Delano hasn’t won a quarterfinal game at state, going 0-4 all-time amid regular section-final appearances since 2015. All of the Tigers’ state tournament success came after quarterfinal heartbreak with three consolation titles. The only time the Tigers didn’t win the consolation bracket crown occurred when the MSHSL didn’t offer it in 2021, returning to play out of the pandemic.

That said, Delano is a “program that has been on the rise for the last 10 years or so,” as senior defenseman Brayden Coppin put it. A fourth-year varsity player, Coppin knows well that “it means a lot to the community to see us doing well and making it” to The Tourney.

“I think it makes a big impact on the youth teams especially,” Coppin said. “It pushes them more and more to be able to do what we are trying to do.”

Delano skaters this season wanted more than a state appearance and to flip the program’s narrative of reaching state, losing in the quarterfinals, shining in the consolation bracket and wondering “what if” the puck bounced their way in the quarterfinal.

Delano forward Andrew Bruett (23) works the puck toward the Southwest Christian/Richfield goal in the first period Feb. 13, 2024, at the Chaska Community Center. (Photo courtesy of Jason Wachter)

Unfortunately for the Tigers, flipping the script will have to wait at least one more season. After defeating Hutchinson 5-2 in the Class 1A, Section 2 quarterfinals, No. 2-seed Delano lost 6-3 to Minneapolis, the 3 seed, in the section semifinals.

Delano’s first trip to state was in 2017, when it lost 3-2 to Monticello. Delano lost 6-4 to Greenway/Nash-Kee in 2019, 5-2 to Mahtomedi in 2020 and 2-1 to Little Falls in 2021, all in the state quarterfinals.

“Making it past Wednesday into Friday and Saturday at the X would be a huge accomplishment for Delano hockey,” senior forward Teague Collings said. “There is so much tradition and success with our program and to finally get over the hump into the final weekend would be incredible.

“To not only do it for ourselves but the people who have come before us, brothers, fathers, uncles [and] all the alumni that have worked so hard for this program to get to see us succeed with their constant support would be surreal.”

Coppin said being “the first Delano team to do it” was “more than enough motivation” this year. Both Collings and Coppin played as freshmen on that Tigers squad that last fell to Little Falls at the X. Delano fell in the Class 1A, Section 2 final the past two years by scores of 3-1 to Minneapolis in 2022 and Orono 4-1 in 2023.

“My expectations are very high for this team,” Tigers senior defenseman Vincent Cappelleri said. “This is a very close team and we know we can go far into state but need to take it one game at a time.”

Delano did well one game at a time in the regular season amid a 16-8-1 record and a Wright County Conference title. The Tigers ranked No. 7 in Class 1A as of Feb. 21.

“We have made strides to getting better every week and I feel we have grown as a team over the length of this season,” Collings said.

Delano had a fast team but a young team with eight sophomores and 11 juniors. Junior forward Mason Hargarten led the Tigers in scoring with 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists). Collings was right behind with 11 goals and 17 assists.

“We play at a high tempo and compete all over the ice,” Collings said. “Our weakness as a team is a lack of experience as we are a young team with a small senior class and lack some of the playoff experience.”

Delano defenseman Eddie Lins (24) fires the puck at the Southwest Christian/Richfield goal in the first period Feb. 13, 2024, at the Chaska Community Center. (Photo courtesy of Jason Wachter)

Delano took some early lumps with a 6-3 loss at Warroad 9-0 at East Grand Forks in November. The Tigers went on a seven-game winning streak afterward before a 5-1 loss to perennial power Hermantown in December. Since, the Tigers went 10-6-1, and only two of those were blowout losses, against Class 2A foes Chanhassen and Holy Family.

“A few ups and downs, and a few growing pains, but that is to be expected with a young team like this,” Coppin said.

The Tigers found a groove in February with a 6-0 win over Hutchinson, a 7-0 rout of Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, and 4-1 win over Southwest Christian/Richfield. Delano allowed 2.78 goals per game and had a 88.5% penalty kill, and Tigers skaters averaged 3.78 goals per contest.

Delano goaltenders Evan Geyen and Ethan Engelmann have been equally solid. Geyen had an 10-7-1 record amid 2.94 goals allowed and an .889 save percentage. Engelman allowed 2.46- goals per game with a .912 save percentage amid his 6-2 mark.

“We are a defensively sound team and are very, very tight-knit, for sure the closest I have ever felt to a group of boys,” Coppin said. “We do anything and everything together, and I think that makes us a tough team to play against because we would do anything for one another.”

Delano players believed they are a tough out for anyone when the postseason arrives, too.

“Everyone knows that Delano always plays a tough game and hardworking game. It just adds to the drive to do great things and work hard,” Cappelleri said.

The post Down Goes Delano appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

And he wasn’t even the No. 1 star.

No, that honor would probably have to go to his senior teammate Grant Slukynsky, who scored a natural hat trick at the 6 minutes, 22 seconds mark of the first period to give the top-seeded Warriors (27-2-0) an early 3-0 lead on their way to a 9-3 victory over Hutchinson in the first Class 1A quarterfinal of the evening session at Xcel Energy Center.

“Couldn’t even dream of a better start than that,” Slukynsky said.

Slukynsky tied a nearly 70-year-old tournament record for points in a period. He had five points in the first after assisting on a pair of goals. John Mayasich, whose name is all over the state tournament record books, also scored five points in a period for Eveleth in 1951.

Slukynsky is no stranger to putting points on the scoresheet. He had a nine-point game in a 10-1 win at Detroit Lakes on Jan. 4, with four goals and five assists. Shaugabay threw a little joking sarcasm his teammate’s way during the postgame press conference.

“He scored three before two commercials,” Shaugabay said. “Why don’t you get nine while you’re at it, Grant?

“Yeah, we knew it was his night.”

The Mr. Hockey finalist Slukynsky nearly reached another record. His three goals and four assists for seven points just missed Mayasich’s record of most points in a single tournament game with eight.

“Usually not too many of his records are going to ever get touched,” said Warroad coach Jay Hardwick. “So, to do that is something special that I’ll never forget, he’ll never forget.

“It’s not every day that you witness something like that.”

Warroad freshman Jayson Shaugabay is all smiles after one of his three goals in the Warriors Class 1A state quarterfinal win over Hutchinson Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo: Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports USA)

Shaugabay scored a pair of goals later in the first period before completing his hat trick with about 7:30 left in the game during the mostly-running-time third period. The freshman has 30 goals and 67 points this season.

Hutchinson got a pair of goals 1:02 apart from sophomore Brady Knorr to briefly stop the running time in the third period, but the deficit was still 8-3 at that point. Telecky said his team played uncharacteristic defense, especially early in the game. The Tigers (19-9-1) also used all three goaltenders during the game, Jacob Huls, Austin Hagen and Griffin Telecky.

