girls' team will take on the Minnetonka Skippers on the outdoor sheet. That game will air live on FOX Sports North Plus and in its entirety at 11:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports North.
Two men's collegiate games are also on tap for Hockey Day Minnesota 2017. At 3 p.m. CT, the St. Cloud State University Huskies women's team hosts the Minnesota State University - Mankato Mavericks on FOX Sports North PLUS. At 5 p.m. CT, FOX Sports North will televise the border battle between the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and University of Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey game from Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Hockey Day Minnesota 2017 will be capped off as the Minnesota Wild host the Anaheim Ducks at 8 p.m. CT at Xcel Energy Center.
Tickets for Hockey Day Minnesota 2017 are now available by clicking
here
.
Full game schedule for Saturday, Jan. 21:
Hockey Day Minnesota was originated in 2007 by the Minnesota Wild to celebrate the game that has made Minnesota the State of Hockey. It is produced in partnership with FOX Sports North, Minnesota Hockey and the respective local community that serves as host each year. Previous locations include Baudette Bay (2007, 2008), Phalen Park (2009), Hermantown (2010), Moorhead (2011), Minnetonka (2012), Grand Rapids (2013), Elk River (2014), Saint Paul (2015) and Duluth (2016).
