2024 MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS AA BOYS HOCKEY TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
(Games played Thursday, March 7 at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)
11:00: Rochester Century/JM vs. Chanhassen (Seed 2)
1:00: Cretin-Derham Hall vs. Centennial (Seed 3)
6:00: Elk River/Zimmerman vs. Edina (Seed 1)
8:00: Grand Rapids (Seed 5) vs. White Bear Lake (Seed 4)
Examining the field: Get ready for a packed house at the X as the Class AA teams head into quarterfinal action. First up is the Rochester Century/JM Panthers facing the second seeded Chanhassen Storm. Oh how the mighty have fallen. In 1977, Rochester John Marshall became the first team from southern Minnesota to win a state title. But due to low numbers, they merged with Century, in their first state tournament since 2009. The Panthers enter the state tournament on a six game winning streak that includes a 4-1 win over the Lakeville South Cougars in the Section 1 final. The Storm make their state tournament debut after stunning the unbeaten Minnetonka Skippers 2-1 in the Section 2 final. Could Carver County sports fans celebrate a possible state title.
Closing the afternoon session is the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders facing the third seeded Centennial Cougars. The Raiders make their third straight and sixth overall trip to the X by beating the St. Thomas Academy Cadets in the Section 3 final. The Cougars are playing in their fifth state tournament and make their first appearance since 2018. They have a shot to win their first state championship since 2004. Can Centennial end their title drought?
The evening session gets underway as Elk River/Zimmerman, in their first state tournament since 2005 have a tough battle ahead as they face the top seeded Edina Hornets, as green. gold and white clad fans will cheer on the Hornets for the 32nd time. Elk River/Zimmerman was the fourth seed in Section 8, defeating Moorhead and Buffalo to capture the section title trophy. Edina is back in the field after they were defeated by Lake Conference rival Minnetonka in last year's state Class AA final. Is Elk River/Zimmerman for real or will the Hornets begin their quest toward a return trip to Saturday's title game?
Ending Quarterfinal Thursday is the fifth seeded Grand Rapids Thunderhawks and the fourth seeded White Bear Lake Bears. The Thunderhawks make their 17th trip down Highway 169 and first since bringing the 2017 Class AA championship trophy up north. The Bears are back after beating the Hill-Murray Pioneers in the Section 4 final and are in their 19th trip to state and first since 2019. Get ready for a true orange and black battle to close out a sold out Class AA session.
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