It was a tough task to contain Warroad’s top line, specifically Slukynsky.

“That kid can shoot,” said Hutchinson coach Matt Telecky. “Even when we had guys close to him, he got rid of the puck so quick. He’s probably one of the fastest guys we’ve seen this year.”

Warroad is making its first trip to state since Brock Nelson led the squad to a third-place finish in 2010. Hardwick said he wasn’t happy with the two quick goals his team allowed in the third period, adding that he didn’t think the Warriors were very sharp, with the exception of Shaugabay and Slukynsky.

“We’ve got to be better on Friday for sure,” Hardwick said. “Because whoever we play is going to be a very good hockey team, and we’re going to have to bring our best effort.”

Mahtomedi storms back

It was the tightest game of the day, a one-goal difference headed into the final period between 5-seed Delano and 4-seed Mahtomedi. The Zephyrs already hold the tournament record for most losses with 17, and No. 18 looked wasn’t out of the question.

But then the last five minutes of the game happened and Mahtomedi scored three times in a 3:32 span and added an empty netter for good measure to capture a comeback, 5-2 victory.

Mahtomedi put shots on net and hovered around the crease for much of the game, with only one goal to show for it through two periods.

“We’ve been throwing pucks at the crease for a month and with not as much to show for it as we’d like,” said Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl.

With the minutes ticking away, junior Ethan Peterson made a solid pass through the neutral zone up to Adam Johnson to spring him for a breakaway. Johnson went five-hole to tie the game with 4:22 on the clock.

“Obviously the thought of scoring is going through your mind,” Johnson said. “But for the most part, you’re just like, ‘alright, get some momentum, at least. If it goes in, it goes in. If it doesn’t, there’s hopefully a rebound that a teammate could bang in.

“Fortunate enough that it found the net the first time.”

Mahtomedi’s JD Metz celebrates his third-period goal which turned out to be the game winner in the Zephyrs stunning come-from-behind 5-2 Class 1A state quarterfinal win over Delano on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo: Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports USA)

One minute, 8 seconds later, the Zephyrs had the lead. Playmaker Nikolai Dulak passed over to JD Metz who finished the play with a backhand move in front of the net to go up 3-2 with a little more than three minutes remaining in regulation. Dulak put the game away with his 27th goal of the season with 1 minutes, 50 seconds left before the empty-netter with 7.7 ticks left.

Delano grabbed a 2-0 lead in the game with a power-play goal from Jesse Peterson and another tally from Gunnar Paulson less than two minutes later in the first period.

Delano (22-7-0) held the 2-1 lead despite getting outshot 15-5 in the second period alone. Mahtomedi’s power-play goal form Billy Buttermore to get on the board in the second period was not ideal for the Tigers, said coach Gerrit van Bergen, even if they didn’t feel out of the game and still had the lead.

“Truthfully, I didn’t feel it slipping away until they tied it,” van Bergen said. “I didn’t feel like it got away until it was already away.”

Not only the victory but how the Zephyrs (21-8-0) won their quarterfinal is a huge momentum boost for the team, according to Poeschl.

“When you win in the manner that we were able to tonight, it gives us some momentum,” Poeschl said. “And we’re going to need it. Warroad is a heck of a hockey team. We’re going to need to be firing on all cylinders to compete with them and to put ourselves in a position to win.”

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Greenway’s revival rolls on into rematch with Mahtomedi

St. Paul — Trailing Delano 3-1 after the first period of their state quarterfinal, coach Grant Clafton and his Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin Raiders were in familiar territory having spotted Hermantown to a 2-0 lead a week ago in the Section 7A title game. 

“These games in my opinion they have mirrored our whole season. You’re down 2-0, you’re down 3-1, it’s a weird feeling to have and I really believe that our player have it but I just don’t think that we’re out of any game at anytime because they just have a killer instinct that and they just keep going.”

As they did against the top-ranked Hawks last week, the Raiders stormed back to defeat the Tigers 6-4 in a wild see-saw contest in what was by far the most entertaining of the day’s Class 1A quarterfinals.

“Greenway did an excellent job of getting pucks through from the point, utilizing the NHL-size zone and the higher blue line made it difficult for our wings to get in the lanes,” Delano coach Gerrit van Bergen said. “The angles changed compared to what we’re used to.”

Greenway leading scorer Donte Lawson, who notched his 28th and 29th goals of the year on Wednesday and added a pair of assists, said the Raiders maintained a positive attitude in locker room in the first intermission which they brought with them onto the ice.

“Sticking together like we always have throughout the year,” Lawson said. “We’ve battled through enough adversity where we knew what we had to do and that’s what we did.”

“We came in after the first period down 3-1 and there was no doubt,” Clafton added. “We had guys joking in the locker room.”

Second-period goals by Lawson and Ben Troumbly tied the score heading into the final period but Delano’s Kory Dunnigan scored his second of the game 7:23 into the third to lift the Tigers back to a 4-3 lead with under 10 minutes to play. But goals by Mitchell Vekich and Christian Miller 53 seconds apart restored Greenway’s lead and Lawson’s empty netter sealed it with 34.5 seconds to go. 

“Their forwards are relentless around the front of the net to create traffic and get sticks on pucks,” van Bergen said. “We saw it on film, we saw it when we played them.”

The game was a microcosm of a Greenway season which saw the Raiders stumble to a 6-13 start before rattling off what is now 10 straight wins and storm into a state tournament berth which seemed unlikely two months ago. Delano contributed to that tough start on Dec. 28 with a 4-3 win over the Raiders.

“This is a chance to right a wrong,” Clafton said. “We went through some tough times for about six solid weeks and they were part of that group of teams that was taking it out on us.”

“There’s Mahtomedi (5-2 on Dec. 29) that took it out on us, St. Cloud Cathedral (5-3 on Dec. 7) and East Grand Forks (4-2 on Dec. 8) and we want a shot at all of them.”

When the idea was floated that perhaps the Raiders could play four games this week, Clafton responded without hesitation, “Fine by me.”

 Photo Gallery by Tim Kolehmainen of Breakdown Sports USA for Minnesota Hockey Magazine. Follow Tim on Twitter at @BreakdownUSA.

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The 2017 Minnesota Boys’ State Hockey Tournament got underway on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center with Class 1A quarterfinal action and a pair of opening-session bracket busters and a near miss. Delano and Mahtomedi, the tournament’s No.2 and No. 3 seeds, were sent packing by unheralded first-time participants Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake and Northfield, respectively. Top seeded Hermantown got a scare from a plucky Luverne team and St. Cloud Cathedral pulled away from East Grand Forks.

