Rochester teams are ready for their Hockey Day Minnesota moment

Jan. 16—HASTINGS, Minn. — Hockey Day Minnesota is no longer just a day-long celebration of hockey in the State of Hockey.

Over the course of its 18 years, Hockey Day Minnesota has evolved into a week-long event.

This year, that event will be held in the southeastern Twin Cities suburbs, specifically at Scheels Rink at United Heroes League in Hastings.

And though the slate of four games Saturday — opening day of Hockey Day Minnesota Week — won't be televised by FanDuel Sports Network, they do serve as the start of a special eight-day stretch that is more than two years in the making.

As a nod to hockey in this part of the state, two Rochester teams will drop the puck on the high school games for this year's Hockey Day Minnesota Week.

Rivals Mayo and Century/John Marshall will play their second regular-season matchup of the year in Hastings, at 10 a.m. It's the second game of the day, after an 8 a.m. exhibition by the Minnesota Warriors disabled ice hockey program.

The forecast, perhaps fittingly, has a very "Minnesota in January" feel to it. It calls for a temperature of 6 degrees at puck drop, with cloudy skies and wind out of the northwest at 10-20 mph.

That likely won't matter for long to the players. They'll get to play at a state-of-the-art outdoor facility. The UHL rink is maintained to the standards of a professional hockey arena, a "brag-about-me" part of the Tradition Veterans Complex, which also includes ball fields, playground equipment and soccer fields.

"We knew the televised games are picked by a committee," Century/JM co-head coach Matt Erredge told the Post Bulletin last fall, "but I just said 'if we can get involved in that week somehow, it'd be an awesome thing for Rochester hockey.' They asked if we knew of a team that would be a good opponent and I texted (Mayo coach Matt) Notermann immediately."

It was a no-brainer for Notermann, too. He and his staff have worked in recent years to give their players "experiences" or games that many players and teams won't get to be a part of.

The Spartans played in a two-day showcase in West Fargo, N.D., over the holiday break, which also included an outdoor game.

They created special alternate jerseys for their outdoor experiences this year. The jerseys are gold with the word "Southside" in script lettering across the chest and "Rochester" in block lettering underneath. On the players' right shoulders is a patch with Mayo's old-school block "M" logo and the word "Phenomenal!" written across it. The number 21 also appears inside the M, in honor of former Spartans star Matt Leimbek, who died unexpectedly in late February of 2025.

"This is what it's about, finding ways to make some memories and have some fun," Notermann told the PB in November. "That's our goal: To make all the work fun."

Saturday's other games include Lakeville South vs. Maple Grove girls at 1 p.m., Wayzata vs. Rogers boys at 4 p.m. and Rosemount vs. Holey Angels boys at 7 p.m.

The official Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 is next Saturday, Jan. 24, with three games at the UHL rink scheduled to be broadcast on FDSN North. That lineup includes Hastings vs. Park-Cottage Grove girls at 9:30 a.m., Hastings vs. East Ridge boys at 1 p.m., and Rock Ridge vs. St. Thomas Academy boys at 4:30 p.m.

Friday night, Jan. 23, is one of the marquee events of the week, an American Hockey League matchup between the Iowa Wild — the Minnesota Wild's top minor-league affiliate — and the Milwaukee Admirals, the top affiliate of the Nashville Predators. That game is set for a 5 p.m. start.

Another Rochester team will get its time on the big rink just prior to the Iowa-Milwaukee matchup, when the Rochester Grizzlies face the Granite City Lumberjacks at noon on Jan. 23, in a North American 3 Hockey League matchup at the UHL Rink.

Information about Tickets, parking and transportation, a full schedule of games , and information about live music and food vendors is available at the official Hockey Day Minnesota website, hockeydaymn.com .