Eking out the top seed by one point over the True Lakers and United Hockey Federation, Blue Army enters the playoff round, coming off back-to-back wins over True Lakers and, coincidentally, quarterfinal opponent Game One. 

Blue Army (8-4) boasts the Prep Elite League’s top three scorers in Lakeville South’s Carter Ernst (7 goals, 18 assists, 25 points), Rosemount’s Connor Schubert (11-12-23), and Eastview’s Sam Wooten (12-10-22). In addition to that trio up front, Blue Army has a pair of defenders in Edina’s Aidan Gordon (1-6-7) and St. Thomas Academy’s Macray O’Connor (4-3-7) that can move the puck. 

Goaltenders Sam Clements (Rosemount) and Josiah Schmidtke (Waseca) have split time between the pipes for Blue Army through 12 games, with Clements posting league-bests in goals-against-average (2.00) and save percentage (.930). 

Since winning its first two games of PEL play, Game One has skidded to an eighth-place finish. Forward Landon Huh leads Game One in scoring with four goals and 11 points, followed by Garrett Hines (3-4-7), Nolan Border (3-3-6), and Bryce Lovett (4-2-6).

True Lakers (7-4-1) is hoping to be out of the PEL valley for playoffs, having won its last two games after going 0-4-1 during the midway portion of the season. The first period of games seems to be an Achilles heel for True Lakers, as the team has been outscored 16-15 by opponents in opening frames through 12 games. For context, True Lakers are plus-10 in the second and third periods. 

True Lakers has an impressive nine players scoring in double-digits so far, paced by Rogers standout Brock Cheslock’s 11 goals and 21 points. Maple Grove’s Wyatt Kuznik (6-10-16) and Mound Westonka’s Liam Grant (5-11-16) are tied for second among True Lakers skaters in scoring. 

Scoring goals has been a challenge thus far for Mr. Pex Systems (5-7), which has totaled 25 tallies through 12 games and has topped the four-goal mark once. Centennial forward Isaak Adams leads the team in total points (1-7-8), while Eden Prairie’s Will Elmquist (5-2-7) leads in goals. Goaltender Tyler Bacon (Rogers) has faced the most shots among PEL goalies at 295. 

UHF (7-4-1) had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 6-3 loss to HockeYak last weekend in Andover, marking the first time UHF had lost a game by more than one goal this season. 

UHF has one of the most balanced attacks in the league, with nine players hitting the 10-point threshold. Minnetonka’s Tavin Dobchuk (9-6-15) and Cretin-Derham Hall’s Torin Tompkins (6-9-15) lead UHF in scoring, with CDH forward Jon Bloedow (6-7-13) and Minnetonka’s Max Aronson (5-8-13).

Despite finishing regular-season play with a 4-8 record, Training Haus holds two victories over the No. 1 seed Blue Army, a feat no other PEL squad can claim. Four of Training Haus’s eight losses have been by two goals or fewer. Like its quarterfinal opponent, True Lakers, Training Haus struggles in the first period, posting a mark of minus-10 while being outscored 21-11. 

Offensively, Training Haus is led by St. Thomas Academy’s Reed Smith (6-5-11), Edina defenseman Becker Wenkus (2-8-10), and another STA skater Bennett Knutson (6-4-10). Goaltender Alex Beaton (Benilde-St. Margaret’s) is currently third in GAA at 2.83. The two goaltenders head of Beaton - Sam Clements and Maverick Kuhl - have played far fewer minutes compared to Beaton’s 450:00 in goal. 

It’s been a tale of two seasons for HockeYak (7-5), which started the PEL season 1-4 but has since gone 6-1 down the stretch, with the lone loss coming against top-seeded Blue Army. HockeYak enters the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. 

Blake McShane (Minnetonka) is tied with Andover’s Jaden Roueche (5-8-13) for the team’s scoring lead with four goals and 13 points. Wayzata’s Kruz Sauer is just behind the duo with six goals and 12 points. Goaltender Maverick Kuhl (Wayzata) has one of the best goals-against-averages in the league at 2.53. 

The North Stars (7-5) have suffered two losses against HockeYak, but are riding a hot streak of their own, having won three of their last four games. Three of the team’s losses have come by a single goal, including a strong showing against No. 1 seed Blue Army on Sep. 14. 

High-flying Warroad forward Gavin Andersen (7-9-16) leads the North Stars in scoring, followed by a trio of Hermantown Hawks in Beau Christy (3-12-15), Mick Martalock (6-8-14), and Alexander Nicklin (1-11-12). Moorhead’s Evan Wanner (6-5-11) rounds out the quintet of 10-point scorers for the North Stars. 

Goaltenders Finn Hanson and Jack Stimac have rotated evenly over the regular season, with the Warroad native Hanson posting a sparkling 2.91 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Stimac’s top performances include 18 saves on 20 shots in a 4-3 win over United Hockey Federation and a 21-save performance in a 5-4 victory over Training Haus.