2022 Class AA State Girls Hockey Tournament Preview

 2022 MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS AA GIRLS HOCKEY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

                          (Games played Thursday, February 24 at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

11:00:  Northfield vs. Edina (Seed 2)

 1:00:  Burnsville vs. Minnetonka (Seed 3)

 6:00:  Brainerd/Little Falls vs. Andover (Seed 1)

 8:00:  Gentry Academy (Seed 5) vs. Maple Grove (Seed 4)

Examining the field:  It's the Class AA schools turn in the Xcel Energy Center spotlight as the Northfield Raiders battle the defending Class AA state champion Edina Hornets.  The Raiders head up Highway 3 to St. Paul for the fourth time and their first since 2017.  They pulled off the upset in the Section 1 final with a 2-1 overtime victory over the top seeded Lakeville South Cougars.  Northfield will face another powerhouse in the Edina Hornets who are back at the X for the eighth straight year and 12th overall.  Their only two losses were to their Lake Conference rival the Minnetonka Skippers and the Andover Huskies.  Will their be plenty of green clad fans occupying the arena's green seats on Championship Saturday?  

The final game of the afternoon session pits the Burnsville Blaze and the third seeded Minnetonka Skippers, both in their eighth trip to state.  The Blaze are blazing hot as they enter the state tournament with 18 wins in their last 19 games.  They have outscored their three section opponents 17-3.  But can they hold off the Skippers, who extinguished the Holy Family Catholic Fire's first state tournament berth with a 3-2 overtime win in the Section 2 championship.  This should be a great match up to close out the first Class AA tournament session.  

Now to the evening session as the Brainerd/Little Falls Flying Warriors return to St. Paul for the first time since they came up short against Edina in the 2019 Class AA final.  Unfortunately, they tournament draw wasn't good for fans in the Brainerd Lakes Area as they will have to contend with the top seeded and unbeaten Andover Huskies.  The Huskies, who lost to Edina in last year's Class AA final beat them on Hockey Day Minnesota 4-0.  It was one of nine wins against teams in this year's state tournament.  Could their be a Huskies-Hornets rematch in the Class AA final?  

The Class AA quarterfinals concluded with the fifth seeded Gentry Academy Stars battling the fourth seeded Maple Grove Crimson.  Last season, Gentry Academy lost to Proctor/Hermantown in the Class A final in double overtime.  This year, the Stars moved up to Class AA and proved themselves that they belong with the big schools with a 4-3 double overtime win over the Hill-Murray Pioneers in the Section 4 final.  The Crimson make their fourth trip down I-94 to the X and have won 10 of their last 11 games, losing 3-2 in their regular season finale to Hill-Murray.  An interesting match up to end the evening session.  

Get ready for four exciting days of girls high school hockey.