No. 2 Delano vs. Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake

Unseeded Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake (22-6-1), in its first-ever state tournament game, toppled second-seeded, and fellow first timer, Delano, shocking the Tigers (24-4-1) with a 3-2 win to advance to a state semifinal meeting with surprising Northfield.

With the game knotted at 1-1 late in the second period, the Moose struck twice in less than two minutes with a pair of special teams goals to give MAML a stunning two goal lead at the break. Nick Zwack finished off a shorthanded 2-on-1 break with Ben Ward for his second goal of the game at 13:11 to give the Moose the lead for good. The assist was one of three in the game for Ward.

Just 1:57 later, Troy Dahlheimer took advantage of a costly Delano too many men on the ice penalty to punch in a power-play goal.  Special teams proved to be the difference as the Moose held the vaunted Delano power play to no goals and five shots on three attempts in addition to Zwack’s shorthanded tally.

MAML goaltender Tyler Klatt made 24 of his 33 saves through two periods. After Delano’s Justin Daly pulled the Tigers back within one just 41 seconds into the third, Klatt withstood Delano’s late surge with the extra attacker. Delano’s Jackson Hjelle turned aside 26 Moose shots for the Tigers.

No. 3 Mahtomedi vs. Northfield

Northfield goaltender Ryan Bielenberg did not know a lot about Mahtomedi heading into their quarterfinal clash with the Zephyrs but he did say Monday night he thought the teams were pretty similar, “They have a good goalie and they have a deep team and that’s kind of what we have too.”

Bielenberg’s words proved prophetic as the teams went toe-to-toe on Wednesday afternoon with Northfield advancing to the state semifinals with a 3-1 win over the Zephyrs. Nicholas Kvernmo scored the game winner 1:04 into the third period and added an empty-net goal to seal it with 1:08 to go. Bielenberg made 13 of his 34 saves in the third period and the Raiders blocked 12 shots to stymie Mahtomedi’s attack led by Luke Posner and Matt Vannelli. 

All-Hockey Hair Team candidate Dallas Duckson opened the scoring for Mahtomedi at the 4:20 mark of the first period and the Zephyr lead stood until midway through the second. That’s when Northfield’s Jacob Halvorson tied it up at 7:57 to set up Kvernmo’s third-period heroics. 

No. 1 Hermantown vs. Luverne

Photo by Tim Kolehmainen/Breakdown Sports USA

Both Hermantown and Luverne spent the afternoon watching the afternoon session’s events unfold. The Cardinals found the upsets inspiring while Hawks coach Bruce Plante simply found the outcomes upsetting.

“I was sick to my stomach all afternoon,” Plante said. “It scared the [crap] out of me.”

It didn’t get any better for Plante as Luverne’s Tyler Reisdorfer scored his second goal of the game with 2:08 remaining in regulation to complete the unseeded Cardinals’ comeback from a two-goal, second-period deficit and force overtime.

“When they scored that second goal I’ve never heard it that loud in here for any game I’ve played before,” Hermantown forward Ryan Sandelin said. “So they definitely had the crowd behind them.”

But Hermantown’s Dylan Kolquist provided the Hawks much-needed relief, beating nearly unbeatable Luverne goaltender Kaden Ericson just 42 seconds into the extra session to advance the Hawks to the state semifinals for the eighth straight year.

All alone in front of the Cardinal net, Kolquist patiently outwaited Ericson before tucking the puck behind the sprawling goaltender. 

“Jessie (Jacques) gave me a perfect pass right to the back side and there was nobody by me so it made it a lot easier to put the puck in the net,” Kolquist said. “I usually don’t get that much time.”  

Ericson turned aside 49 Hermantown shots including 33 of them through two periods, leaving the frustrated Hawks clinging to a one-goal lead.

“As the game went on and that goalie kept stoning us, then we started playing a little bit out of character, trying to do too much,” Plante said. “Which is kind of what happens in games like this.”

After a scoreless first period, Hermantown’s Tyler Watkins opened the scoring at 1:44 of the second and Sandlein doubled the lead just past the 14-minute mark. But Reisdorfer pulled Luverne back within a goal just 1:52 later and the Cardinals had their sights set on becoming the third unseeded team of the day to advance to Friday.

“There’s not much you can do when you run into a hot goalie,” Sandelin said. “It’s just sort of like you’re shooting at a brick wall. Hats off to their goalie because he played unreal.”

No. 4 East Grand Forks vs. No. 5 St. Cloud Cathedral

Photo by Tim Kolehmainen/Breakdown Sports USA

The day’s final matchup came with a guarantee a seeded team would be making the trek to Mariucci Arena on Thursday simply because each team was seeded. It also marked the third time in four games the high seed would fall.

Jake Van Halbeck scored twice and added a pair of assists, including a pretty setup of Nate Warner’s first-period goal, to lift St. Cloud Cathedral to a 6-3 win over East Grand Forks and a semifinal matchup with top-seeded Hermantown on Friday afternoon.

“We spoke earlier in the week about getting shots,” St. Cloud Cathedral coach Derrick Brown said. ‘”[East Grand Forks] only gave up 25 shots in their entire section playoff so for us to put [37] on the board I think really spoke to our speed and depth.”

Reagan Garden’s long, flowing locks gave him the strength to score a pair of goals while Michael Spethmann chipped in a goal and two assists. Goaltender Jake Levinski backstopped the Crusaders to the semifinals for the first time since 2014 with 21 saves.

The Green Wave struck first on Cody Wolff’s goal 3:23 into the contest less than a minute after East Grand Forks finished killing off a 1:42 Cathedral 5-on-3 advantage. Green Wave goaltender Tucker Brown made a critical six of his 31 saves on that penalty kill. 

But the boost was short lived and Cathedral stormed back and went up 3-1 on Van Halbeck’s shorthanded goal at 2:03 of the second period. East Grand Forks goals by Casey Kallock and Hunter Olson sandwiched around Spethmann’s goal twice cut the deficit back to one at 4-3 after two. 

“We were chasing the game from the drop of the puck,” East Grand Forks coach Scott Koberinski said. “I can’t compliment [St. Cloud Cathedral] enough. I thought they did an outstanding job and our guys just couldn’t match the intensity that they had tonight.”

But Garden’s second of the game at 1:35 of the third restored the Crusaders’ cushion for good with Van Halbek’s empty-net goal providing the final margin.

The post The Tourney: Day One appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Breck beats Delano 3-2 in double OT thriller

MINNEAPOLIS – You could feel it coming. Something had to give.

With 2:10 left on the clock near the end of the second overtime, Breck junior Will Blake scored the game-winning goal for a 3-2 win against Delano in the Section 2A final Thursday evening at Parade Ice Garden.

