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TAGLINE GOES HERE MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // MARCH.2016 NEWS + NOTES FROM THE STATE OF HOCKEY 04 "Like" Minnesota Hockey Journal and follow @mnhockeyjournal GETTING TO KNOW… Grand Rapids High School center Mitchell Mattson Grand Rapids Amateur Hockey Association Q: Salty or sweet snacks? A: I've got a bit of a sweet tooth, so I have to say sweets are kind of my guilty pleasure. Kit-Kats are my favorite. Q: Favorite hockey movie? A: I don't want to go with the cliché one, Miracle—though it's a great one—but I love Goon, it's one of my favorites. Q: Any musical abilities? A: I don't know if I have some- thing that I'm extraordinary at, but I used to play the piano when I was younger. (Laughs) I can't even read music anymore, but I used to play the basics. Q: What reality show would you like to be featured on? A: Ah, probably the NHL's 24/7 series. That would mean I'd be playing in the NHL. PHOTOS: HOCKEYGODS, SUBMITTED. & GOALS ASSISTS EVENTS CALENDAR Talk about March Madness. Check out all of the on-ice events hosted in the State of Hockey this month. March 2–5: Minnesota State High School League Boys' Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center March 5&6: WCHA Women's Final Face- off at Ridder Arena March 11-13: Minnesota Hockey State Tournaments March 17–19: Big Ten Men's Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center March 18&19: National Collegiate Hockey Conference Men's Hockey Tournament at Target Center March 25–27: NCAA Men's Hockey Western Regional at Xcel Energy Center W hat's this all about? Surely you mean the Winnipeg Jets, who, like all NHL teams, dream of bringing home Lord Stanley's mug. Actually, we're talking about the Winnipeg Victorias, who did win the Stanley Cup in 1896 over the Montreal Victorias (both named after the Queen, who then ruled Great Britain, which included Canada). So what about the State of Hockey? When did this invasion occur? Well as the fates would have it, almost a year earlier these same Winnipeg Victorias defeated the University of Minnesota, 11-3, in Athletic Park in Minneapolis (where the Butler Building is now located). The date was Feb. 18, 1895 and the Minneapolis Tribune described the scene the following day: "Fully 300 citizens and students…turned out to Athletic Park yesterday afternoon to witness the hockey game between…Winnipeg…and the University of Minnesota team. The game, which proved to be an easy victory for the visitors, was exciting throughout, at times very much so, resulting in a score of 11-3…It was team playing against individual work, and as usual, the former had the best of it. The University boys, however, deserve credit for the lively game they put up against the heavy odds. The rink was in good condition and the day was perfect for the sport." So who were the University boys? First names or even initials for many are unknown. Canadian import (an early Lou Nanne?) and faculty member Dr. H. A. Parkyn played alongside Head, Albright, Wilkerson, Russell, Walker and Van Campen in goal. The Victorias would go on to win their Stanley Cup and place one of their players, forward Dan Bain, in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But both the Minneapolis Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press took out their crystal balls and predicted great things for Gopher hockey as a result. The latter projected that "Hockey promises to become as popular at the University as football, baseball, and rowing are at present, and intercollegiate games will follow." And so it proved to be with national titles in 1940 (AAU), 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002 and 2003. WHEN WINNIPEG INVADED THE STATE OF HOCKEY ON THE RECORD WITH ROGER The 1896 Winnipeg Victorias