Hermantown at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton
February 1 (7:00 PM) 

This game has plenty of Section 7A seeding ramifications as Hermantown makes the trip down to Cloquet to face the Lumberjacks.  

Hermantown is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Maple Grove and has won two out of their last five games. At forward, the Hawks return seniors Josh Kauppinen (9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points), Andrew Johnson Jr. (5-9-14), and Evan Gunderson (1-10-11), as well as junior River Freeman (13-11-24) and sophomore Ford Skytta (5-12-17), have carried most of the scoring load for the Hawks this season. Talented sophomore A.J. Francisco (YHH's Bantam Player of the Year in 2022-23, 4-10-14) has left to compete in the Youth Olympic games.  

On defense, seniors Will Esterbrooks (9-14-23), Drew Nelson (4-5-9), and Weston Bohlman (2-7-9), as well as junior Henry Peterson (5-4-8), are a very capable top four.  

Senior goaltender Dane Callaway (.938 save percentage) has made every start this season for the Hawks.

Cloquet/Esko/Carlton is coming off a 4-2 loss to Bemidji and has won one out of their last five games. The Lumberjacks are led at forward by senior Jace Stewart (3-9-12), Ethan Kilichowski (7-3-10), and Joe Antonutti (7-5-12) as well as juniors Bobby Thornton (19-9-28), Niko Gentilini (6-14-20) and Grady Knutson (4-10-14) provide Cloquet/Esko/Carlton solid scoring depth.  

On defense, seniors Gino Bertgliot (1-3-4) and Cooper Ellena (1-4-5), as well as juniors Karson Young (5-12-17) and Hudson Snesrud (0-2-2), are a nice mix of skill and responsible stay-at-home defenders that help limit opposing scoring chances. Still, they will certainly be tested against the Hawks.  

At goaltender, senior Caden Kubis (.873 save percentage) has garnered most of the starts for Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, but they have given opportunities to fellow senior Logan Sickmann (.881 save percentage) as well as sophomore Jacob Illianardo(.879 save percentage).

Orono at Benilde-St. Margaret’s
February 1 (7:00 PM) 

This is a Metro West showdown of an elite Class A school in Orono, making the short trip to St. Louis Park Rec Center to take on Class AA Benilde-St. Margaret's for their lone meeting this season. Will the Spartans take down the Red Knights?

Orono is coming off a 5-2 victory over Waconia and has won three out of their last five games. The Spartans are led at forward by seniors Joey Mugaas (7-19-26), Easton Sankey (7-10-17), Hayden Simon (7-5-12), Tommy Lewin (4-7-11) and Cayden Effertz (4-5-9), junior Trey Landa (4-8-12) as well as sophomores Jackson Knight (15-14-29) and Rory Kvren (10-8-18) gives Orono decent skill and scoring depth.  

On defense, senior John Engebretson (4-13-17), junior Miller Williams (1-3-4), and sophomore Luca DeCubellis (2-5-7) are a solid trio, but they will be tested by the Red Knights' skill up front. The Spartans' penalty kill is reasonably stout, shutting down opposing power plays 86.4% of the time.

At goaltender, Orono has given the majority of its workload to senior Peyton Anderson (.883 save percentage) but has given a few starts to junior Evan Schmidt (.885 save percentage) as well.  

Benilde-St. Margaret's is coming off a 6-2 victory over Hill-Murray and has won three out of their last five games. At forward, the Red Knights are led by seniors Ben Norris (10-6-16) and Caleb Koskie (5-7-12), as well as juniors Cameron Kirschner (6-11-17), Junior Podein (12-6-18) and A.J. Ulrich (5-8-13) are a fast and skilled group that like to play the game at a high tempo.  

On defense, senior Mason Stenger (5-12-17), junior Carter Callan (1-12-13), and sophomore Mason Minor (2-9-11) are a mobile defense corps that helps the Red Knights transition quickly from defense to offense.  

Senior goaltender Mason McElroy (.903 save percentage) has made every start for the Red Knights this season.   

Andover at Grand Rapids
February 2 (7:00 PM) 

Here is a game with plenty of seeding implications in section 7AA as the Huskies make their way to Yanmar Arena to face the Thunderhawks. Which team will improve its standing in 7AA?  

Andover is coming off a 6-3 victory over Coon Rapids and is riding a five-game win streak. The Huskies' are led at forward by seniors Crosby Perry (12-7-19), Ben Doll(12-11-23), Brooks Cogswell (11-17-28), and Gavin Sullivan (5-9-14) as well as junior Luke Babineau (8-15-23) along with gifted sophomores Keaton Coe (4-6-10) and K.J. Sauer (1-12-13) provide scoring through Andover's top two lines. The Huskies power play is heating up, lighting the lamp at 29.3%.

On defense, seniors Landon Stringfellow (Lindenwood commit, 4-4-8), Brody Munnelly (2-9-11), and Anthony Pardo (2-9-11), as well as junior Drew Law (1-4-5) sophomore Casey Rodgers (2-2-4) are a well-rounded group that is poised and capable at both ends of the ice.  

Junior goaltender Cal Conway (.905 save percentage) has been leaned on for most of the starts for Andover, but they have utilized sophomore Cash Cruitt (.922 save percentage), too.

