All four of the top seeds won Thursday in Class AA at the State High School Hockey Tournament...three in easy fashion, the final in an OT thriller nail.

Top Performers

Noah Cates and Jackson Cates, Stillwater - 5 points, 1 family
Casey Mittelstadt, Eden Prairie - 1G/5A
Alex Schilling, Wayzata - 21 Saves
Alex Adams, Grand Rapids - Game Winning Goal
Micah Miller, Grand Rapids - Best goal not to count
 

Top Flow (Team)

Anoka - great looking hair, didn't need the hair dye to win it. 

Top Flow (Individual)

Andy Meyer, Farmington - great length, the Tiger stripes were a great touch

Worst Flow (Individual)

The kid from Anoka who didn't dye his hair, come on man!!!!

Worst Flow (Team)

Eden Prairie - they looked like a band of Young Republicans with couple of Erwin beards and a Louie.

Best Fans

None (Private)
Grand Rapids (Public)

Best Band

Grand Rapids

Bemidji will meet EP at Mariucci in the Flow Show...very disappointing showing. One shining star again was Rocky Copiskey...last year he made the T10....he could repeat with his mustache!!

Lots of choices for the Hawks. Drake Anderson with a well timed flop. Jonah Bischoff looks like a barbie doll with a facial hair kit. He and Alex Adams probably have unlisted phone numbers. We promised facial hair and Eric Soderberg brought a great Foo Man Choo, but he presented it even better. Late roster add Zach Stejskal made the most of his TV time with a pretty confident wink to the fans.

Rapids with an A-...Bemdji with an Incomplete

Alex Adams scored in overtime for Grand Rapids to beat Bemidji 3-2 late Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Thunderhawks didn't miss a beat after losing sophomore center and Minnesota commit Blake McLaughlin for the tournament due to a suspension. Despite reports that McLaughlin violated state high school rules for alcohol consumption, head coach Trent Klatt was advised not to comment on why he was scratched from the lineup. "I have 20 guys in that locker room that thinks they can win this thing...that is all that matters," said Klatt after the game.

The game was the best of the day - with both teams holding a lead. Junior Alex Pollack gave the Lumberjacks the lead on a five hole in the first and then he tied it on a snipe early in the third. In overtime, Adams finished the deal again banging home a one time pass from senior Mitchell Mattson. Adams second such heroic goal in one week, the senior power forward beat Duluth East with six seconds left in the game to send the Hawks to the X for the first time since 2007. "It has been an amazing week, that is for sure."

"They've got some difference makers...but so do we."

Grand Rapids head coach Trent Klatt on Eden Prairie

An early look at Anoka says Peroxide is coming!!!

The info we received was solid (as usual). The Tornadoes turn in the best performance so far. Without the food coloring they would have won for most mullets. The coloring only added to their success. Travis Hudek and Brendan Corbin got a bad batch peroxide, their hair came out more like a golden retriever than Billy Idol. The best Tornado was Blake Neumann...his drapes didn't match the carpet - hair blonde, stache black. Well done!

Eden Prairie looked more like St. Thomas Academy than a suburban public school. Solid beard from Gray Erwin, he looked more like a pirate or a bodyguard.

"I think we are the best skating team in the tournament."

Eden Prairie head coach Lee Smith

We have inside info that Hank Sorenson has gotten a perm for the state tourney - will this get him over the top? We've learned one thing over the years...never doubt the Hammer!!!

The Hammer did not disappoint - his perm turned out great, it was so tight that it almost looked like the curlers were still in...the pride on his face evident. So many good performances from these two suburban super powers. Welcome to the jungle Nolan Sawchuk, you have the Axel Rose 'do nailed. Daniel Sandvig crushed it with his stripes and some serious length. Honorable mention to Luke Paterson for his Gordon Gecko slick back....grease is good.

Wayzata beat Burnsville 3-1 to advance to the state semifinals Thursday. They were lead by senior goalie Alex Schilling's 21 saves...of which 3 were of the highlight reel variety in the first period. 

"He was the best player on the ice in the first period," said Pat O'Leary Wayzata's head coach. The Blaze had their chances to extend a 1-0 lead, but each time Schilling would come up big. "We gave up five or six odd man rushes in the first period...I"m not sure we gave up that many in the last month of the season," said O'Leary.

The game turned in the second period when Mark Senden scored on a pretty end-to-end rush. The North Dakota commit was able to beat Burnsville goalie Nick Lee with a late backhand move. Forty-three seconds later Luke Paterson got loose on a nice stretch pass from Noah Fuhrmann and took it to the house and beat Lee to make it 2-1. That goal turned the momentum in the Trojans favor for good and they went on to win.

"We put Hank Sorensen on the ice every time he was out there."

Pat O'Leary when asked how they planned to halt Burnsville's Cade Borchardt who had three hat tricks in three games.

Farmington's Andy Meyer stole the show with his mullet and tiger stripes...leader in the clubhouse. Stillwater didn't have as much depth both Jack Mapstone and TJ Sagissor showed good some great curl to their game...you could feel the Y chromosomes trembling at the X.

Honorable mention to Stillwater coach Matt Doman - his front horns in the face has great appeal with the older Y chromosomes, I'm sure.

Stillwater knocked off section 1AA champ Farmington 4-1 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the State Tournament. Jackson Cates had two goals and his younger brother Noah added a goal and two assists to pace the Ponies into the semifinals Friday. 

Stillwater capitalized on their chances, first a Jackson Cates pumped in a goal from 25 feet out and then a couple minutes later Luke Manning hopped on a loose rebound to give the Ponies a two goal cushion that they never relinquished. Senior goalie Seth Benson came seven seconds away from his third straight playoff shutout stopping 21 of 22 shots.

"They were hacking at our goalie and our coach (Doman) told us to stop letting that happen (to which coach Matt Doman gave an innocent who-me smirk)."

Jesse Bjugstad, Stillwater when asked about the chippy play in the final minutes