Owatonna Poly Hockey takes on state

Owatonna Special Olympics’ blue, silver, and white poly hockey teams all competed at the state tournament in Stillwater earlier this month, with all three teams finishing strong.

Both the silver and white teams won two out of their three games to place second, while the Blue squad swept all three games to take home first.

“This year’s athletes did amazing. After having a tough three years off from playing due to COVID-19, our athletes proved they were ready to put in the hard work. This year, we had many new players on the team. Although they may have been new, they showed that they could put 110% in when it was needed. I am so deeply proud of them all,” said Owatonna head coach Eric Merxbauer.

Owatonna’s blue team was a force to be reckoned with at state and won all three of its games by wide margins.

The team opened its tournament with a 10-2 win over Western Wings before beating Apple Valley-Rosemount-Eagan (ARE) 17-0 and the Minneapolis Monarchs 7-1 to sweep the tournament.

Also putting on a skillful display at the state tournament, Owatonna’s silver team won its first two games against Granite City and ARE with 4-3 and 5-0 scorelines to reach the championship game.

Owatonna battled hard for gold against Savage-Prior Lake but lost in a close 5-4 battle.

The white team also placed second in the tournament but faced a much different route.

After losing the opening game 5-2 to Woodbury, the White squad rebounded to win its last two games 7-1 and 8-2 over South Region and White Bear Lake.

According to Merxbauer, the white team faced adversity before the tournament as some key athletes were unable to attend.

However, the team pushed through and showed that it was able to contend en route to winning silver.

“It’s just so fun watching each athlete grow during the practice season, and even more fun when you get to see them show off their amazing abilities in games. They do such a great job working together and cheering on their teammates,” said Merxbauer.