MN State Girls’ Hockey State Tournament Preview

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. --- The 22^nd annual Minnesota State High School League girls’ hockey state tournament is scheduled for Feb. 22-25 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul with the consolation rounds being played at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. Here is a look at the tournament:

FAST FACTS

The schedule:

Class A Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Xcel Energy Center

Mankato East/Loyola (17-9-1) vs. No. 2 seed St. Paul United (19-6-2), 11 a.m.

Hibbing/Chisholm (17-10-1) vs. No. 3 Warroad (17-8-2), 1 p.m.

Alexandria (14-12-1) vs. No. 1 The Blake School (24-2-1), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Northfield (19-6-3) vs. No. 4 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian (21-6-0)

Thursday, Feb. 23 at Ridder Arena Consolation semifinals, 10 a.m., noon

Friday, Feb. 24 at Xcel Energy Center Championship semifinals, 11 a.m., 1 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25 At Ridder Arena Consolation final, 10 a.m. At Xcel Energy Center

Third place, 9 a.m. Championship, 4 p.m.

Class AA Thursday, Feb. 23 at Xcel Energy Center

Roseau (19-8-1) vs. No. 2 seed Blaine (22-3-2), 11 a.m.

Eastview (16-10-2) vs. No. 3 Hill-Murray (23-4-1), 1 p.m.

Farmington (16-11-2) vs. No. 1 Edina (25-1-1), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Forest Lake (20-6-2) vs. No. 4 Eden Prairie (19-6-2), 8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 24 At Ridder Arena Consolation semifinals, 10 a.m., noon

At Xcel Energy Center Championship semifinals, 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25 At Ridder Arena Consolation final, noon

At Xcel Energy Center Third place, 11 a.m. Championship, 7 p.m.

TV: Championship semifinals and championship games in both classes will be televised live by 45TV.

Webcast: Daily charges for the live webcast on Prep45.com: $9.95 per day; two-day pass $16.97; three-day pass $19.87; four-day pass $23.97.

Tickets: Championship session --- $17 adults, $11 students; Consolation session --- $12 adults, $8 students.

Official puck: Bauer

Detailed season statistics: Provided by qualifying teams are available on the League website --- www.mshsl.org --- as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Girls’ Hockey.

Gates open: The Xcel Energy Center and Ridder Arena will open its gates to fans one hour prior to the first scheduled game of the day.

Game results and box scores: Posted on the League’s website at www.mshsl.org

Social media: Follow the tournament on the League’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @MSHSL and @MSHSLJohn.

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

Class A

Mankato East/Loyola vs. St. Paul United --- A Mankato program is making its first state tournament appearance since Mankato East/West in 1999. The Cougars have recorded five shutouts this season. St. Paul United returns after a runner-up finish to The Blake School last season. Senior Joie Phelps leads United with 24 goals and 32 assists.

Hibbing/Chisholm vs. Warroad --- Hibbing/Chisholm, an Iron Range power, is making its 12^th state tournament appearance. The Bluejackets are paced by senior forward Mallorie Iozzo who has 31 goals and 31 assists. Warroad is a state tournament regular of late, making the trip for the eighth time since 2006. Junior forward Madison Oelkers has 33 goals and 44 assists for the Warriors.

Alexandria vs. The Blake School --- Alexandria features a balanced lineup that is led by junior forward Kristin Trosvig (17 goals, 17 assists) and sophomore forward McKenna Ellingson (22 goals, 10 assists). The Blake School has won a record six Class A championships. Senior forward Lucy Burton leads the Bears with 23 goals and 21 assists. Sophomore forward and linemate Izzy Daniel has chipped in 16 goals and 25 assists. The Bears surrender an average of just more than one goal per game.

Northfield vs. Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian --- Northfield has not lost in 2017. The Raiders are on a 14-0-2 streak since its last loss on Dec. 27. Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian is on a similar hot streak, going 17-2-0 in its past 19 games. It is the second state tournament appearance for the program. Mound Westonka made a trip in 2013.

Class AA

Roseau vs. Blaine --- It took Roseau four overtimes to earn a berth in the state tournament for the fifth time and first since 2014. The Rams needed that extra time to get past Brainerd in the Section 8AA final. Senior Lindsey Santl leads the Rams with 23 goals and 17 assists. Blaine returns after a year hiatus. The Bengals’ Emily Brown, a senior defender, won a gold medal with last season’s U18 national team. The blueliner has 41 points. Three teammates have more than 50 points each.

Eastview vs. Hill-Murray --- Eastview is making its third consecutive state tournament appearance. Senior forward Natalie Snodgrass also played on the gold-medal winning U18 national team. She leads the Lightning with 23 goals and 11 assists. Hill-Murray, making its fifth consecutive appearance, made its way to three championship games in a row from 2013-15, winning the final two times. Junior forward Abigail Boreen fuels the Pioneers with 31 goals and 30 assists.

Farmington vs. Edina --- Farmington’s last state tournament appearance was 2008. Junior forward Ellie Moser has 18 goals and seven assists for the Tigers, who are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games. Edina is making its seventh state tournament appearance and first under rookie head coach Sami Reber, a former Hornets’ star. Junior forward Lolita Fidler leads a potent scoring attack with 20 goals and 28 assists. Edina’s only loss this season was a 2-1 setback to Blake on Jan. 27.

Forest Lake vs. Eden Prairie --- This is a rematch of last season’s Class AA quarterfinal that Eden Prairie won 4-2. Forest Lake is coming off its first-ever Suburban East Conference championship. Senior forward Madi Nolan leads the Rangers with 17 goals and 34 assists. Junior forward Kayla Kasel is next with 32 goals and 16 assists. Eden Prairie is the reigning Class AA champion after winning for the third time in program history in 2016. The Eagles have two losses this season to Edina during the Lake Conference schedule.

2016 STATE TOURNAMENT RECAP

Class AA --- Senior forward Lauren Oberle scored on a one-time blast at 5:36 of overtime to give Eden Prairie a 3-2 victory over Maple Grove in the championship game. It was Eden Prairie’s third state championship and first since 2008. Maple Grove got third period goals from Katie Denecke and Maia Martinez to force the extra session. Eden Prairie finished the season 22-7-2; Maple Grove 22-6-2. Hill-Murray recorded a 5-3 victory over Edina in the third-place game.

Class A --- Top-seeded Blake rolled to an 8-0 victory over St. Paul United in the championship game. Lucy Burton had a hat trick for the Bears (26-2-2), which won a state-best sixth state title. Teammate Carly Bullock scored three goals, giving her a state tournament record 22 for her career. St. Paul United finished 23-6-1. In the third-place game, Warroad defeated Proctor/Hermantown 3-1.