Minnesota Youth Hockey Playoff Game Spans 3 Days, 12 Overtimes

Cottage Grove Wolfpack emerge victorious after marathon matchup against St. Paul Saints

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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A Minnesota U12 girls hockey playoff game between the Cottage Grove Wolfpack and St. Paul Saints lasted three days and 12 overtime periods before the Wolfpack won in a shootout. The game started on Monday, continued on Tuesday, and was finally decided on Wednesday after the teams played through 11 overtime periods before going to a shootout.

Why it matters

This marathon hockey game highlights the dedication and perseverance of young athletes, as well as the unique challenges that can arise in youth sports. The game also showcases the competitive spirit and sportsmanship of the players, coaches, and officials involved.

The details

The game was tied 1-1 after regulation, leading to multiple overtime periods. After six overtime periods on Monday, the game was postponed to Tuesday, where four more overtime periods were played. With neither team able to score the winning goal, the game was moved to Wednesday, where an 11th overtime period was played in a traditional 5-on-5 format, followed by a 12th overtime in a 3-on-3 format. When the game was still tied after the 12th overtime, a shootout was used to determine the winner, with the Cottage Grove Wolfpack emerging victorious.

  • The game started on Monday, February 17, 2026.
  • The game continued on Tuesday, February 18, 2026.
  • The game was decided on Wednesday, February 19, 2026.

The players

Cottage Grove Wolfpack

A youth hockey team from Cottage Grove, Minnesota that competed in the District 8 postseason matchup.

St. Paul Saints

A youth hockey team from St. Paul, Minnesota that competed in the District 8 postseason matchup against the Cottage Grove Wolfpack.

Lydia Pettey

The goalkeeper for the Cottage Grove Wolfpack who made 96 saves during the marathon game.

Ashlyn Anderson

A player for the Cottage Grove Wolfpack who scored the winning goal in the shootout to clinch the victory for her team.

John Weiberg

The co-head coach of the St. Paul Saints who played youth hockey with fellow co-head coach Michael Reif.

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What they’re saying

“After the first three periods we played, I think, three overtimes, and then they resurfaced the ice, and after that we're sitting in the locker room waiting for the Zamboni to get done [and] we're kind of like, 'Well this is pretty cool.' 'But how long [is] this going to go?'”

— John Weiberg, Co-head coach, St. Paul Saints (ESPN)

“We all agreed that we'd way rather figure it out on the ice than do something crazy off the ice. So the shootout was not exactly what we wanted to do, but, you know, we had to get the game over at some point, and if the shootout is good enough for the Olympics, it's probably good enough for 12U hockey too.”

— John Weiberg, Co-head coach, St. Paul Saints (ESPN)

“Before this game, my brother actually taught me a couple shots [that] would help me score that goal.”

— Ashlyn Anderson (KSTP TV)

“[I was] feeling like: 'If we lose this, I'm quitting hockey,'”

— Ashlyn Anderson (KSTP TV)

“It's tough being on the losing end of the game. But I'm hoping a couple days, a couple weeks, down the road the girls can look back and be like, 'This was an unbelievable experience, and how cool was it that we got to be part of a game that's trending nationally when we're 12 years old?'”

— John Weiberg, Co-head coach, St. Paul Saints (KSTP TV)

What’s next

The winner of the Cottage Grove Wolfpack and St. Paul Saints game will advance to play in the next round of the District 8 playoffs on Thursday.

The takeaway

This marathon hockey game showcases the dedication, perseverance, and competitive spirit of young athletes, as well as the unique challenges that can arise in youth sports. Despite the long duration of the game, the players, coaches, and officials involved demonstrated great sportsmanship and a commitment to determining the winner on the ice.