MANKATO EAST/LOYOLA VS. #3 MAHTOMEDI

The day’s second quarterfinal is also a pretty clear one on paper, though this one has a much higher chance of being close than the two immediately before and after it. Mahtomedi won a 2018 quarterfinal between these two by a 4-2 margin.

Mankato East/Loyola (17-10-1, Unranked, 2-seed in 3A)

State appearances: 4 (last in 2020)

Key section win: 6-0 over 1-seed New Ulm

The Cougars put all three of their section opponents in running time as they waltzed through their first season in the new Section 3A.

They are led by their defense about as much as any hockey team can be; Shae Gavin (20) is their leading scorer and has five more goals than any forward on the squad, while Aiden Prochaska (18) is second on the team in points. Quintin Steindl (16), Parker Anthony (7), and Andrew Bastian (17) round out a balanced, though not flashy, offense.

Caelin Brueske (30) has been solid in net, and has eight shutouts on the season. An upset would take a lot of discipline against a deep, structured Mahtomedi team unlike anything they face in southern Minnesota, but if any of the unseeded teams are going to keep a game interesting, it’s these Cougars.

Mahtomedi (16-11-1, #4, 1-seed in 4A)

State appearances: 13 (last in 2020)

Championships: 1 (2020)

Key section win: 4-0 over 3-seed Chisago Lakes

The metro’s great Class A power had little trouble racking up the shutouts on their march through 4A.

This team does not have the firepower of the state champion edition two years ago, but what they do still have is Ben Dardis (32), the presumptive Frank Brimsek Award winner, 2020 title-stealer, and simply the most dominant goalie in recent high school hockey; he enters the Tourney with a .942 save percentage and a five-game shutout streak.

David Wolsfeld (4) and Charlie Drage (11) do the heaviest lifting on a junior-heavy offense, and there is the customary respectable depth beyond that led by the likes of Brent Gulenchyn (18), Jonny Grove (9), and Carter Haycraft (22). Cav Bruner (2) and Grant Dardis (3) lead the way on D.

That should be enough to handle Mankato East, and if they stick to the system and if Dardis does his thing, this is the team most capable of a stunning upset.