Game One: Walleye vs. Moose 

The Walleye enter this semifinal matchup with a sparkling 11-2-2 record and take the playoffs’ No. 1 seed after winning the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Lakers. Leading scorer Landen Gunderson paces the Walleye with 19 goals and 29 points, followed by Josh Giuliani (4 goals, 11 assists, 15 points) and Cashen Naeve (12 goals). Goaltender Toby Hopp has been solid for the Walleye during the regular-season slate, posting a goals-against average of 2.35 and save percentage of .918. 

Forwards Anthony Madigan and Luke McCarthy lead the Moose (8-4-3) into the semifinals, with Madigan totaling 10 goals and 18 points and McCarthy recording 12 goals and 17 points. The Moose split with the Walleye during the regular season, losing 5-4 and winning 7-5. 

Game Two: Lakers vs. Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U  

In the second semifinal, the Lakers take on the Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U squad. The Lakers enter the playoffs with the same record as the top-seeded Walleye at 11-2-2. Will Schumacher leads the Lakers in all three offensive categories with 14 goals, 17 assists, and 31 points. Jack Seaverson is currently second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 22 points. The Lakers have won six of their last seven games, with the lone loss coming against the Walleye by a score of 5-2. 

The losses suffered by Shattuck-St. Mary’s (5-2-1) both came against Great Plains, and the Sabres have three of their last four, including their most recent victory, a 7-1 win over Gentry Academy. Isaac Howard leads the Sabres in scoring with four goals and 12 points, followed by Michael La Starza and Kazimier Sobieski, who have each totaled three goals and eight points.

Game One: Green Giants vs. Walleye 

High-flying skaters Garrett Schifsky and Henry Bartle lead the No. 1 seed Green Giants into the playoffs, with Schifsky racking up 19 goals and 27 points and Bartle totaling seven goals and 25 points. Andrew Carls offers the Green Giants another scoring threat after scoring 10 goals and totaling 19 points. The Green Giants have been particularly been effective in the first half, outscoring opponents 45-17. 

Two of the Walleye’s losses came against the Green Giants, a trend that the Walleye will look to reverse on Saturday. If that hope can come to fruition, the Walleye will likely rely on leading scorers Thomas Nelson and Kohl Sauer. Nelson scored nine goals and added four assists during the regular season, while Sauer totaled seven goals and 11 points. Three of the Walleye losses have come by two goals or less. 

Game Two: Blue Ox vs. Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15U

A two-headed monster hailing from Roseau powers the Blue Ox (13-2) machine, as Judd Ginther and Max Strand lead the team in scoring. Ginther scored 12 goals and finished with 19 points while Strand totaled six goals and 18 points. Strand is also coming off a good performance in the Major Division of the Bantam Elite League, where the power forward scored six times and recorded 15 points. The Blue Ox has outscored opponents 29-9 in the second half through 15 games. 

Both of Shattuck-St. Mary’s losses came against quality competition, falling to the 15U Minnesota Blades and Detroit Little Caesars. Speedy forward Luke Buss and Chris Alexander lead the Sabres in scoring, with Buss tallying six goals and eight points and Alexander recording two goals and six points. Behind Buss and Alexander are Jackson Blake, Jack Slayton, and Luca Ricci, all with four total points thus far. 

Game One: Green Giants vs. Polars

The Green Giants are the defending national champions at this age level and show no signs of slowing down with the hardware collection. The Green Giants are 15-0 and have outscored opponents 119-13, paced by Isa Goettl’s 26 goals and 44 points. Following Goettl is Rilee Winters with 14 goals and 42 points, as the forward-tandem leads a team that features 11 players with 10 or more points. Goaltender Ashley Hess has also posted impressive numbers, with a goals-against average 0.62 and a save percentage of .943. 

Facing the Green Giants will be the Polars, who fell to the Green Giants by scores of 13-3 and 12-1 during the regular-season. Leading the way for the Polars in the scoring category is Ella Boerger with 13 goals and 18 points, with Grayson Limke (8-4-12) and Lily Gillespie (8-3-11) offering supplemental scoring options for the Polars (7-7-1). 

Game Two: Lakers vs. Walleye 

Samantha Broz and Katelyn Roberts have formed an effective scoring tandem for the No. 2 seed Lakers (12-3), a team that has won seven straight games heading into the postseason. Broz has totaled 11 goals and 18 points so far, while Roberts have tallied nine goals and 16 points. The Lakers also have history on their side, having beaten the Walleye during the regular season by a score of 4-2 on Sept. 22.     

Goaltender Leah Bosch has posted a save percentage of .913 and a goals-against average of 1.26 and has teamed with goaltending partner Annika Lavender to turn in six shutouts for the Walleye (11-4). With the defense taken care of, the burden of scoring falls to Elizabeth Morrison (10-5-15), Cristian Rice (9-5-14), and Mackenzie Johnson (4-6-10).