“Just got a breakout pass, got it on net,” Blake said. “I was pretty tired, just wanted to get off the ice.”

Both teams had their chances all night, and then Breck got a 2-on-2 breakaway.

“We told these guys just to shoot,” Breck coach Les Larson said. “We just told them don’t make any mistakes. We can play all night if we have to.

“Thank goodness it worked out.”

The thrilling finish wasn’t the only excitement in the game.

The standing-room-only crowd was electric with about 3:41 left in regulation. That’s when Delano senior defenseman Jeff Linna buried a cross-ice pass from sophomore Brian Halonen to tie the game at 1-1. The game was scoreless through nearly the first two periods.

About a minute after that tying goal, Breck regained the lead on Chase Ellingson’s shot off the rush. Breck took control of the game, but once Delano got a handle on the puck, it pulled the goaltender with about a minute remaining in regulation.

Time ticked down as the Tigers quickly tried to get something going offensively. The equalizer came with 37.5 seconds left from sophomore Ben Meyers.

Blake credited senior goaltender Stephen Headrick for making his game-winner possible. Headrick faced 23 shots. Delano senior goaltender Tyler Rizzardi faced 46 shots and came up with some key saves early in the game.

Delano and Breck each had a few close chances in overtime. Delano Coach Gerrit van Bergen saw the game-winning play as pretty routine.

“Once the puck left his stick, I thought it was going wide,” he said. “Unfortunately, it just snuck by.

“It’s a heartbreaker.”

Still, after the medals were awarded and the gear picked up, van Bergen talked to his team about why they love this game so much. They played a great game, and he couldn’t be more proud of them, he said.

“You couldn’t write a much better storyline,” van Bergen said. “I could’ve found a better ending, but it’s a great storyline.”

A new season starts next week for Breck, as it heads back to the state tournament for the 11th time and sixth in seven years. They’re hoping for a fifth state title.

“It’s our goal every year,” Larson said. “Thank goodness it went our way this time.”

The post Mustangs escape Tigers appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The answers are below.

Class A rankings

1. East Grand Forks (21-2-1)

Last week: at Bemidji (3-0 W), vs. Roseau (6-2 W)

This week: vs. Thief River Falls (2/11)

The top spot in the rankings again goes to East Grand Forks, which has proven to be consistent and dependable. The Green Wave beat a pair of Class 2A teams last week by decent margins to stretch their winning streak to 13 games and in doing so, actually lowered their goals against average to 1.15 per game — the second-best in the state. Only twice all year has East Grand Forks allowed more than two goals in a game and it has seven shutouts. The Green Wave don’t even allow many shots to reach goaltender Josh Weber (17-1-1, 1.22, .920). He’s facing an average of just 14.3 shots per game. Offensively, East Grand Forks has been buoyed by the return of Dixon Bowen (13-11-24) from an injury that forced him to miss 10 games. The junior is averaging almost a goal and two points per game, including eight combined points in his last three games. East Grand Forks will wrap up the top seed in Section 8A with a victory over Thief River Falls this week — and likely have done so even with a loss.

2. Hermantown (18-4-1)

Last week: at Duluth Denfeld (4-4 T), at Grand Rapids (5-3 L), at Brainerd (3-1 W)

This week: vs. Superior, WI (2/11), vs. Hibbing/Chisholm (2/14)

The four-time Class 1A state runners-up weren’t on top of their game last week, but the Hawks retain their No. 2 spot in the rankings. Hermantown tied Duluth Denfeld Monday night and then lost to Class 2A Grand Rapids Wednesday night before righting the ship over Brainerd. The Denfeld tie signaled that the Section 7A race may not be as cut-and-dried as it once seemed., although Bruce Plante’s club remains the favorite. Few Class 1A teams have the depth of talent the Hawks have, with six players in double-digit goals and another six with at least 10 points overall. Sophomore Cole Koepke (17-10-27) leads the team in goals, while Ryan Kero (16-23-39) is tops in points and has seven power play goals. Hermantown’s power play clicks at a 37.0 percent rate, a formidable weapon for a deep playoff run. But will a goaltender emerge as key to that run? Last year it was Adam Smith (9-3-0, 2.71, .894), but he’s split time with Jace Thomas (9-1-1, 1.67, .923) much of the season.

3. Warroad (19-4-1)

Last week: at Thief River Falls (2-1 L), at Bemidji (3-2 W)

This week: at Lake of the Woods (2/11)

Is the grinding workload for Warroad’s top line starting to wear it down? All year long, the trio of senior Kyle Sylvester (34-44-78) and juniors Jared Bethune (30-52-82) and Kobe Roth (36-42-78) have carried the Warriors offensively. They’re the top three scorers in the state and clearly the engine that makes the Warriors’ machine go. Their combined 100 goals is nearly 76 percent of the team’s total of 132. Equally effective on the power play (11 goals) as on the penalty kill (nine goals), that line is dangerous in all three zones. But because of all those factors, they’ve also logged a ton of minutes. In the last three games, Warroad has gone just 1-2-0 and scored a total of five goals — three by Sylvester. Will the playoffs recharge their offense? One detail that goes overlooked is that Warroad has been very good defensively. Alex Burke (19-4-1, 2.02, .910) has played nearly every minute in goal and defensemen Luke Jaycox (3-17-20), Nick Jaycox (7-10-17) and Blayke Nelson (5-11-16) are strong.

4. Breck (17-5-1)

Last week: St. Paul Academy (5-1 W), at St. Paul Johnson (4-1 W)

This week: vs. Minnehaha Academy (2/11), at Blake (2/15)

Watch out for Breck. Coach Les Larson has his team hitting on all cylinders as the playoffs approach. Since an upset loss to Totino-Grace on Jan. 21, the Mustangs have run off six consecutive victories by a combined 36-8 score — and that’s including an impressive 6-3 win over Class 2A St. Thomas Academy in which Michael Orke (19-22-41) exploded for a hat trick and Henry Johnson (13-5-1, 2.23, .911) stood on his head with 35 saves on 38 shots. Those are two of the key senior leaders for the Mustangs, who before St. Thomas Academy’s state title three-peat, was the big bully on the Class 1A block with championships in 2009 and 2010. The Mustangs are the clear favorite in Section 2A to make their sixth straight state tournament appearance, although there are a cluster of good teams chasing them, including this Saturday’s opponent, Blake.

