North Wright County at Moorhead 
January 25 (6:00 PM) 

North Wright County makes the trip up to the Moorhead Sports Center to take on the Spuds. Can North Wright County pull off the upset?

North Wright County is coming off a 1-0 victory over Buffalo and has won three of their last five games. The Riverhawks are led at forward by seniors Adrienne Hansen (10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points) and Annica Walters (6-5-11), as well as juniors Dani Weiland (6-4-10) and Roz Landkammer (3-5-8) along with freshman playmaker Alexa Larson (0-8-8) set the pace offensively for North Wright County.  

On defense, senior Eva Nelson (5-6-11) leads a young defense corps, with freshmen Lexi Schumm (5-8-13) and Paola Hernandez (0-3-3) learning to step into a more significant role.  

At goaltender, the Riverhawks have leaned mostly on junior Katie Lemke (.907 save percentage) this season. 

Moorhead is coming off a 3-1 win over Warroad and is riding an eight-game winning streak. The Spuds are led at forward by juniors Olivia Kortan (15-23-38), Lauren Henemen (2-10-12), and Addie Moos (8-10-18) as well as seniors Ella Holm (11-15-26), Madi Hanson (6-8-14) and Taylor Brueske (10-15-25) provide Moorhead with solid scoring depth.  

On defense, senior Kate Kosobud (Minnesota commit, 6-17-23), junior Anika Stromme (4-7-11), and sophomore Lucey Wilson (4-11-15) are a well-rounded group that can stifle opponents scoring chances while also chipping offensively. They are a big reason Moorhead's penalty kill has been a source of confidence this season, killing opposing power plays at a 92% rate.  

Junior goaltender Taylor Kressin (.941 save percentage) has made nearly all of Moorhead's starts this season.

Moose Lake Area at Duluth Marshall 
January 25 (7:00 PM) 

Scheduling can be interesting, and these non-conference foes waited until the end to play the first game of their two-game series at Duluth's Mars Lakeview Arena. Which club will come out on top?  

Moose Lake Area is coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Northern Tier and have won two of their last five games. The Rebels are led at forward by juniors Jorja Juczak (5-20-25), Megan Hattenberger (3-6-9), and Gracie Hartl (16-8-24), as well as sophomore Mackenzie Hoffman (5-2-7) carry most of the scoring load up front for the Rebels.  

On defense, sophomore Hallie Klavu (10-9-19), Katie Metzer (5-5-10), and Makayla Lapierre (2-3-5) try to limit opposing scoring chances but don't mind activating in the offensive zone as well.  

Sophomore goaltender Mallory Hartl (.942 save percentage) has carried all of the starts this season for Moose Lake Area.  

Duluth Marshall is coming off a 5-1 victory over Crookston and has won four out of their last five games. The Hilltoppers forward group is led by seniors Ilsa Lindeman (St. Thomas commit, 45-22-67), Annie Bachand (4-18-22), and Haily Cummins (4-7-11), along with junior Nina Thorson (16-10-26) provide most of the scoring punch up front for Duluth Marshall.  

On defense, senior Eva Etter (3-5-8), junior Avery Lian (12-14-26), and talented sophomore Sarah Stauber (2-24-26) enjoy being involved in the offensive zone as much as their own. The Hilltoppers penalty kill is outstanding, killing opposing power plays at a 93.5% rate.  

Junior goaltender Ray Anderson (.945 save percentage) has been a rockstar between the pipes for Duluth Marshall this season.  

South St. Paul at Simley 
January 26 (7:00 PM) 

They may no longer be in the same section, but the rivalry is still alive in Metro East Conference play as these teams face each other a second time. The Packers won the first game on January 2nd. Who will win the second contest?

South St. Paul is coming off a 4-0 victory over Hastings and has won four of their last five games. The Packers' forward group is led by seniors Eva Beck (12-9-21) and Annie Felton (3-5-8) in addition to juniors Bailey Vesper (14-19-33) and Alida Ahern (21-13-34), as well as sophomore Addi Barone (6-5-11) carry most of the scoring up front. South St. Paul is dangerous on the power play, as the Packers have been finding the back of the net at a 31.6% rate.

On defense, junior Lily Pachl (Harvard commit, 21-29-50) leads a young defense corps for the Packers and helps South St. Paul dictate the game's pace. Freshmen defenders Liberty Felton, Julia Burgos Frias (0-3-3), and 8th-grader Keira Furman (0-4-4) have been steadily improving with each game.  

Senior Molly Jeffery (.891 save percentage) has made every start this season for the Packers at goaltender.  

Simley is coming off a 4-2 victory over St. Paul/Two Rivers and has won four of their last five games. The Spartans are led at forward by seniors Taylor Ralston (12-6-18) and Kelsi Ries (6-11-17), junior Alaina Ries (4-1-5) as well as sophomore Ella Sanders (7-2-9) shoulder most of the scoring for the Spartans' attack.  

