MN State Boys’ Hockey Tournament Preview

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. --- The annual Minnesota State High School League Boys Hockey Tournament is scheduled for March 7-10 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul with the consolation rounds being played at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Here is a look at the tournament:

FAST FACTS

The schedule:  Class A Wednesday, March 7 At Xcel Energy Center

Mankato East/Loyola (16-10-2) vs. No. 2 Mahtomedi (21-6-1), 11 a.m.

Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (16-11-1) vs. No. 3 Orono (20-7-1), 1 p.m.

Monticello (19-7-2) vs. No. 1 Hermantown (20-6-2), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Thief River Falls (16-10-2) vs. No. 4 Alexandria Area (17-10-1), 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 8 At 3M Arena at Mariucci Consolation semifinals, 10 a.m., noon

Friday, March 9 A Xcel Energy Center Championship semifinals, 11 a.m., 1 p.m.

Saturday, March 10 At 3M Arena at Mariucci Consolation final, 10 a.m. At Xcel Energy Center  Third place, 9 a.m. Championship, Noon

Class AA Thursday, March 8  At Xcel Energy Center

Lakeville North (16-10-2) vs. No. 2 Edina (26-2-0), 11 a.m.

St. Michael-Albertville (23-5-0) vs. No. 3 Duluth East (23-2-3), 1 p.m.

Hill-Murray (13-11-4) vs. No. 1 Minnetonka (24-2-2), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Centennial (19-6-3) vs. No. 4 St. Thomas Academy (25-2-1), 8 p.m.

Friday, March 9 At 3M Arena at Mariucci Consolation semifinals, 10 a.m., noon At Xcel Energy Center

Championship semifinals, 6 p.m., 8 p.m. Saturday, March 10 At 3M Arena at Mariucci Consolation final, noon

At Xcel Energy Center Third place, 4 p.m. Championship, 7 p.m.

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

Webcast: Daily charges for the live webcast on Prep45.com: $10.95 per day; four-day pass $30.96.

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 Boys Hockey.

Gates open: The Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci will open its gates to fans one hour prior to the first scheduled game of the day.

Game summaries 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 (16-10-2) vs. No. 2 Mahtomedi (21-6-1) --- Mankato East/Loyola defeated Rochester Lourdes/Dover-Eyota 6-1 in the Section 1A championship game. It is the first state tournament appearance for Mankato East/Loyola since 2006. Junior forward Sam Schultz leads Mankato East/Loyola in points with 23 on five goals and 18 assists. Sophomore forward Matthew Salzie has a team-best 11 goals. Mahtomedi is the Section 4A representative for the third time in the past four seasons. Last season, the Zephyrs were the third seed, but was upset in the quarterfinals by unseeded Northfield.

Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (16-11-1) vs. No. 3 Orono (20-7-1) --- This will be the third meeting between the Wright County Conference opponents. In the earlier meetings, Orono posted 10-0 and 7-1 victories, respectively. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato captured the Section 3A crown with a 4-1 victory over Luverne, the defending section champ. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato has qualified for the state tournament for the fourth time, and first since 2016. In 28 games, junior forward  Brandt Peterson has 27 goals and 17 assists. Orono won the Section 2A crown with a 2-1 victory over Breck in overtime. It is the Spartans’ ninth state tournament appearance and first since 2014. Senior forward Jack Suchy leads Orono with 19 goals and 37 assists.

Monticello (19-7-2) vs. No. 1 Hermantown (20-6-2) --- This is a rematch of last season’s Class A championship game that Hermantown won in two overtimes. Monticello won the Section 4A crown with a 4-1 victory over North Branch. Junior forward Troy Dahlheimer leads the Moose with 21 goals and 24 assists in 28 games. Hermantown, the two-time defending Class A champion, needed two overtimes to top Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin for the Section 7A title. Senior center Tyler Watkins leads the high-powered Hawks with 25 goals and 43 assists. Sophomore forward Blake Biondi has chipped in 26 goals and 28 assists.

No. 5 Thief River Falls (16-10-2) vs. No. 4 Alexandria Area (17-10-1) --- Thief River Falls defeated East Grand Forks 4-0 for the Section 8A crown and a 15^th trip to the state tournament. That postseason victory avenged two regular-season losses to the Green Wave. Senior forward Aaron Myers has 25 goals and 16 assists for the Prowlers. Alexandria Area defeated St. Cloud Cathedral 3-2 in overtime for the Section 6A crown and a state tournament trip for the first time since 2011. Junior forward Jack Westlund leads the Cardinals with 14 goals and 18 assists in 27 games.

