The Fifth Annual Herald Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic

The fifth annual Herald Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic will be held Dec. 28-30 in Grand Forks. There will be eight high school boys hockey teams from North Dakota and Minnesota participating. The event will benefit Altru Hospice and Grand Forks youth hockey.

The games will be played at Ralph Engelstad Arena and Purpur Arena.

Grand Forks Central, Grand Forks Red River, East Grand Forks Senior High, Bismarck, Bismarck Century, Fargo Davies, Brainerd, Minn., and Princeton, Minn., will participate in the three-day tournament.

The Herald Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic is named in honor of a courageous former Grand Forks Central hockey player. Jason Stadstad was 16 years old when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, but the teenager battled back with relentless optimism, providing a message of hope and courage that caught the community’s attention.

Stadstad of Manvel, N.D., was 19 years old when he died Dec. 17, 2006, after a battle with cancer that lasted more than three years. Doctors told Stadstad more than once he had days or weeks to live.

Stadstad responded by earning a scholarship to UND after graduating from Central in 2005. After being diagnosed with cancer, Stadstad played on the Central hockey team, went snowmobiling, water skiing, downhill skiing and managed a full social life.

In the spring of 2006, he was named honorary co-chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event in Grand Forks. During the 2003-04 school year, the Central hockey team won the state title armed with his inspiration and helmet decals bearing his initials and uniform number, JLS19.

His favorite saying was “Keep on keepin’ on.” One of his quotes was, “Things could have been a lot better, but this is God’s plan for me. My faith was there before I became sick but now I really have to believe in This Guy. He’s been holding my hand throughout this.”

Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for students through 12th grade. Tournament passes are $25 for adults and $10 for students.

Tickets are available in advance and at REA.

The first-round pairings for Dec. 28:

2 p.m. — Senior High vs. Bismarck Century, REA main

4:15 p.m. — Davies vs. Brainerd, REA main

5 p.m. — GF Central vs. Bismarck High, REA Olympic

6:30 p.m. — Red River vs. Princeton, REA main

The Dec. 29 games will be played in Purpur Arena.

The championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Dec. 30 at REA. The other Dec. 30 games will be played at Purpur.

There is also a round robin Junior Varsity tournament. First-round pairings are:

6:30 p.m. – Century vs. EGF, EGF Civic Center

1 p.m. – Davies vs. Brainerd, Gambucci

2 p.m. – Central vs. Bismarck, Purpur

3:15 p.m. – Red River vs. Princeton, Gambucci

Tickets prices are the same and will get you in to both Varsity and Junior Varsity games.

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