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The University of Minnesota hockey team was forced to postpone a game after a thief stole more than two dozen hockey sticks, police said.
Mankato West High School’s varsity hockey team initially had to forfeit its Heritage Holiday Classic tournament game against Anoka High School on Saturday after realizing more than 30 players’ sticks had been stolen.
Each hockey stick costs between $250 and $450, and most players have two sticks.
“I’m a little bit in shock, you know that’s the unfortunate reality of where we are in this world today,” said Nate Olsen, head coach of the Mankato West ScarletsValley News Live after the match was postponed. The sticks were stored on the bus, Olsen said.
On Saturday around 10:50 p.m., Duluth Police responded to a report of the theft of sticks. A few blocks away from the reported theft, officers located a man walking with “several items” that had been reported stolen. The man said he found the items behind a nearby homeless shelter, police said.
“The male did not match the description of the suspect and was taken into the county jail on an unrelated warrant,” authorities said.
Two days later, on Monday, Duluth police arrested 23-year-old Cole Saice, who was charged with felony theft, Saint Louis County Jail records show. Authorities have returned more than 30 hockey sticks to the Mankato West team.
After the sticks were stolen, the local hockey community started a GoFundMe page help raise money to replace hockey sticks.
“Mankato West Hockey fell victim to bad actors who stole players’ sticks from the bus overnight,” the site says. “All funds above our goal will go to support Mankato’s high school hockey program and its athletes.”
The fundraiser raised nearly $6,000 before it closed.
The game against Anoka will be “made up later this season,” the team wrote in the X post. “Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 24+ hours. Touching with a big stick @DuluthMNPolice for their prompt investigation and its continuation. We believe most of the missing bats have been found – uncertain in what condition. We will know more in the coming days.”