The Upper Midwest High School Elite League came to a close on Nov. 8 as Team CCM edged Team Tier I Elite Gray 4-2 in the finals of the CCM International Invitational Tournament.

The IIT capped off a fall season that saw Team North record its first winning fall season since 2012, posting a record of 20-4-0 on its way to claiming the UMHSEL regular season and playoff crowns.

Runner-up Team Southeast’s Casey Mittelstadt led the UMHSEL in scoring with 14 goals and 41 points, and Team Northeast’s Luke Notermann led the league in goals with 18. 

IIT champion Team CCM Hockey was made up of primarily Team North skaters, with five players joining the team from the Elite League’s Team Great Plains.

Forward Ash Altmann (Duluth East), goaltender River Alander (Duluth Denfeld) and defenseman Scott Perunovich (Hibbing) were named to the IIT All-Tournament Team and Perunovich was selected as Tournament Most Valuable Player.

The All-Tournament Team and MVP awards were determined by a panel of professional and junior hockey scouts. 

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE UMHSEL

1. The northern ring schools of Hermantown, Grand Rapids and Duluth East are extremely talented. Hermantown had seven players play in the Elite League, Grand Rapids had six and Duluth East had four.

2. IIT MVP Scott Perunovich was able to strut his stuff in front of a crowd that probably hadn’t seen the Iron Range star in action, and he did not disappoint. Perunovich led the Elite League with a whopping 33 assists to champion Team North, and directed a power play unit that converted 29 times with the man-advantage in 24 games.

3. Team North did not rely exclusively on experience in its dominant run. Four players who suited up for their respective youth association bantam teams made significant contributions. Gavin Hain (Grand Rapids) scored three goals in the UMHSEL championship game, Tyler Watkins (Hermantown) finished with 10 goals and 16 points, Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids) dished out 13 assists and goaltender Zach Stejskal (Grand Rapids) posted a 7-1 record between the pipes.