The Road to St. Paul gets underway with section play in Minnesota girls high school hockey. First up, a preview of the eight Class A sections.
In the leadoff spot is Section 1, where the top seeded Dodge County Wildcats have won 11 of their first 12 games. Can they get by the second seeded Albert Lea Tigers?
Heading into Section 2, it could be a two team race between the top seeded River Lakes Stars and the second seeded Willmar Cardinals. The Stars shut out the Cardinals twice in regular season play and are three wins away from their first trip to the X since 2022.
Going south to Section 3, it's a three team race between the top seeded Marshall Tigers, the second seeded Luverne Cardinals and the third seeded New Ulm Eagles. Can the Tigers end their 16 year state tournament drought?
There are only two teams with a winning record in Section 4, the top seeded Holy Angels Stars and the second seeded South St. Paul Packers. The two teams played each other to open their regular season with the Stars emerging victorious 4-1. Could a rematch take place in the section final?
In Section 5, the top seeded Orono Spartans could wind up battling their Wright County Conference rivals, second seeded Mound-Westonka/Southwest Christian. But look out for the third seeded Breck Mustangs, fourth seeded Delano/Rockford and the fifth seeded Pine City Area Dragons. Who will come out of this section?
There's only one team with a winning record in Section 6 and it's the top seeded Fergus Falls Otters. It's a four team section and the Otters could earn another trip down I-94 to St. Paul.
Up north in Section 7, the top seeded Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers can end the three years section dominance of the second seeded Proctor/Hermantown Mirage. The two teams played each other January 23 with the Mirage a 4-3 winner. Can Marshall climb to the top of the section hill or will Proctor/Hermantown head to St. Paul for the fourth consecutive year?
Wrapping up the Class A preview is Section 8, where the top seeded and defending state champion Warroad Warriors have to get by the Crookston Pirates to earn their 14th state tournament berth.
Next: The eight Class AA sections
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