Classes called off, but many high school games will start up tonight

Despite the fact that cold weather has led to many Minnesota schools being closed for a third straight day, many schools are opening for after-school activities, including resumption of prep sports.

The normal rule is that when school is closed, all activities are called off as well. That happened Tuesday when all games across the state was called with the exception of a boys' hockey game between archrivals Roseau and Warroad.

The Edina schools web site, for example, features this notice: "At 2 p.m. – Secondary schools (South View, Valley View, and EHS) and the Edina Community Center will open for limited varsity programming. This includes athletic competitions, varsity practices and the winter play at EHS. At 6 p.m. - All regularly schedule programming in those four buildings only will go on as scheduled."

That means it's Game On at 7 p.m. for the boys' hockey game between traditional boys' hockey elites Wayzata and Edina at Braemar Arena. The girls' game between Eden Prairie, where classes have been cancelled, and Edina is on for 5 p.m. at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

The message is similar at St. Louis Park: "Schools and Centers will be open on Thursday beginning at 12:00 p.m. for regular after school and evening sports and activities, Adult Enrichment Classes, Community Education Programs and Facility Use (unless communicated otherwise)."

Jefferson and St. Louis Park have a boys' hockey game scheduled for 7 p.m. at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.

The scheduled boys' basketball game between Minnehaha Academy, the No. 1 team in Class 2A, and St. Paul Central has been postponed. The St. Paul schools web site site says that game, and practice decisions, are being made on a school-by-school basis.

One sport still feeling the effects of the cold weather is skiing. Numerous conference Alpine and Nordic meets scheduled for Thursday afternoon have been postponed. Among those re-scheduled for Friday are the Lake Conference Nordic skiing meet at Theodore Wirth Park, a South Suburban Alpine ski race at Buck Hill in Burnsville, and Metro West Conference Nordic ski races at Carver Park Reserve.

Most basketball games involving Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools have been cancelled or postponed, according to conference websites. However, most wrestling matches involving Minneapolis schools remain scheduled for Thursday, along with an Alpine ski meet at Welch Village. Check the conference sites for Minneapolis and St. Paul for the latest information.

The handful of games scheduled to be played Wednesday were postponed or cancelled.

Schedule information, including updates, is available by going to the high school sports page on startribune.com, and clicking on the sports hubs on the right side of the page.