After losing twice to Mound Westonka during the regular season, Hutchinson finally shook the Whitehawk off its collective back with a 5-1 win over the Wright County Conference rival in the section finals, sending the Tigers (20-7) to their first state tournament appearance since 2015. 

Paced by a pair of senior forwards in scoring, the Tigers have relied on Wisconsin-River Falls commit Alex Hantge (26-24-50) and Britta Johnson (23-21-44), with Sabrina Tracy (23-21-44) providing clutch performances throughout the year.

Goaltender Hannah Ladwig is the lynchpin on defense for the Tigers, playing over 1,400 minutes and winning 21 games this season. The Tigers have played two other teams competing in the Class 1A State Tournament, falling to Willmar and South St. Paul by identical 4-3 scores. 

Outside of early-season losses to Anoka/Spring Lake Park, Brainerd/Little Falls, and a late-season hiccup against Proctor-Hermantown, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (25-3) is perfect this year. 

A 17-game winning streak highlighted the Lumberjacks’ regular season, while outstanding offensive performances from seniors Taylor Nelson and Kiana Bender inked nearly every scoresheet from all 28 of the Lumberjacks’ games this season. Nelson paces the team with 44 goals and 74 points, with Bender following at 32 goals and 58 points. Nelson has committed to Bemidji State, while Bender and fellow senior Dea DeLeon (7-33-40) have committed to play softball at Minnesota-Duluth.

Between the pipes, the Lumberjacks (25-3) may have found a gem in freshman Araya Kiminski, who stopped 33 of 35 shots in Cloquet-Esko-Carlton’s Section 7-1A final win over last year’s Class 1A third-place recipient Proctor-Hermantown.