Saturday, February 17, 2018

2018 Class AA State Girls Hockey Tournament Preview

                     2018 CLASS AA STATE GIRLS HOCKEY QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
             GAMES PLAYED THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER, ST. PAUL

11:00:  Lakeville South vs. Centennial (Seed 2)
1:00:  Eagan vs. Hill-Murray (Seed 3)
6:00:  Brainerd/Little Falls vs. Edina (Seed 1)
8:00:  Eden Prairie (Seed 5) vs. Andover (Seed 4)

Examining the field:  The Lakeville South Cougars are on a seven game winning streak that includes a 6-5 win over the Farmington Tigers in the Section 1 final.  It was their second win in three games over their South Suburban Conference rivals and they have a very tough task ahead in the second seeded Centennial Cougars.  The Circle Pines school thrived in the tough Northwest Suburban Conference and lost two of their three games to the Blake Bears.  The Cougars are led by the duo of Gabby Hughes and Anneke Linser who will be playing next season at Minnesota-Duluth.  It's been 10 years since Centennial has been to St. Paul and fans in the communities of Circle Pines, Lexington, Lino Lakes and Centerville could have something to celebrate if they bring back a trophy.

Ending the afternoon sessions is the Eagan Wildcats and the third seeded Hill-Murray Pioneers.  The Wildcats are in their ninth state tournament and on a quest for their first trip to the finals since 1997.  However, they have to face the Pioneers, who have won 13 of their last 14 games, including a 2-1 win over Centennial on January 6.  Head coach Bill Schafhauser has had outstanding teams this decade and this year's team is likely to set up a rematch with the Cougars.

In the evening session, Brainerd/Little Falls will be heading down Highway 10 for their first trip to the X.  In one of the best section finals this season, the Flying Warriors took home the Section 8 trophy with a triple overtime win over the Roseau Rams.  Two of their five losses have been to Roseau and one was to the defending Class AA champion Hornets on December 27 4-1.  Edina earned their title defense with a victory over the Blake Bears in the Section 6 final.  The Champion this decade has been dominated by the Lake Conference with the Minnetonka Skippers winning three consecutive titles and Eden Prairie winning in 2016.  Can Edina clinch a Lake conference threepeat?

Wrapping the quarterfinals is the fifth seeded Eden Prairie Eagles and the fourth seeded Andover Huskies.  The Eagles earned their third straight trip to St. paul with a win over the Shakopee Sabers in the Section 2 final.  As for the Huskies, they are the second Northwest Suburban Conference team in the field and they were swept by Centennial in the season series, including a 4-3 overtime loss on January 30.  Eden Prairie regained its momentum after losing their final three regular season games.  Can it continue against an Andover team that's in their first tournament since 2015?

That's a look at the quarterfinal pairings.  There's plenty of exciting action in St. Paul that starts February 21.

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