A District 8 youth playoff between Cottage Grove and a St. Paul squad turned into a full-blown hockey endurance test this week, as 11- and 12-year-old players skated into yet another overtime at South St. Paul’s Doug Woog Arena. The late-night matchup has become a marathon of extra periods, keeping families and volunteer coaches at the rink long past any reasonable bedtime.
The game began Monday night and was tied 1–1 after three regulation periods and six overtimes. Play was suspended at 10:45 p.m. Monday, then resumed Tuesday with a seventh overtime before being halted again. Even after the teams pushed through a 10th overtime, the score stayed locked at 1–1, forcing yet another suspension and a scheduled reconvening Wednesday night for at least an 11th overtime. According to KSTP, the matchup features 12U-B players (ages 11 and 12). KSTP also reported that St. Paul had taken 86 shots, Cottage Grove 51, and the goalies had combined for 135 saves.
How Minnesota Tournaments Handle Marathon Overtimes
Minnesota Hockey’s tournament rules spell out the overtime sequence used in district play. After a two-minute rest, the first overtime is a 10-minute period at five-on-five. The second overtime is five minutes at four-on-four, and every overtime after that is 10 minutes at three-on-three, with resurfacing required between sets of overtime periods. The handbook also makes it clear that “the tournament director, in the best interest of the tournament, has the option of suspending the game and completing it at a later time,” a safeguard designed for exactly these marathon ties. Those procedures are meant to keep things fair competitively while protecting young players from excessive continuous ice time, per the Minnesota Hockey handbook.
The Rink And Local Context
The game is unfolding at Doug Woog Arena, the South St. Paul Parks & Recreation rink named for the longtime University of Minnesota coach. The city’s Parks & Recreation department manages the facility and handles ice scheduling for community groups and tournaments, according to South St. Paul Parks & Recreation.
Marathon games are rare but not unheard of. Prep and college contests have run into multiple extra periods before, and a U.S. high school game went to six overtimes in 2020, a reminder of why districts build in rest, resurfacing and suspension rules for player safety. Those historical cases help explain why tournament directors sometimes hit pause and pick the game up later instead of forcing kids to grind through endless sudden death, per Wikipedia on long overtime games.
Coaches, families and players are expected back at Doug Woog Arena on Wednesday night with a District 8 berth on the line. KSTP has reported the schedule and statistical totals, and we will be watching for the final result and the team that finally advances.
