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No. 9-2A Maple Grove at No. 11-2A Rogers 
Thursday, December 11 
7:00 PM 

Maple Grove (4-1) had its undefeated season dashed in a 5-4 loss to ascending Eden Prairie last weekend, although the loss marked the third time in five games that the Crimson had scored four goals in a single game. Notably, the Crimson have gone to overtime in three of five contests. 

The Crimson’s balanced attack is led by Lane Glende (four goals, five assists, nine points), with Wyatt Kuznik (3-5-8), Cole Anderson (4-3-7), and Jaden Roueche (2-4-6) adding scoring depth. 

After starting the season 1-3, Rogers (4-4) has won three of its last four games, beating Rosemount, Wayzata, and Buffalo before falling to No. 4-2A Hill-Murray 1-0 last Saturday. Brock Cheslock leads the Royals with six goals and 11 points, followed by Cole Bumgarner (4-3-7), who’s found a scoring groove after spending last season with the USHL’s Fargo Force. 

Rogers goaltender Tyler Bacon has some of the best numbers in the state, sporting a 1.88 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage while playing every minute for the Royals so far this season. 

No. 5-1A Warroad at No. 7-1A Mahtomedi 
Friday, December 12 
7:00 PM 

Warroad carries a four-game winning streak into a metro swing, defeating quality Class AA programs Rock Ridge and Grand Rapids before making the trip to the St. Croix Valley Rec Center. 

With eight goals and 14 points, Gavin Andersen paces the Warriors (5-2) in scoring, followed by Ayven Hontvet (2-7-9) and Ryan Shaugabay (3-5-8). 

On the opposite end of the trend spectrum from Warroad’s four consecutive victories, Mahtomedi (2-2-1) enters the weekend after ending a three-game winless streak with a 4-1 win over Two Rivers on Tuesday. The Zephyrs are led in scoring by Vinny Redpath (4-6-10), Brayden Fuerst (3-4-7), and Devin O’Donnell (3-3-6). 

Last season, Mahtomedi handed Warroad a 4-0 loss, marking the first time the Warriors had been shut out since a 3-0 loss at the hands of Wayzata on January 22, 2022. 

No. 10-1A East Grand Forks at No. 14-1A Orono 
Friday, December 12 
7:00 PM 

Like Section 8A rival Warroad, defending Class A state champion East Grand Forks is taking a trip to the Twin Cities this weekend, and will take on Orono Friday night.

For the Green Wave (2-3), the pair of games far from home offers a chance to get back on track after dropping back-to-back games against No. 5-1A Warroad and No. 9-1A Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. If the Green Wave does get back into the win column this weekend, the scoring responsibility will likely fall to Tucker Lovejoy (2-4-6), or the trio of Nolan Meulebroeck, Cy Hjelman, and Max Bies. All three of the aforementioned players have five points apiece. 

Orono’s white-hot at the moment, as Jackson Knight added to his potential Mr. Hockey resume with an overtime game-winner in Tuesday night’s 4-3 victory over No. 11-1A Breck. Knight leads the Spartans (2-2-1) with nine goals and 14 points so far, while Max Sutcliffe has impressed in his first high school season with four goals and seven points.

No. 25-2A Duluth Marshall at No. 18-1A Rochester Lourdes 
Saturday, December 13 
2:00 PM 

Despite technically being a tie, Duluth Marshall’s 5-5 draw with No. 1-1A Hermantown may be the most legitimizing game on the Hilltoppers’ resume. The Hilltoppers are armed on offense with four players who have reached the double-digit mark in points, led by Benson Peterson’s six goals and 12 points. Bennett Scissons (6-5-11), Kyler Black (3-7-10), and Sam Berry (4-6-1) round out the 10-point club for the Hilltoppers (5-0-1). 

This game could be considered a true goaltenders’ duel, pitting Duluth Marshall’s Wyatt Brown (1.79 GAA, .938 SV%) against Rochester Lourdes counterpart Anton Ackley (1.17 GAA, .938 SV%, 2 shutouts). 

The Eagles (5-1) have won five straight as of this writing, led offensively by Jack Phillips (10-4-14) and Owen Hoehn (1-10-11). Phillips’ 10 goals represent nearly 40% of the team’s overall scoring (26 goals). 

No. 3-2A St. Thomas Academy at No. 4-2A Hill-Murray 
Saturday, December 13 
3:00 PM 

In a battle pitting the metro area’s two top Catholic school programs, the Cadets had up I-35 to visit the Pioneers. 

The Cadets (5-1) bounced back after suffering an upset loss to Stillwater by blasting Eastview and Holy Family by a combined score of 16-2 last week. Cole Braunshausen (12-11-23) leads the team in scoring, but is just one piece of a high-powered machine. Maverick McKinnon (6-8-14), Will Mikan (4-8-12), Reed Smith (4-6-10), and Peter Murray (6-4-10) offer ample secondary production. 

Hill-Murray (2-0-2) could offer a defensive antidote to the Cadets, wielding a defensive core that’s held opponents to an average of 1.75 goals per game through four contests. The Pioneers picked up win number two last Saturday in a 1-0 win over Rogers, getting a 29-save shutout from Grayson Hanggi. 

Brady Morrell and Landon Sampair are tied for the team’s lead in scoring, with each registering two goals and four points thus far.