YHH recently talked with Grand Rapids' Head Coach Grant Clafton on a recent episode of the Rink of Fire podcast. Grand Rapids is coming off a 4-1 victory over St. Thomas Academy and has won three out of their last five games. The Thunderhawks forward group is led by seniors Jacob Garski (8-18-26) and Kyler Miller (3-6-9), as well as sophomores Seth Carlson (7-6-13), Jameson Duell (6-5-11) and Nathan Garski (13-12-25) give Grand Rapids balanced scoring through its top two lines.  

On defense, seniors Bauer Murphy (12-10-22) and Nathan Langlois (1-1-2), junior Luka Rohloff (1-6-7), as well as sophomore William Shermoen (3-7-10) are a well-rounded group that can neutralize the rush which will be tested against a Huskies team that is playing with a lot of confidence right now.  

At goaltender, the Thunderhawks have given the lion's share of starts to sophomore Carter Casey (.911 save percentage) but have given opportunities to juniors Ryan Kerr (.898 save percentage) and Ryder Miskovich (.932 save percentage) as well.

Centennial at White Bear Lake 
February 3 (2:00 PM)

This is an intriguing matchup of two clubs hoping to make some noise in their respective section, where wins against quality opponents could help them come seeding time. Which team will help its case in this tilt at TCO Sports Garden in Vadnais Heights?  

Centennial is coming off a 7-2 victory over Champlin Park and is riding a 5-game win streak. The Cougars are led at forward by seniors Harper Searles (14-26-40),  Heath Nelson (23-19-42), and Alex Clampitt (10-10-20), as well as sophomores Gavin Cunningham (4-12-16) and Joey Hemr (6-6-12) carry most of the scoring for Centennial. YHH interviewed Harper Searles as part of their Rink of Fire podcast. The Cougars' power play has been on fire lately, finding the back of the net at 31.1%.

On defense, seniors Austin Peterson (8-13-21) and Jake Robinson (1-2-3), as well as sophomore Cooper Hehir (3-9-12), keep it simple on their end of the ice. The Cougars' penalty kill is excellent, denying 89.2% of opposing power plays this season.

Centennial has leaned on 6'4" 220lbs senior Gavin Schahn (.933 save percentage) for most of its goaltending duties this season, but they have given junior Easton Cody (.898 save percentage) some opportunities as well.

White Bear Lake is coming off a 4-1 victory over Mounds View and has the momentum of a 6-game win streak. YHH recently interviewed White Bear Lake head coach Chris Anderson as part of their Rink of Fire podcast. The Bears are led by senior forward Nolan Roed (St. Cloud State commit, #142 ranked North American skater, 19-11-30) and Dylan Buetow (8-7-15) junior Jack Stanius (3-5-8) as well as sophomores Tyler Lalonde (7-5-12) and Maverick Timmons (6-9-15) give White Bear Lake good scoring balance up front.  

On defense, junior Will Distad (6-17-23), sophomore Nate Celski (1-4-5), and Tanner Olsen (0-8-8) like to get involved offensively and are all capable puck movers. The Bears' penalty kill doesn't give up much, stopping 92.9% of opposing power plays.

At goaltender, junior Leo Gabriel (.928 save percentage) has made most of the Bears' starts this season, but they have used senior Andy Mudgett (.824 save percentage) as well.

Rochester Century/John Marshall at Northfield
February 3 (7:15 PM) 

This is a clash of two Big Nine conference teams intending to make some noise in Section 1AA and Section 1A, respectively. Northfield prevailed 4-3 over Rochester Century/John Marshall on November 30th. Can the Raiders get the season sweep?  

Rochester Century/John Marshall is coming off a hard-fought 5-4 overtime loss to New Prague, and they have won seven out of their last ten games. They are led at forward by seniors Aiden Emerich (17-24-41), Jonathan Burmester (10-16-26), and Bennett Pronk (12-10-22) as well as juniors Ole Fevold (10-15-25), Landon Kanz (4-9-13) and Brock Clarey (10-10-20) provide consistent scoring from Rochester Century/John Marshall's top two lines.  

On defense, senior Brody Josselyn (9-17-26) and Justin Sutton (2-14-16), as well as junior Owyn Tomminelo (3-12-15), play a safe and steady game at both ends of the ice. Rochester Century/John Marshall's penalty kill has been reasonably practical, shutting down 85.7% of the opposing power plays they have faced this season.  

Junior goaltender Kyle Lappi (.989 save percentage) has made most of the starts this season.  

Northfield is coming off a hard-fought 4-2 loss to St. Cloud Cathedral and has seven out of their last ten games. At forward, seniors Kamden Kaiser (25-19-44), Jake Geiger (17-16-33), and Cayden Monson (12-25-37) as well as juniors Andrew Winter (5-5-10) and Griffin Kennelly (6-6-12) as well as sophomores Oliver Benjamin (3-4-7) and Michael Steward (3-6-9) give Northfield three solid scoring lines making them challenging to match up against. With a power play operating at 34.7%, the Raiders make opponents pay for taking penalties.

The Raiders defense is led by seniors Ty Frank (0-6-6), Sam Boardman (1-4-5), and Barrett Bradley (3-2-5), as well as sophomore Bridger Riley (1-9-10) and freshman Ben Geiger (1-9-10) keep it simple and try to keep the play tilted into the offensive zone.  

The Raiders have split starts at goaltender between senior Trey Shimota (.896 save percentage) and junior Max Frank (.901 save percentage) this season.