13 Stillwater girls' hockey players suspended after vandalism report

Thirteen Stillwater girls' hockey players were suspended for two games, forcing them to miss the team's section quarterfinal game on Saturday, after vandalism was reported by a city resident.

The vandalism, to the resident's home and car, was reported six days earlier to Stillwater police and subsequently to the Stillwater School District.

A shorthanded Ponies' team lost 7-2 loss to Roseville in the Class 2A, Section 4 quarterfinals, ending its season.

According to a Stillwater Police Department report:

A 2004 Ford Escape typically driven by the resident's 17-year-old daughter was found covered in Post-It Notes, ketchup, strawberry ice cream syrup, maple syrup, rubber bands, bird seed and mayonnaise.

In addition, hot dogs, several pairs of underwear and one or two gold fish were found in the driveway or on the front doorstep of the home. The police believed the "malicious mischief" occurred overnight from Feb 4 to Feb. 5.

Police traced UPC numbers from the food containers and the gold fish bags to a Walmart store in nearby Oak Park Heights. A store manager told police on Feb. 5 that he believed several girls had purchased or possibly stolen items from the store the previous evening.

On Feb. 8, the resident told police that eight females, known to her daughter, had come to her home and apologized. The names were redacted from the police report but the resident told police that they apparently were Stillwater hockey players. A motive for the vandalism was not provided in the report.

The resident requested no further police investigation but did call Stillwater High School to report the incident. Stillwater police are no longer investigating, the report said.

A school district spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that 13 girls' hockey players were suspended.

The girls' hockey program drew attention in April 2016 when then-coach Tony Scheid resigned, citing "unrelenting and vicious" verbal attacks from a group of parents toward his family.