5. Mankato West (21-2-0)

Last week: at Austin (10-0 W), Rochester Mayo (6-3 W)

This week: vs. Albert Lea (2/11), vs. Rochester Century (2/13)

West has won 10 straight games since a two-game losing streak at the turn of the year — and the Scarlets have rarely even been challenged. They’re outscoring the opposition by 5.0 goals per game (6.3 versus 1.3), the second-largest margin in the state. During the 10-game winning streak, they’ve allowed more than two goals just once (their most recent 6-3 victory over Class 2A Rochester Mayo) and have scored eight or more four times. Junior Conor Wollenzien (14-1-0, 1.13, .925) has started eight of those 10 games in goal and appears to have taken on a full-time role after splitting with Jake Spiess (7-1-0, 1.61, .898) for the first two months of the season. Derek Frentz (22-38-60) leads a potent Scarlets’ offense that has nine players with at least eight goals and a dozen with at least 12 points.

6. Luverne (23-0-1)

Last week: at Windom Area (10-2 W), at Hutchinson (7-1 W), vs. Breckenridge/Wahpeton (8-0 W)

This week: at Providence Academy (2/14)

And here’s the team with the largest goal differential in the state, as the Cardinals score a state-best 7.38 goals per game and allow only 1.12 goals per game, also the best in the state. They’re also the only unbeaten team (23-0-1) heading into their regular season finale at Providence Academy on Valentine’s night. Luverne has accomplished everything set in front of it save one — qualifying for the program’s first-ever state tournament. That’s the only goal the Cardinals have after being upset in last year’s Section 3A tournament. Sophomore Chaz Smedsrud (32-44-76) has a nose for the net, already recording a five-goal game (Dec. 14 against Morris/Benson Area) and two four-goal outbursts. He’s part of the “Kiddie Corps” line with eighth-grader Jaxon Nelson (26-33-59), who opened his first varsity campaign with six multi-goal efforts in his first nine games.

7. St. Cloud Cathedral (16-6-0)

Last week: vs. Achiever Academy (4-1 W), vs. St. Cloud Apollo (6-3 W)

This week: at Orono (2/11), vs. Delano (2/13), at Duluth Marshall (2/15)

Here come the Crusaders. St. Cloud Cathedral coach Eric Johnson has a young team loaded with sophomores, but he challenged them with an intense January schedule that included the top four ranked teams in Class 1A (East Grand Forks, Hermantown, Warroad and Breck) all on the road. Perhaps not unexpectedly, the Crusaders lost all four while only scoring two goals. But since that dip, Cathedral has won seven straight to regain the favorite’s role in Section 6A. Senior Will Hammer (20-22-42) certainly has done his part, carrying the offense over those seven contests with 13 goals and 21 points — scoring at least two points in every one. He’ll need help, and a season-ending tilt at No. 8 Duluth Marshall should provide insight as to whether Cathedral is ready to make a big playoff push.

8. Duluth Marshall (14-8-1)

Last week: at Virginia/MIB (5-0 W)

This week: at Greenway (2/11), vs. St. Cloud Cathedral (2/15)

It’s tough to know what to make of Duluth Marshall this year. The Hilltoppers have talent and it’s shown in some impressive results, such as one-goal victories over Totino-Grace and Breck and a win over Class 2A Grand Rapids. But they’ve also stumbled against some of the better Class 1A teams since the turn of the year, losing 6-2 to Hermantown, 5-2 to Warroad and 3-2 to Section 7A rival Duluth Denfeld. In the past seven games, the ‘Toppers are 4-3-0. They did win a big section seeding contest at Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl last Thursday, 5-0 behind a hat trick from leading scorer Luke Pavelich (17-18-35) and a 23-save shutout from junior goaltender Alex Murray (13-7-0, 2.35, .903). Perhaps that result signaled Marshall’s readiness for a deep playoff run.

9. New Prague (16-4-3)

Last week: at Holy Angels (6-4 W), Rochester Lourdes (4-0 W)

This week: vs. Red Wing (2/11), at Northfield (2/15)

The Trojans responded to their first losing streak of the year by winning three straight games to hang in the top 10 rankings, although the games were unusual. New Prague posted a total of 19 goals in the three games, a much-higher output than their 4.37 goals per game average. And even including a 4-0 shutout of Rochester Lourdes last Saturday, their defense has allowed 20 goals in the last five games. Coach Chris Lonke’s team built its resume earlier this year on low-scoring, tight-checking victories, so the sudden outburst of goals is odd. Sophomore Alex Gregor (18-19-37) has scored in four straight games and is second to Augie Isaacson (20-28-48) in goals and third behind Isaacson and Seth Kriha (11-31-42) in points.

10. Totino-Grace (12-8-1)

Last week: vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (6-4 W), vs. Irondale (2-0 W)

This week: at Wayzata (2/11), vs. Robbinsdale Cooper (2/13), at Rochester Lourdes (2/15), vs. Roseville (2/17)

It has become impossible to ignore what Totino-Grace has done in recent weeks, as the Eagles surge into the top-10 rankings for the first time since early December.  Since losing to Duluth Marshall on Jan. 4, the Eagles are 8-2-0 (losing only to St. Cloud Cathedral and Hermantown) and have beaten both Breck and Class 2A power Benilde-St. Margaret’s. After struggling to score earlier this year, the Eagles have broken out in recent games behind Nick Tandeski (14-12-26) and Kai Barber (15-10-25). Coach Mark Loahr also won his 500^th career game in the 3-1 victory over Breck on Jan. 21.

Others receiving votes:

Virginia/MIB, Alexandria, Thief River Falls, St. Paul Academy, Delano, Orono, Duluth Denfeld, Blake.

The post MHM Class A Top Ten 2/10/2014 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

For the third consecutive week, we have a new No. 1 team atop the rankings. Two weeks ago, Breck occupied that spot until being beaten by Duluth Marshall. Last week, Hermantown took over the No. 1 ranking but lost to White Bear Lake.

So who gets moved to the head of the class?

Class A rankings

1. East Grand Forks (16-2-1)

Last week: at Thief River Falls (3-2 W), vs. Grand Forks Red River (5-0 W), vs. Moorhead (4-1 W)

This week: vs. Crookston (1/28), at Kittson Central (1/30), at Warroad (2/1)

Featured Image:
Warroad’s Nick Jaycox (33) steps into East Grand Forks’ Brandon Loven (18) in the 2013 Section 8A final.
(Photo/Tim Kolehmainen)

We’re going with the touch of defense atop the rankings this week. Only Luverne has a lower goals against average than East Grand Forks, which has stymied opponents at just 1.32 goals per game. But the Green Wave aren’t just keeping teams off the scoreboard, they’re keeping them from even getting shots toward the net. Opponents are averaging just 14.3 shots on goal per game and East Grand Forks has allowed more than 20 shots on goal in only three games all year and more than two goals just twice. Josh Weber (12-1-1, 1.37, .914) has been solid since taking over the full time goaltending position, but he has plenty of defensive help from the entire Green Wave team. Grant Loven (8-17-25) leads the East Siders in scoring, just ahead of Reed Corbid (10-14-24). Dixon Bowen (8-4-12) has also been streaking since returning to the lineup from injury.

