Alexandria (8-4-1, Section 8-2A)

The Cardinals have won five straight games since losing to Class 2A, Section 8 rival Brainerd/Little Falls 21 on Feb. 11, and have allowed less than two goals in all five of those contests. 

Two of the four losses Alexandria has suffered this season have been by a single goal, while the other two came against No. 3-2A Minnetonka and 2020 Class 1A State Tournament participant Willmar. 

A balanced scoring attack powers the Cardinals on offense, with sophomore forward Ella Westlund (7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points) pacing the group, followed by senior forward Marki Oberg (10-7-17) and junior forward Hanley Block (6-11-17). 

Goaltending is also a strength for the Cardinals this season, with junior Jordan O’Kane putting up solid numbers. O’Kane has posted a record of 6-0-1 with a goals-against-average of 1.12 and a save percentage of .954 with a pair of shutouts. 

Brainerd/Little Falls (9-3, Section 8-2A)

How appropriate that Brainerd/Little Falls would follow Alexandria on this list. 

The Warriors ended the Cardinals’ season last year with a 3-1 win in the section semifinals, Alexandria’s first foray into the section, before bowing out against Roseau in the finals. 

The Warriors still maintain several players from their magical run through the Class 2A State Tournament in 2019, where they took heavily-favored Edina to overtime before falling to the Hornets. Among those players there for that heartbreaker is senior forward Emma Booth, who also happens to be one of the team’s leading scorers with seven goals and 14 points. Senior defender Taylor Larson (3-7-10) was also on that runner-up team. Sophomore Breya Sawyer rode the bench in 2019 but has taken over in the crease, earning a 1.10 GAA, and a .936 save percentage. 

This season, the Warriors have won eight of their last nine games, with the lone loss coming against River Lakes by a score of 2-0, and seven of the Warriors’ games have been decided by two goals or less. 

New Ulm (10-2, Section 2-1A) 

With back-to-back wins over probable Section 3-1A favorite Luverne, the Eagles have now won 10 of their last 11, only losing to Minnesota River in that span by a score of 2-0.

The Eagles feature two junior forwards as their leading scorers, with Maddi O’Connor recording 12 goals and 20 points and Julia Helget notching seven goals and 17 points. 

Eighth-grade goaltender Ava Brennan has been fantastic this season, going 10-2 with a GAA of 1.42, a save percentage of .933, and four shutouts.

Brennan won 19 games as a seventh-grader last season for the Eagles and earned 10 shutouts along the way. 

Owatonna (13-1, Section 1-2A) 

The Huskies could be in the running for a top-four seed in this year’s Section 1-2A playoffs, though their lone loss of the season came against section rival Northfield on Jan. 28 by a score of 3-2. 

Ten players (not a typo) have scored 13 or more points this season for the Huskies, led by junior forward Olivia Herzog (18-18-36). Owatonna’s underclassmen have also been ultra-productive, with freshman Samantha Bogen (20-15-35) and freshman Ezra Oien (16-17-33) following Herzog in the scoring hierarchy. 

Defensively, the Huskies have allowed just one goal in the past four games, thanks in large part to the play of junior goaltender Ava Wolfe. Wolfe leads the Big Nine Conference with 13 wins and is third in save percentage (.940) and second in shutouts with six behind Northfield’s Maggie Malecha. 

Roseville (9-5-1, Section 4-2A) 

The Raiders have won four of their last six games, with both losses coming by a single goal at the hands of Forest Lake and Cretin-Derham Hall, two of the top teams in the Suburban East Conference. 

All five of Roseville’s losses have been by two goals or less, and the Raiders indicated they could be for real with a 4-1 win over 2020 Class 1A State Tournament participant Willmar and a 4-3 victory over No. 10-2A Stillwater, who at the time of the loss was undefeated. 

Freshman forward Kylie Jones leads the team in scoring with eight goals and 17 points, while the sophomore trio of Kate Haug (9-7-16), Lauren Distad (5-19-24), and Ivy Ray (6-7-13) round out the top of the Raider lineup, along with junior forward Emily Wiltse, who is tied for the team-lead in goals with nine.  

Sophomore goaltenders Jori Jones and Ellen Wagner have been impressive so far, with the starter Jones recording a 2.05 GAA and .931 save percentage, while Wagner has a record of 4-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .935 save percentage.