After examining the eight Class A sections, here's a preview of the eight Class AA sections.
Though the Section 1 final is in Rochester, the Road to St. Paul goes through Lakeville since the top two seeds are the Lakeville South Cougars and the Lakeville North Panthers. Could there be a Battle of Lakeville in the section final or will the new member of the section, the third seeded Hastings Raiders be the party crasher?
In Section 2, the top seed Prior Lake Lakers are three wins from heading down Highway 13 to St. Paul for the first time. Prior Lake fans, before you make your hotel reservations for St. Paul, you'll likely see the Lakers battle the second seeded Eden Prairie Eagles or the third seeded Minnetonka Skippers.
Irish fans eyes are smiling as Rosemount has the top seed in Section 3. First they will have to contend with the second seeded Burnsville Blaze and the third seeded Eastview Lightning. What's wrong with this section picture? Where's St. Thomas Academy? The perennial power from Mendota Heights is seeded fifth under Trent Eigner, who took over the Cadets after Tom and Greg Vanelli stepped down. Can they vault past Rosemount and return to the X?
Here's a familiar ring for hockey fans in Maplewood and the east side of St. Paul. The Hill-Murray Pioneers are the number one seed in Section 4. Bill Lechner's bunch is on a quest for the school's 30th trip to the state tournament. But two teams that kept the Pioneer fan buses in the garage are in contention. Thery are the second seeded Stillwater Ponies and the team that denied them a state tournament bid last year, the third seeded White Bear Lake Bears.
The top seed in Section 5 is the Blaine Bengals. Last season, the Bengals took home the Class AA third place trophy. But it could be tougher with the second seeded Maple Grove Crimson, the third seeded Centennial Cougars and moving into Class AA this season after years of playing in class A, the Totino-Grace Eagles. It has the makings of an outstanding section.
Looking at Section 6, there's only one team that has a sub .500 record and it's the Hopkins Royals. They go up against the top seeded Blake Bears in the quarterfinals. It's been a big year for the second seeded Benilde-St. Margaret's as head coach Ken Pauly joined the 500 win club. The third seeded Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders host the sixth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles and the fifth seeded Wayzata Trojans battle the fourth seeded and defending state Class AA champion Edina Hornets. Who will play at Mariucci February 26? Take your pick. It's a toughie.
What a great year of hockey so far in Andover. First the girls get the second seed in the state Class AA tournament and now the boys are the top seed in Section 7 three wins away from their first trip down Highway 10 to downtown St. Paul. First hey have to get past the second seeded Grand Rapids Thunderhawks. Don't count out the third seeded Cloquet-Esko-Carlton Lumberjacks. What about Duluth East? Mike Randolph leads the fifth seeded Greyhounds as they head down I-35 to face the fourth seeded Forest Lake Rangers. There's exciting hockey to watch north of the Twin Cities.
Concluding the Class AA preview is Section 8, where the top seeded Moorhead Spuds are in the hunt for their 18th trip to state but they have never taken home the championship hardware. In order to fulfill this quest they have to get past the second seeded St. Michael-Albertville Knights and the third seeded Roseau Rams.
Plenty of outstanding section games coming up.
No comments:
Post a Comment