2. Warroad (17-2-1)

Last week: at Crookston (8-2 W), at Duluth Marshall (5-2 W), at Duluth Denfeld (7-3 W)

This week: vs. Roseau (1/28), vs. East Grand Forks (2/1)

And here’s your offensive treat up in Warroad. The Warriors have the most potent line in the state in juniors Kobe Roth (36-39-75) and Jared Bethune (29-45-74) and senior Kyle Sylvester (28-43-71). They’re the top three scorers in the state in either class and have carried the Warriors offense all season. Roth is diminutive, but as crafty and slick as any player in the state. He’s tough to track on the ice, let alone get a clean shot at him. Bethune is bigger and more of a power forward who also has great hands, as is Sylvester, who also plays with an edge to his game. Both Roth and Bethune recently gave their verbals to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Lost in all that offense, though, has been a terrific defense anchored by Luke Jaycox (3-15-18), Nick Jaycox (6-10-16) and Blayke Nelson (5-11-16). Warroad only allows 1.75 goals per game, as well. A huge game looms this Saturday as the Warriors host No. 1 East Grand Forks.

3. Hermantown (15-3-0)

Last week: vs. Proctor (8-1 W), vs. White Bear Lake (4-1 L), at New Prague (7-3 W)

This week: at Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (1/30), vs. Totino-Grace (2/1)

It seems harsh to push Hermantown out of the top spot and down to the No. 3 ranking after a loss to Class 2A White Bear Lake. In fact, the Hawks’ only three losses have come to Class 2A teams, as they’re 11-0-0 against Class 1A teams and outscoring them 79-18. The Hawks play one team from each class this week, starting with a road game at rival Cloquet. But most interesting is Saturday’s home game against Totino-Grace, which has proven to be a giant-killer in recent weeks. The Eagles nearly cracked the top 10 this week and will provide Hermantown a great Class 1A test. The four-time defending Class 1A runners-up have four double-digit goal scorers in Ryan Kero (14-20-34), Nate Pionk (13-16-29), Scott Wasbotten (12-16-28) and Cole Koepke (13-7-20), showing their great balance. In all, nine players have at least 16 points and another five have between seven and nine points. Koepke, a sophomore, has surged recently, scoring six goals in his last four games.

4. Duluth Marshall (12-7-1)

Last week: vs. Hibbing/Chisholm (7-3 W), vs. Warroad (5-2 L), vs. Thief River Falls (3-0 W)

This week: at Duluth Denfeld (1/30), vs. Eveleth-Gilbert (2/1)

What to do about Duluth Marshall? The Hilltoppers clearly are a strong team and one deserving of a top-five ranking in Class 1A. They’re deep, talented and seemingly have no weak spots on the roster.  In recent weeks, the ‘Toppers have defeated previously No. 1-ranked Breck and shut down highly-regarded Totino-Grace, Thief River Falls and St. Paul Academy. But they also have seven losses on the season and are just 2-2-0 in their last four games. Could it be the lack of a true go-to superstar on the roster? Someone who can take over a game singlehandedly when needed? Luke Pavelich (14-15-29) leads the team in scoring and has eight power play goals, while sophomore Luke Dow (6-17-23) has inherited a playmaker’s role. But as of yet, there is no Judd Peterson-type player jumping to the forefront. It could still happen, though, as Marshall is very young. Many top players are sophomores and juniors, such as Cam McClure (10-7-17), Derek Farrell (5-13-18), Jack Dodd (7-10-17), Jordan Fralich (5-12-17), Peter Lenz (6-6-12), Lane Krenzen (4-8-12) and goaltender Alex Murray (11-6-0, 2.53, .898).

5. Breck (13-5-1)

Last week: vs. Totino-Grace (3-1 L), vs. Blake (4-2 W), vs. St. Thomas Academy (6-3 W)

This week: at St. Paul Como Park (1/28), at Minneapolis (2/1)

Speaking of teams that have made the rankings more difficult in recent weeks, that certainly includes Breck. Just two weeks ago, the Mustangs were romping through all comers in Class 1A and seemingly looking indestructible. Sure, they’d lost to Class 2A powers such as Edina, Duluth East and Moorhead, but those were forgivable losses by a total of five goals. But in the last two weeks, Breck has also proven vulnerable to good Class 1A teams, losing 3-2 to Duluth Marshall and 3-1 to Totino-Grace. Perhaps Les Larson’s team has turned the corner again after tripping up Class 2A St. Thomas Academy (the three-time champions in Class 1A) in its last game, 6-3 last Saturday. Michael Orke (16-17-33) notched a hat trick in that game, including two short-handed goals, while Henry Johnson (11-5-1, 2.37, .910) stood on his head with 35 saves. They’re two of the veteran leaders for the Mustangs who will carry the team forward. The schedule isn’t difficult the rest of the way, so Breck should enter the playoffs on a roll and regain confidence.

6. New Prague (13-3-3)

Last week: at Albert Lea (6-0 W), vs. Chanhassen (2-2 T), vs. Hermantown (7-3 L)

This week: at Farmington (1/28), vs. Shakopee (1/30)

The Trojans finally saw their 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1) end last Saturday in a 7-3 home loss to Hermantown. It was that stretch that vaulted New Prague into the top 10 and has kept it there despite the four-goal loss. That game was the first in more than a month that coach Chris Lonke’s team had allowed more than three goals. That defensive style is key to New Prague going forward, particularly with tough games against Farmington and always-dangerous Rochester Lourdes in early February. New Prague is still in the driver’s seat to gain the top seed in Section 1A, but Mankato West looms. Augie Isaacson (16-20-36), Seth Kriha (7-28-35), Alex Gregor (14-13-27) and Austin Kilian (15-9-24) power the Trojans’ offense, while Conner Wagner (13-3-3, 2.36, .901) has played nearly every minute in goal.

7. Mankato West (16-2-0)

Last week: at Mankato East (15-1 W), vs. Owatonna (4-1 W)

This week: vs. Rochester Lourdes (1/28), at Faribault (1/30), vs. Rochester John Marshall (2/1)

Next to Luverne, Mankato West has the most potent offense in the state in terms of statistics, as the Scarlets are averaging 6.28 goals per game. They padded that total last week with a 15-1 rout of crosstown rival Mankato East. They’re also the third-tightest defensive unit, allowing just 1.33 goals per game, and a perfect 12-0-0 in the Big 9 Conference. So what’s holding them in the No. 7 spot in the rankings behind New Prague? The Scarlet’s only loss to a Minnesota team, a 2-1 defeat at home to New Prague back on Jan. 4. Other than that one-goal loss and a one-goal defeat to Wisconsin powerhouse Notre Dame Academy on Dec. 28, Mankato West has been perfect. Derek Frentz (18-30-48) continues to lead the Scarlets in scoring, but he’s had plenty of help from Nick Campbell (16-21-37), Max Mettler (11-22-33), Cole Filler (12-13-25) and Galt Goettl (10-14-24).

