This is a great Big Nine Conference showdown between teams near the top of the conference standings in Class AA Owatonna and Class A Northfield. The Huskies are coming off a 5-1 win against Hastings.  

Owatonna's attack is led at forward by junior Ezra Oien (8-13-21) and sophomore Samantha Bogen (8-3-11). Scoring has been a bit of an issue for Owatonna, especially on the power play, where the Huskies have only connected at a 9.1% rate.  

On defense, juniors Abby Vetsch (0-8-8) and Sarah Snitker (1-5-6) will be tasked with trying to slow down a dangerous Raider's offense. Senior goaltender Ava Wolfe (.879 save percentage) will probably get the start against Northfield in the crease.  

The Raiders have been testing themselves against some of the best teams around the state all season. This past weekend was no different, falling 4-0 to No. 3-1A Orono. Northfield may not be in the top-five, but I think they are a top-10 team in Class A.  

Up front, the Raiders are led by sophomores Ayla Puppe (25-11-36) and Emerson Garlie (9-10-19). Northfield also has some offensively gifted defense, with eighth-grader Mia Miller (6-4-10) and senior Cambria Monson (2-13-15) helping give the Raiders a 31% power play.  

Senior goaltender and St. Thomas commit Maggie Malecha (.938 save percentage) helps give Northfield a lot of confidence.