Sunday, February 4, 2018

2018 Class A Girls Hockey Section Preview

The Road to St. Paul, the site of the 2018 Minnesota State Girls Hockey Tournament gets underway with section play in Class A& Class AA.  Here's a preview of the eight Class A sections and who could be headed to the Xcel Energy Center February 21-24.

In Section 1, the Red Wing Wingers have been on a roll with nine straight wins and hold the number one seed.  They have not lost a game since December 29 when they lost 4-1 to the Hutchinson Tigers in the Farmington tournament.  The Wingers are the favorites to head down Highway 61 to St. Paul but can they overcome the second seeded Rochester Lourdes Eagles.

Over in Section 2, The top seeded Delano/Rockford Tigers have won six of their last seven games and look to bounce back from a season ending loss to the New Prague Trojans.  But don't count out the second seeded New Ulm Eagles or the third seeded Hutchinson Tigers.  Both the Eagles and Tigers are in the hunt for their first state tournament trip since 2015.  It should be an interesting section to watch.

There's no clear cut favorite in Section 3 as the Marshall Tigers are the top seed.  Look out for the second seeded Mankato West Scarlets and the third seeded Mankato East/Loyola Cougars.  Also worth considering is the fourth seeded Luverne Cardinals, who have gone 4-3 since the calendar changed to 2018.

The pairings haven't been released for Section 4 but St. Paul United has an outstanding shot at the number one seed.  Look out SPU.  You're being challenged by the South St. Paul Packers who have gone 13-2-2 since they were shut out 5-0 by the Hill-Murray Pioneers on December 8.  Also in the mix is the Mahtomedi Zephyrs, who split the season series with South St. Paul.

To Section 5 where it could be a banner season for the top seeded Breck Mustangs with the departure of the Blake Bears to Section 6AA.  The Mustangs have the only winning record in the section but the championship trophy is not a given since they have to get past the second seeded Orono Spartans.  The Spartans have to contend with the third seeded Totino-Grace Eagles.

No pairings have been posted in Section 6 but it's a safe bet that the Alexandria Cardinals will be the top seed.  The Cardinals have gone 10-1 since December 27 and could set up a rematch with the Fergus Falls Otters who they beat 3-2 in overtime on December 5.

Section 7's bracket has also not been posted but watch out for the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers.  Last season, they won only seven games with a young team and this season the maroon and gold has a record of 17-8.  Since their December 15 defeat to the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights, the Hilltoppers have gone 12-3.  Can they get past the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage, who they beat 1-0 on December 16?

No word yet on the Section 8 bracket as the Warroad Warriors are on a seven game winning streak, including four shut outs.  Also in the hunt are the Thief River Falls Prowlers and the East Grand Forks Gree Wave.

Next up will be the eight Class AA sections.




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