SHAKOPEE, Minn. 鈥� There will be screams and cheers and laughs aplenty at Valleyfair theme park over four days in January 2025, but they will have nothing to do with rollercoasters and carnival games.
On a sunny Monday morning in July, officials from the Minnesota Wild, Bally Sports North and the local organizing committee for Hockey Day Minnesota crowded a stage inside the popular amusement park to announce the eight games involving 16 teams participating in the 19th annual HDM over the course of four days next winter.
ADVERTISEMENT
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more important for us than events like this if we鈥檙e going to live up to the State of Hockey ideal, which is all true,鈥� Wild CEO Matt Majka said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good for us, and it drives home the point that we鈥檙e dedicated to the continuing health and growth of hockey in Minnesota.鈥�
The Wild will host Calgary at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul as the final matchup of Hockey Day Minnesota on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 25. Before that, 16 teams will play on an outdoor rink, which will be set up in the Valleyfair parking lot.
HDM games announced at Monday鈥檚 press conference are:
- Wednesday, Jan. 22 | Lakeville North vs. Rosemount (girls), Eastview vs. Rosemount (boys)
- Thursday, Jan. 23 | Orono vs. Northfield (girls), Prior Lake vs. Eden Prairie (girls), Brainerd vs. Shakopee (girls).
- Friday, Jan. 24 | Delano vs. Orono (boys), Lakeville South vs. Prior Lake (boys).
- Saturday, Jan. 25 | Eden Prairie vs. Hibbing (boys), Minnesota Gophers vs. Bemidji State Beavers (women), Maple Grove vs. Shakopee (boys).
The college game will be a regularly-scheduled WCHA matchup with conference points on the line, but that鈥檚 a lesser concern to the Beavers鈥� new coach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance to represent women鈥檚 hockey on Hockey Day Minnesota, which is like a national holiday here,鈥� said Amber Fryklund, who took over the BSU program in the spring. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what the conditions are, it鈥檚 just an opportunity to play against a great opponent on that stage outside. We鈥檙e really, really fortunate to be a part of it.鈥�
For Beavers rising senior forward Geno Hendrickson, playing in Shakopee represents a chance to cure some of the intense FOMO she admitted feeling last January when her hometown, Warroad, hosted HDM 2024.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited, especially after missing out last year,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 get to go home and see any of it last year, which was a bummer, so when [coach] announced we鈥檇 be playing in Shakopee, my jaw just about hit the floor. It鈥檚 my last year, and I get to play in Hockey Day Minnesota.鈥�
ADVERTISEMENT
It will be a second consecutive season with a HDM game for the Lakeville North girls, who beat host Warroad in one of the marquee Saturday games last season. Coach Buck Kochevar said he expects to have 11 new players on his roster this season, so it will still be a new experience for many of the Panthers.
Members of the 13-person local organizing committee have been working on the concept for three years, and event host Kevin Gorg from Bally Sports North said they are always looking for volunteers who want to get involved.
鈥淭hree years ago, this was just an idea, and we鈥檙e just so proud of our community and all of the great things that we鈥檝e got here,鈥� said local organizer Erik Radtke, who has traveled to three previous events to learn from their efforts. 鈥淭here hasn鈥檛 been a hockey day on such a big piece of property before.鈥�
Bally officials noted that they expect 16-20 hours of live programming on Jan. 25. Bally has won 20 sports Emmy Awards from its previous HDM broadcasts, and Majka pointed out that the Wild are 14-3-1 previously on HDM, which shows the local NHL team is doing its part.
Several of the high schoolers on hand for the announcement spent the next few hours riding the rollercoasters and enjoying the park, getting ready for the cheers and screams to come in six months or so.
The Trust Project
