Section 2A
Orono > Breck (6-1)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Mohs-Messerli | 2G | 2A |
| Jamie Bazil | 1G | 1A |
| Zack Simon | 1G | 1A |
| Finn Grandy | 24 Saves | .960% |
TONY'S TAKE
The defending state champs have gotten very little love from the pundits this yes. Some would say, "No Respect". Lacking a big win on their resume, the Spartans have taken care of business down the stretch winning 8 of 9 games. Their only loss?
D-E-L-A-N-O
Delano > Minneapolis (3-0)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | ||
| Player 2 | ||
| Player 3 |
Tony's Take
We had a lot of chatter on our BHS hockey podcast about Section 2A being wide open. Guess what, talk is cheap. #2 Delano will face #1 Orono for the state berth. The Tigers will face an uphill battle against Orono. The two teams split during their two Wright County Conference games.
Section 3A
Hutchinson > Marshall (3-2, OT)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hayden Jensen | 1G* | 1A |
| Mason Plante | 2G | 0A |
| Logan Holtz | 1G | OA |
| * GWG |
Tony's take
Hutch sneaks out of St. Peter with an OT win over #1 seed Marshall. Marshall scored an apparent GWG that was disallowed after a lengthy discussion by referees.
New Ulm > litchfield/dassel-cokato (2-1)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Blake Tauer | 1G | 0A |
| Kyle Tauer | 1G | 0A |
| Jack Raymond | 33 Saves | .971 % |
Tony's take
New Ulm gets a great performance from senior Jack Raymond...he turns away 33 shots and the Eagles are headed to section 3A final on Wednesday. The Eagles will face Hutch...who they defeated 4-3 on January 24.
Section 5A
chisago lakes > Monticello (3-2)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Tucker Bakken | 1G | 1A |
| Troy Dahlheimer | 1G | 1A |
| Brooks Stangl | 24 Saves |
Brooks Stangl was a beast for the Wildcats Saturday
tony's take
Wildcats take down Pine City Thursday and Monticello Saturday...now only have one more win to get back to the X for the first time since 2014.
North branch > Princeton (3-1)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Kirchner | 2G | 0A |
| Tucker Sachs | 0G | 2A |
| Jake Turek | 35 Saves | .972 % |
tony's take
Fun to see North Branch get this close to the state tournament. In 2013, the Vikings Squirt B team with many of the current Vikings won our inaugural YHH Squiracular. Six years later, they are a game away from the X!!! The 5A final has North Branch (0 visits) and Chisago Lakes (1995, 2014) facing off in Elk River.
Section 6A
Jack Smith was the man for the Crusaders Saturday
St. cloud cathedral > river lakes (6-0)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Smith | 1G | 2A |
| Nathan Warner | 1G | 2A |
| Jackson Savoie | 2G | 0G |
| Noah Amundson | 6 Saves | 1.000 % |
tony's take
Not much to take on here. River Lakes only scrapes six shots on net. Cathedral seems to have gotten some of their missing pop back after a late season lull due to an injury bug. If healthy, Crusaders will be tough to beat in section final...way too much speed and skill.
Alexandria > sartell-st. stephen (5-0)
Jack Westlund had a pair of goals Saturday to lead Alex back to the section 6A final
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Westlund | 2G | 0A |
| Ben Doherty | 1G | 1A |
| Zach Wosepka | 1G | 1A |
| Bailey Rosch | 23 Saves | 1.000 % |
tony's take
Alex vs. Cathedral is a little bit like Lakeville South and Lakeville North. You look at the roster at the beginning of the year and you say with 99% certainty who will be in the section final...boom, its SCC and Alex, AGAIN.
This one promises to be a nail biter. Last year in sections, 3-2 OT (Alex). This year was 3-2 OT (SCC). Can't wait for this one.
Bailey Rosch will need to be the difference for Alex to return to state
Section 7A
hermantown > Virginia/MT. Iron-Buhl (9-1)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Sams | 2G | 1A |
| Ethan Lund | 1G | 2A |
| Blake Biondi | 2G | 1A |
tony's take
The Hawks are just sharpening their talons at this point circling the skies waiting to pounce on either Greenway or Denfeld. They are the prohibitive favorite in this section and the state tourney. Blake Biondi is on a completely different level than 99% of the state.
greenway > duluth denfeld (6-2)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | ||
| Player 2 | ||
| Player 3 |
tony's take
The Raiders looked good tonight against Denfeld, a good A team. They will have to be perfect on Wednesday to beat Hermantown who would be a top ten AA team. They have the horses to run with Hermantown, but can they go the distance (man, that was cheesy).
Section 8A
east grand forks > detroit lakes (4-0)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Poolman | 2G | 1A |
| Cole Avery | 1G | 2A |
| Tucker Brown | 8 Saves | 1.000 % |
tony's take
Green Wave dominate on home ice over DL. East Side gets some important secondary scoring from Avery (6th on team) and Poolman (9th on team). They will get a tougher test next week against TRF/Warroad winner.
warroad > thief river falls (2-1, OT)
| Player | Stat 1 | Stat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Owen Meeker | 2G | 0A |
| Grant Slukynsky | 0G | 2A |
| Zach Foster | 25 Saves | .972 % |
tony's take
Warroad has been very inconsistent all year (13-9-2), which is consistent with why they beat TRF. The ultra talented Warriors will have their hands full beating EGF on their home ice. They beat the Wave on February 5th at the Gardens, can they do it again?