8. Luverne (18-0-1)

Last week: at Morris/Benson Area (10-4 W)

This week: at Worthington (1/28), at Dodge County (2/1)

The Cardinals posted another 10 goals in their one game this past week, surging past Morris/Benson Area. Luverne has three unique statistics in its favor to this point in the season: it’s the only unbeaten team left in the state (18-0-1); it’s the highest-scoring team in the state (7.26 goals per game on average); and it’s also the stingiest defensive team in the state (just 1.16 goals per game against on average). So why aren’t the Cardinals moving up from the No. 8 spot in the rankings? As in college football’s BCS system, it’s all about the schedule. Luverne is tucked in the Southwest Conference and in Section 3A, which have traditionally not been a hotbed of hockey. The Cardinals have taken care of business in that circuit, and also had an impressive showing in the Schwan Cup over the holidays, beating Spring Lake Park and Bloomington Kennedy and edging Class 2A St. Michael-Albertville in a shootout (the game counts as a tie). But outside of that, there are no other top-20 caliber teams on the schedule. That isn’t Luverne’s fault and we certainly like the Cardinals more than most ranking systems. The Cardinals are at least two lines deep and have talented defensemen and a veteran goalie in Kendall Meyer (12-0-1, 1.20, .956). It will be interesting to see the results if Luverne gets through to the state tournament.

9. Orono (14-5-0)

Last week: vs. Mound-Westonka (5-0 W), at Hutchinson (5-2 W)

This week: at Waconia (1/28), at Delano (2/1)

The Spartans continue to win and continue to hang onto a top 10 ranking despite a push from some of the teams below them, such as Alexandria and Totino-Grace. Orono took care of business with a pair of relatively easy Wright County Conference wins last week, scoring five goals in each against Mound-Westonka and Hutchinson. Will Dittrich (3-1-4) had a big week, tallying the first three goals of his season, as did David McCuskey (7-6-13) with two goals and three assists combined. Getting contributions from the second and third lines is key to Orono’s success when it reaches the Section 2A playoffs — with Breck looming as the clear favorite. Another big game arrives this week with a visit to Delano, which should also be a top contender in the section.

10. St. Cloud Cathedral (13-6-0)

Last week: at Monticello/AML (4-2 W), vs. Totino-Grace (5-4 W)

This week: vs. Delano (1/28), vs. Little Falls (1/31)

St. Cloud Cathedral returns to the top 10 rankings this week courtesy of a 5-4 victory against Totino-Grace last Saturday. Call that game a “play-in” for the final spot in the rankings, as Totino was certainly under consideration as well for its recent work. Leading scorer Will Hammer (16-17-33) scored four goals in that victory and is a major player on a young and inexperienced Crusaders’ team. The Crusaders got knocked out of the top 10 two weeks ago courtesy of a stretch in which it went 1-6-0 in seven games. But the final four of those defeats were on the road to teams ranked in the top five in Class 1A (East Grand Forks, Warroad, Hermantown and Breck). It’s tough to knock Eric Johnson’s team too much for that losing skid.

Others receiving votes:

Alexandria, Totino-Grace, Thief River Falls, St. Paul Academy, Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl, Delano, Bloomington Kennedy.

The post MHM Class A Top Ten 1/28/2014 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It was a big stretch of victories for the top 10 teams, as the programs combined to go 15-2-0 in 17 games (those that weren’t postponed due to the arctic blast early last week, of course). One of those losses, however, was handed to our No. 1 team, Breck, in a 4-3 overtime decision at Class 2A Moorhead. So was that enough to knock the Mustangs from the top spot?

Not quite.

Comparing results, losses and other factors, coach Les Larson’s club hangs onto the top spot by the narrowest of margins.

Class A rankings

1. Breck (9-3-1)

Last week: vs. Minneapolis (postponed), at St. Paul Academy (3-2 W), at Moorhead (4-3 L)

This week: vs. St. Cloud Cathedral (1/14), vs. Duluth Marshall (1/17)

One of the few losses suffered by our top 10 teams last week was by Breck, which fell in a 4-3 overtime game at Moorhead Saturday night. But looking at the body of the Mustangs’ work helps them retain the top spot in the rankings. All three of their losses have come to perennially strong Class 2A programs (4-1 to Edina, 2-1 to Duluth East and 4-3 at Moorhead), whereas they are a perfect 7-0-0 against Class 1A teams, outscoring them by a combined 46-9. That said, Breck is just 2-3-0 in its last five games and edged St. Paul Academy by a single goal in its other game last week — the same team Duluth Marshall beat 9-1 later in the week. It’s up to the top scorers such as Michael Orke (11-13-24), Chase Ellingson (6-18-24) and Mark Sharp (10-8-18) to power the offense after a slow week.

2. East Grand Forks (11-2-1)

Last week: at Grand Forks Central (3-1 W)

This week: at Roseau (1/14), at Bemidji (1/16), at Lake of the Woods (1/18)

East Grand Forks is another team that is being pressured for its No. 2 ranking by the two teams immediately below it. The Green Wave are winning and doing it with a dominant defensive effort. They’ve allowed more than two goals just once this year, already have 10 games in which they’ve allowed one or none, and average only 1.36 allowed per game. It’s a tribute to the fine veteran defensive corps led by Colton Poolman (2-7-9), Eddie Eades (2-2-4), Taylor Brierley (2-5-7) and Tye Ausmus (2-1-3). But the East Siders just aren’t getting much offense, either. They average 3.14 goals per game and no one has more than Tanner Tweten’s eight goals. A game this Tuesday night at Roseau will be an interesting measuring stick, as rival Warroad just beat the Rams 6-4.

3. Hermantown (11-2-0)

Last week: at Grand Rapids (postponed), vs. St. Cloud Cathedral (6-0 W)

This week: vs. Bemidji (1/18)

Since losing to Eagan in the South St. Paul Premier Tournament final over the holidays, the Hawks have been on a roll. Three straight victories by a combined 22-2 score over three perennially strong programs (Duluth Marshall, International Falls and St. Cloud Cathedral) have shown that Hermantown may deserve to jump into the top spot in the rankings. Like top-ranked Breck, the Hawks only losses have been to Class 2A powers (6-1 to Wayzata and 4-1 to Eagan). Scott Wasbotten (10-11-21) has also gotten hot, with four goals and five assists in the three blowout victories. Another thing to keep an eye on is the goaltending battle, senior Jace Thomas (6-0-0, 1.12, .953) got the nod in all three victories over All-State Adam Smith (5-2-0, 2.79, .875) and he’s responded well.

