This could very well be an early preview of the section 8AA championship as the Rams and Spuds faceoff in Moorhead.

The Rams (3-1) are coming off a 10-0 rout of Brainerd. At forward, Roseau is led by seniors Max Strand (5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points), Kellen Murphy (1-7-8), and Gavin Gunderson (4-4-8), as well as sophomore Noah Urness (6-2-8). Thow four players are a big reason the Rams' power play is connecting at a 25% rate. On defense, senior and St. Cloud State-commit Thor Byfuglien (3-4-7) brings plenty of skill and perhaps is the most dangerous offensive defenseman Roseau has had since Aaron Ness.  You can hear a YHH interview with Thor Byfuglien here. Head Coach Greg Lund's team is more wide open than Roseau teams of the past, relying more heavily on senior goaltender Carter Christianson (.889) to come up with clutch saves.  

The No. 10-2A Spuds (2-2) stumbled out of the gate with two losses, but recovered nicely with a 6-1 win against Andover. On Saturday, Moorhead built on that win with a 4-3 victory over Lakeville North. The Spuds are led up front by senior Gavin Lindberg (2-4-6) and junior Harper Bentz (3-3-6). Junior defenders Joe Schiller (1-3-4) and University of Nebraska-Omaha commit Joe Gramer (0-5-5) play a significant role on a penalty kill that is shutting opposing power plays down at a 91.4% rate. Moorhead Head Coach Jon Ammerman may have found his goaltender in sophomore Kai Wiegel (.934% save percentage), but he has senior Jacob Vannett and junior Oliver Judd available as well.