The first weekend of April marked the 2nd annual St. Paul Fire Foundation Hockey Tournament, held at the Tria Rink in downtown Saint Paul. Eight teams gathered to play hockey and raise funds to directly benefit the Saint Paul Fire Foundation. Those competing for a slapshot at glory were the Minnesota Warriors, Saint Paul Police, Des Moines Fire, Duluth Fire, Minneapolis Fire, Milwaukee Fire, and two teams (Light/Dark) representing the Saint Paul Fire Department. Sponsors for the tournament included Quast Insurance; Muesser, Yackley, and Rowland Law Office; and MacQueen Equipment. The St. Paul Fire Foundation wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the sponsors, the players, and the viewers for making this year’s tournament an outstanding success with more than $9,000 raised.
The tournament began Saturday morning with SPFD (Light) playing Duluth Fire. Both teams opened with a flurry of shots that yielded Duluth a hard-won victory, scoring seven goals to Saint Paul’s five. Game 2 between Saint Paul Police and Minneapolis Fire, last year’s champions, was no less exciting. Fans of Minneapolis had their hopes of holding onto the trophy arrested, as SPPD narrowly claimed victory with a score of 4-3. In game 3, the Minnesota Warriors fought hard against Des Moines Fire. However, the Warriors’ small roster of players and lack of substitutions presented a difficult challenge, and they were overcome 7-3. All eyes were on SPFD (Dark) in game 4 against Milwaukee Fire, as they represented Saint Paul Fire’s last hope for the championship this year. It was a tight game with excellent play from both teams, but Saint Paul took the lead and never relinquished it, finishing 3-1.
Play continued into Saturday evening, with game 5 effectively a rematch between last year’s finalists, the Minneapolis and Saint Paul fire departments. Despite both teams being out of contention for this year’s trophy, the game was intense right from the start. In the end, Minneapolis finished their night on a higher note, winning 5-1. Next, the Warriors fought fiercely despite their mounting fatigue. They faced a difficult opponent in Milwaukee Fire, falling 7-3 once again. In the winners’ bracket, Saint Paul Police edged another narrow victory against Duluth Fire, three goals to two, while SPFD (Dark) solidified their place in the finals with a decisive 11-3 victory over Des Moines. The stage was set for the final four games of the tournament to be played the following day. Before returning to the ice, the players and their families shared food and fun at the Pillbox Tavern three floors below.
Photo credit: Paul Barrett
The tournament resumed on Sunday with SPFD (Light) playing the Minnesota Warriors, winning 8-7. Minneapolis Fire prevailed over Milwaukee Fire, scoring five goals without giving one up. Duluth Fire won 5-2 against Des Moines, leaving only the championship to be decided. The Saint Paul Police and Saint Paul Fire Department have a shared history outside of serving the same city. Describing it as a friendly rivalry, Firefighter Dave Katz related there are personal friendships between both teams, and that there is a better understanding between the two than many other departments. He further related that they skate together regularly, often substituting players from one team with the other as needed. In fact, the two teams played against each other on at least five separate occasions in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Now they were set to play against each other once more, with the winner taking home the trophy.
As most viewers would hope for the championship of any contest, the game was highly competitive. Momentum swung back and forth throughout the game, with the Police ahead, 3-2, going into the third period. That gap widened to 5-3 with two minutes remaining in the game before scoring the final goal of the tournament on Fire’s empty net. Once the buzzer sounded, both teams came together to shake hands and pose for a group picture to commemorate the closing of the second annual Saint Paul Fire Foundation Hockey Tournament!
Photo credit: Paul Barrett
The final standings are below:
1st – Saint Paul Police
2nd – Saint Paul Fire (Dark)
3rd – Duluth Fire
4th – Des Moines Fire
5th – Minneapolis Fire
6th – Milwaukee Fire
7th – Saint Paul Fire (Light)
8th – Minnesota Warriors