Tartan advanced to the state tournament with a 3-2 win over Edina, a 4-1 victory over backdoor winner Apple Valley-Burnsville, and a 4-2 championship win over Chaska-Chanhassen Gold. The Titans have outscored their opponents 224-98 in 49 games this season.

East Grand Forks took a slight detour in its run for a state championship, falling in the North Region title game to Warroad before beating Hermantown 4-2 in the lower bracket final. Seven of the Green Wave’s 12 losses this season have been by two goals or less, and the team has won five of its last six games entering the state tournament. 

With 66 games under its belt, Rochester Red has had arguably the most grueling regular season of the eight teams in the field. The regular-season slog made for a less-than-arduous regional tournament, as Rochester Red blanked Marshall 8-0, thumped Litchfield-Dassel-Cokato 6-1 and breezed by New Ulm-Sleepy Eye 9-0. Rochester Red has beaten first-round opponent Osseo-Maple Grove twice this season by scores of 7-2 and 2-1. 

Last year’s Bantam A State Tournament runner-up Osseo-Maple Grove won three straight backdoor games to earn its place in the state tournament, knocking off Coon Rapids, Armstrong Cooper, and Northern Lakes in succession. The Leafbirds have won 14 of their last 16 games since an 0-4 stretch in mid-January. 

January 12 was the last time Alexandria felt the sting of defeat, with the Cardinals racking up 17 straight wins entering the state tournament. The Cardinals outscored their West Region opponents by a combined score of 16-3, shitting out Cambridge-Isanti 6-0, Osseo-Maple Grove 2-0, and then defeating Northern Lakes 8-3 in the upper bracket final. With the win over the Lightning, the Cardinals hit the 40-win threshold for the season.

Despite the 9-0 loss to Rochester Red during Regions, New Ulm-Sleepy Eye heads to Edina with nine wins in its last 10 games. Six of those nine wins have come by shutout for NUSE. 

Like Alexandria, Warroad hasn’t lost since January 12, falling to Moorhead’s Bantam AA squad 6-1. Since then, Warroad has won 17 consecutive games, allowing more than three goals just once in that span. Warroad has played a chunk of its schedule against top Bantam AA competition, which should help prepare the group for its state tournament slate.

After losing to Tartan in the East Region semifinals, Apple Valley-Burnsville thumped Roseville, Edina, and Chaska-Chanhassen Gold to earn the region’s second seed. The Firehawks have gone 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, including a 6-6 tie with fellow State Tournament participant Rochester Red.