This year marks the 25th year of the Minnesota State High School Girls Hockey Tournament. Which teams will make the trip to St. Paul? It depends on who survives section play in Class A & AA. First up. A preview of the eight Class A sections.
Looking at Section 1, the top seeded Rochester Lourdes/Dover-Eyota Eagles have a chance to become the first school from the home of the Mayo Clinic to play at the X. But they will have to get by the second seeded Faribault Falcons. The two tams played each other February 1 with the Eagles victorious 6-1. The Falcons are the only other section team with a winning record. Don't count out the third seeded Red Wing Wingers or the fourth seeded Austin Packers, who finished the regular season with a six game winning streak.
Going west to Section 2, the pairings have not yet been released but it's very likely that the top seed will be the Mound-Westonka Whitehawks, who are on a 25 game unbeaten streak that also includes a couple of ties with second seeded Delano/Rockford. There could be overtime if the two teams face each other in the finals February 14 in St. Peter.
If there's any guarantee in Section 3, it's that the team that will make the trip up Highway 169 will be from Mankato. The pairings aren't out yet but it looks like the Mankato East/Loyola Cougars will be the number one seed and the Mankato West Scarlets will be seeded second. Mankato fans, before you make your hotel reservations for St. Paul, there are a couple of teams that could crash the party. They are the Marshall Tigers and the Luverne Cardinals. It should be an interesting section to watch.
There's only one team with a winning record in Section 4 and it's the top seeded South St. Paul Packers. Can head coach Dave Palmquist lead the maroon and white to their 15th trip to state? First they will have to get past second seeded St.Paul United, which is on their quest to their fourth straight section title and the third seeded Mahtomedi Zephyrs.
Heading to Section 5, where the top seeded and defending state Class A champion Breck Mustangs have played a tough schedule with seven of their eight losses came against Class AA schools. But looking to make history and become the first team from the state's largest city to go to St. Paul is the second seeded Minneapolis Novas. Also in the mix is the third seeded Chisago Lakes Wildcats.
Up in Section 6, Could Alexandria's title reign come to an end? The top seeded Fergus Falls Otters are vying for their first trip to St. Paul in 10 years but first they have to get by the second seeded Cardinals. Alexandria has headed down I-94 to St. Paul seven of the last eight years and the streak could come to an end. The Otters and Cardinals split a pair of one goal games in the regular season. Could there be a third in the section finals? First there could be a "Battle of the Cardinals" as the third seeded Willmar Cardinals look to make their first trip to state since 2003.
It's no mirage that the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage is the top seed in Section 7. But there is a rising program in the Twin Ports in the second seeded Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers. Two years ago, the Hilltoppers won only seven games. This season they have 16 and they are three away from heading to the X. Looking to return to state for the first time in 10 years is the third seeded Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks, the first as a Class A program.
Concluding the Class A preview is Section 8, where the top seeded Warroad Warriors are unbeaten. Going into their final regular season game against Roseau, they have recorded six shut out in their last eight games. Hoping to pull the upset are the second seeded Thief River Falls Prowlers and the third seeded East Grand Forks Green Wave.
Next up, the eight Class AA sections.
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