On defense, senior Hannah Kurowski (1-6-7), as well as juniors Courtney Kurowski (8-7-15) and Kylie Dahl (0-2-2), have had to log bigger minutes and with less goal support than what this team has been accustomed to in previous seasons.  

Junior goaltender Sydney Ries (.919 save percentage) has made most of the starts for the Spartans this season.

Lakeville North at Warroad 
January 27 (9:30 AM) 

Class AA Lakeville North makes the trip up to the frigid outdoors of Warroad as the opening game of Hockey Day Minnesota. Can the hometown team make an even better day for Hockeytown USA by beating the Panthers?

Lakeville North is coming off a 7-0 rout of Farmington and is riding a six-game winning streak. At forward, the Panthers are led by seniors Addie Bowlby (Sacred Heart commit, 33-14-47), Gracie Hanson (12-18-30), Hannah Weckman (8-9-17), and Anna Tomas (7-12-19) as well as junior Shay Swanson (5-15-20) give Lakeville North fairly balanced scoring through its top two lines. The Panthers' power play has been dangerous, finding the back of the net at a 33.3% rate.  

On defense, senior Ashley Wagenbach (5-16-21), junior Alexa Ruppert (3-6-9), sophomore Carly Hanson (1-5-6), and freshman Makayla Lee (4-12-16) are a good mix of youth and veteran experience that makes for a well-rounded group that makes an impact at both ends of the ice. Lakeville North's penalty kill has been pretty stingy, killing opposing power plays at a 94.6% rate.  

The Panthers possess one of the more impressive goaltending duos in the state, where they have leaned on freshman Kaia Weiland (.934 save percentage) and senior Addie Oettinger (.951 save percentage).

Warroad is coming off a 3-1 loss to Moorhead and has won four out of their last five games. At forward, junior Kaiya Sandy (12-19-31) and senior Madilyn Skogman (7-11-18), sophomore Taylor Reese (12-14-26), freshman Jaylie French (15-18-33) and Karlee Kalbrener (2-11-13) have stepped into more prominent roles and lead the way offensively for Warroad.  

On defense, junior Katy Comstock (3-20-23), as well as sophomores Reagan Haley (4-4-8) and Vivienne Marcowka (3-3-6), will be tasked with limiting the Panthers' scoring chances.  

At goaltender, the Warriors have leaned mostly on sophomore Payton Rolli (.924 save percentage) but have also given opportunities to fellow sophomore Jordyn Werk (.903 save percentage).

Centennial/Spring Lake Park at Champlin Park/Coon Rapids 
January 27 (3:00 PM) 

This is a Northwest Suburban showdown as these clubs face one another for the 2nd time this season. Centennial/Spring Lake Park prevailed, 4-1, the last time on January 16th. Can they earn the season sweep?

Centennial/Spring Lake Park is coming off a 7-0 rout of St. Cloud and is riding the momentum of a thirteen-game winning streak. They are led at forward by talented freshman Grace Laager (14-23-37), juniors Teagen Kulenkamp (15-16-31) and Alexis Larsen (8-11-19), as well as senior Noelle Hemr (11-9-20) give Centennial/Spring Lake Park solid scoring balance up front.  

On defense, senior Ellie Newpower (2-16-18), junior Elsa Oberg (1-2-3), and sophomore Katie Ball (4-11-15), as well as 8th-grader Annabelle Buccicone (3-9-12), try to keep things quiet in their zone and work pucks up to the Cougars' forwards to keep the ice tilted in the opposing zone. Centennial/Spring Lake Park has been solid on the penalty kill, killing 93.5% of opposing power plays this season.  

A big reason for that stifling penalty kill is senior goaltender Kaitlin Groess (.962 save percentage), who has had an outstanding season.  

Champlin Park/Coon Rapids is coming off a 5-4 overtime victory against Mounds View/Irondale and has won just two of their last five games. At forward, senior Kyla Keding (4-5-9), junior Lily McKenzie (13-25-38) as well as sophomores Sydney Burnevik (17-16-33) and Tessa Boden (10-12-22) as well as freshman June Semling (12-20-22) provide solid scoring depth.  

On defense, senior Brylei Del Castillo (2-3-5), junior Nola Milton (1-8-9), sophomore Kylie Aswegan (2-7-9), and freshman Callie Alphin (5-4-9) are a well-rounded group that can shut opponents down as well as chip in offensively. The penalty kill is a strength for Champlin Park/Coon Rapids as they stifle opposing power plays at an 86.1% rate.  

At goaltender, junior Madelyn Wostrel (.918 save percentage) has made most of the starts for Champlin Park/Coon Rapids this season, but fellow junior Grace Lund (.921 save percentage) has had some opportunities as well.