Eva Beck, South St. Paul
Simley prevailed 3-1 the first time these two teams met on January 3rd. Can the Spartans do it again to solidify their likely top seed in Section 4A, or will South St. Paul throw a wrench into those plans? Youth Hockey Hub recently interviewed South St. Paul Head Coach Dave Palmquist in an episode of their Her Ice podcast.
Simley is coming off a 2-0 victory over Mound Westonka/SWC and is feeling the momentum of a 3-game winning streak. The Spartans are led at forward by seniors Ella Tuccitto (33-25-58) and state assist leader MacKaylan McGown (10-46-56). Juniors Kelsi Ries (14-9-23), Val DuVal (7-10-17), and Taylor Ralston (8-12-20), along with freshman Ella Sanders (18-11-29), provide Simley with a variety of weapons up front and is a big reason their power play is working at 27.8%.
On defense, seniors Skyler Arneson (4-12-16) and Olivia Patnode (0-13-13), as well as junior Hannah Kurowski (3-3-6) and sophomore Courtney Kurowski (3-4-7), give Simley good depth.
Sophomore Sydney Ries (2.11 goals against average, 2 shutouts) has carried most of the goaltending duties for Simley this season.
South St. Paul is coming off a 9-1 rout of Red Wing and holds a six-game win streak to its credit. The Packers are led at forward by senior Sarah Wincentsen (15-21-36), sophomores Bailey Vesper (17-24-41) and Alida Ahern (5-5-10), as well as junior Eva Beck (10-7-17). Eighth-grader Paige Johnson (4-17-21) is a rising star for the Packers.
On defense, sophomore Lily Pachl (17-23-40) controls the game's tempo and logs massive minutes for South St. Paul. Senior Kylie Evazich (3-9-12) and junior Annie Felton (2-4-6) help lock down opponents and limit their scoring chances. This is especially true on the penalty kill, where the Packers have been killing penalties at a 95.1% rate.
Senior Delaney Norman (.938 save percentage, 6 shutouts) has carried most of the goaltending duties for South St. Paul this season.