Featured Image:
In a pair of victories last week, Warroad’s Kobe Roth scored a combined seven goals and leads the entire state in both goal-scoring and points.
(Photo by Tim Kolehmainen)

4. Warroad (13-2-1)

Last week: at Roseau (6-4 W), vs. Crookston (10-3 W)

This week: at Thief River Falls (1/16), vs. Moorhead (1/18)

It was a good week to be a Warroad fan. It was a better week to be Kobe Roth (31-30-61). After giving his verbal commitment to Minnesota-Duluth along with teammate Jared Bethune (24-35-59), the shifty junior rocked the northwest with seven goals in two victories over Roseau and Crookston last week. He started with four goals against Roseau, scoring at least once in each period, then had a hat trick against Crookston, as did Bethune. Meanwhile, all linemate Kyle Sylvester (20-35-55) did was pick up a goal and six assists in the two games. Fire wagon hockey reigns supreme with that top Warroad line, which features the top three point-getters in the entire state.

5. New Prague (10-2-2)

Last week: vs. Holy Angels (3-2 W), at Chaska (2-1 W)

This week: at Red Wing (1/14), vs. Northfield (1/16)

We said last week that New Prague wasn’t going to blow any teams out, but that the tough Trojans just know how to grind out victories this year. They proved it again last week, beating both opponents by a single goal. That’s actually four straight one-goal wins for New Prague, which is 6-2-2 in games decided by one goal or fewer. Augie Isaacson (11-15-26) scored twice in the win over Holy Angels, including the game-winner with just under four minutes remaining and had one of the team’s two goals against Chaska. He’s tied for the team lead in goals with Austin Kilian (11-8-19) and in points with Seth Kriha (5-21-26).

6. Mankato West (13-2-0)

Last week: vs. Rochester Lourdes (postponed), at Rochester Mayo (2-1 W), at Rochester Century (4-1 W)

This week: vs. Northfield (1/18)

West continued its unbeaten run through the Big 9 Conference last week, but it wasn’t easy as both Rochester Mayo and Century slowed down the Scarlets’ potent offense. In beating Mayo 2-1, West needed a goal from leading scorer Derek Frentz (15-23-38) with 27 seconds left to earn the win, despite outshooting the Spartans 35-17. They also outshot Century 46-15 but held a slim lead until Frentz again scored late in the third period to stretch it out comfortably. But as good teams do when snakebitten, coach Curtis Doell’s squad tightened up defensively. Jake Spiess (7-1-0, 1.36, .902) stopped 16 of 17 shots against Mayo and Conor Wollenzien (6-1-0, 1.29, .936) made 14 saves on 15 shots against Century.

7. Duluth Marshall (9-5-1)

Last week: at Superior, WI (4-2 W), vs. St. Paul Academy (9-1 W)

This week:  at Breck (1/17), at Roseville (1/18)

Duluth Marshall avenged a loss in its holiday tournament to Superior (WI), beating the Spartans 4-2 to open last week, then posted an impressive 9-1 rout of St. Paul Academy, which had just played a one-goal game with top-ranked Breck. The Hilltoppers hope the transitive property works in their favor, as they travel to Breck this Thursday. Against Superior, Lane Krenzen (4-6-10), Jack Dodd (6-9-15) and Peter Lenz (6-4-10) scored to erase a 2-1 deficit as Marshall outshot the Spartans, 33-21. That scoring punch continued against SPA, as Lenz scored twice more and Luke Dow (6-12-18) had two goals and two assists. That kind of scoring balance is key, as the ‘Toppers have a strong overall lineup led by Luke Pavelich (12-11-23), but no true superstars.

8. Luverne (16-0-1)

Last week: at Fairmont (13-2 W), vs. Willmar (4-0 W)

This week: vs. Redwood Valley (1/17)

All right, it’s fair to admit that Luverne doesn’t have as strong a schedule as the teams above it in the rankings. That said, there’s something to be said for passing every test along the way. The Cardinals remained the lone unbeaten team in the state last week, including winning 4-0 against Willmar, a game many pointed at as a possible stumbling block for Luverne. But Logan Norman (14-27-41) scored twice and Kendall Meyer (11-0-1, 1.27, .954) stopped all 31 shots for the shutout as the Cardinals kept on rolling. While the offense of youngsters Chaz Smedsrud (23-30-53) and Jaxon Nelson (20-22-42) and seniors Norman and Gunnar Olson (16-17-33) gets most of the attention, Meyer has been outstanding in goal as a calm veteran presence.

9. Orono (10-4-0)

Last week: vs. Delano (postponed), at Bloomington Kennedy (3-1 W), at Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (5-2 W)

This week: vs. Holy Family Catholic (1/14), vs. Delano (1/16), vs. Hopkins (1/18)

Orono hit the road last week and managed a pair of victories to keep pace with the rest of the top 10. Joey Luedtke (5-10-15) more than doubled his goal total on the season with three in the two victories. Getting offensive contributions from both top lines is key for the Spartans, as Jake Flemmer (9-7-16) leads the team in both goals and points. Goaltender Jonathon Flakne (9-3-0, 1.25, .941) continued to stymie opponents, as he made 13 saves on 14 shots against Kennedy and 27 of 25 against the Dragons. Much like New Prague, Orono doesn’t jump out at you with big point totals, but the Spartans know how to win.

10. St. Cloud Cathedral (9-5-0)

Last week: at Hermantown (6-0 L)

This week: at Breck (1/14), at Becker/Big Lake (1/16), vs. Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson (1/16)

That’s three straight losses and five in six games for St. Cloud Cathedral after being shut out at Hermantown last Friday. So whey are the Crusaders still ranked in the top 10? Look at the competition. The last three games have been on the road against the No. 2 (East Grand Forks), No. 4 (Warroad) and No. 3 (Hermantown) teams in Class 1A. The losing streak very well might hit four Tuesday night, as Cathedral travels to No. 1 Breck. The recent win-loss record doesn’t show it, but Cathedral is a good team hitting a very tough stretch of its schedule. Getting its offense going is key to a resurgence, as in those three losses, Cathedral has just one total goal — from Brady Johnston (7-2-9).

Others receiving votes:

Delano, Alexandria, Totino-Grace, Thief River Falls, Mahtomedi, St. Paul Academy, Chisago Lakes, Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl

The post MHM Class A Top Ten 1/15/2014 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.