Class AA

Lakeville North (16-10-2) vs. No. 2 Edina (26-2-0) --- Lakeville North edged defending Section 1AA champion and crosstown rival, Lakeville South, 4-3 for a return trip to the state tournament for the first time since the Panthers won the Class AA crown in 2015. Junior forward Spencer Schneider has 25 goals and 20 assists for the Panthers. Edina rolled past Wayzata 8-1 for the Section 2AA crown and a 27^th trip to the state tournament. The Hornets’ only two losses this season have been to Minnetonka, the top seed. Edina also had a victory over the Skippers during the Lake Conference schedule. Senior forward Sammy Walker has 28 goals and 30 assists while junior forward Mason Nevers has 21 goals and 34 assists.

St. Michael-Albertville (23-5-0) vs. No. 3 Duluth East (23-2-3) --- St. Michael-Albertville outlasted Moorhead 6-5 for the Section 8AA crown and an inaugural trip to the state tournament. The Knights are on a 12-game winning streak and have six shutouts in that span. Sophomore forward Adam Flammang leads a balanced Knights’ attack with 25 goals and 22 assists. Duluth East needed overtime to get past Andover 3-2 for the Section 7AA crown and a 23^rd trip to the state tournament. Senior forward Garrett Worth leads a powerful Trojans’ attack with 42 goals and 22 assists.

Hill-Murray (13-11-4) vs. No. 1 Minnetonka (24-2-2) --- Hill-Murray opened the playoffs with a 9-11-4 record. On the strength of a four-game winning streak, including a 3-1 victory over top-seeded White Bear Lake in the Section 4AA final, the Pioneers have qualified for the state tournament for the 29^th time. The Pioneers played Minnetonka during the holiday break and lost 4-2. Junior forward Ben Helgeson leads Hill-Murray with 19 goals and 20 assists. Minnetonka had to survive two overtimes to finally defeat Holy Family, 5-4, for the Section 2AA crown and a sixth trip to the state tournament. The Skippers haven’t lost since an 8-2 setback to Edina on Jan. 25, a span of 10 games. Junior forward Jack Bayless has scored 22 goals and assisted on 28. Sophomore playmaker Bobby Brink has 33 assists to go with 16 goals.

No. 5 Centennial (19-6-3) vs. No. 4 St. Thomas Academy (25-2-1) --- Centennial posted a 6-4 victory over defending section champion Maple Grove to capture the 5AA crown and a fourth state tournament trip. The Cougars last qualified in 2014. Senior forward Lucas McGregor leads the Cougars with 28 goals and 40 assists. St. Thomas Academy won the Section 3AA crown for the third time in the past four seasons with a 4-1 victory over Eastview. Last season, the Cadets won the Class AA consolation final with a 5-0 victory over Wayzata. Senior forwards Payton Matsui (28 goals, 30 assists) and Ray Christy (15 goals, 43 assists) have a team-best 58 points.

2017 State Tournament Recap

Class A --- Top-seeded Hermantown needed overtime in each of its three state tournament games to successfully defend its Class A championship.  The Hawks needed two overtimes and a 4-3 outcome to turn back an upset bid by Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake in the Class A championship game in front of 9,367 at Xcel Energy Center. Senior defensemen Dylan Samberg ended one of the most dramatic Class A tournaments when he fired a slapshot from just inside the blue line, a shot that hooked on the inside of the far post. His game-winner came with 20 seconds remaining in the second extra session. Five minutes earlier, the Hawks (29-1-1) thought they had won the championship, but an apparent goal by junior center Tyler Watkins was disallowed. Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake junior goalie Tyler Klatt made 52 saves, including 17 combined in the two overtime sessions. Senior forward Nick Zwack had a goal and an assist for the Moose (23-7-1). Hermantown was the fifth team all-time to play three overtimes in the same tournament. The Hawks are also the first team to ever win all three overtime games in the same tournament. In the quarterfinals, Hermantown defeated unseeded Luverne 3-2 in a single overtime. St. Cloud Cathedral defeated Northfield 2-1 in the third-place game and Delano topped East Grand Forks 6-3 in the consolation final.

Class AA --- Grand Rapids won a boys hockey state championship for the first time since 1980 following a 6-3 victory over Moorhead in the Class AA title game in front of 19,109 at Xcel Energy Center. Grand Rapids’ previous title came during the single-class format. In the final, it was the first time two schools from northern Minnesota played for a Class AA title since 2007. In that final, Grand Rapids lost to Roseau, 5-1. Grand Rapids, seeded No. 5 to open the tournament, used three upset victories to win the state title for the fourth time. Moorhead was the No. 3 seed. Junior forward Gavin Hain fueled Grand Rapids (23-7-1) with three goals in helping Grand Rapids add titles to ones in 1975, 1976 and 1980. Grand Rapids opened the tournament with a 6-4 victory over No. 4 Maple Grove in the quarterfinals. They followed with a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Eden Prairie. Eden Prairie captured the third-place trophy with a 3-2 victory over Lakeville South in overtime. In the consolation final, St. Thomas Academy raced past Wayzata, 5-0.