After examining the eight Class AA sections, it's time to look at the eight Class A sections.
In Section 1, this could be the year the Red Wing Wingers return to the state tournament after they were dethroned in 2016 by the Northfield Raiders, who are seeded second. The Owatonna Huskies are the third seed.
Who will come out of Section 2? There are five possible candidates but only one will make the trip to St. Paul. Top seeded Delano/Rockford is vying for their first state tournament berth and they have gone 8-2 since the calendar changed from 2016 to 2017. The second seeded Mound-Westonka Whitehawks split with Delano/Rockford this season They have gone 14-2 since they lost to the New Prague Trojans on December 6. Those two defeats were to Delano/Rockford and Proctor/Hermantown. Could there be a rematch between Delano/Rockford in the section final? Not if the third seeded Hutchinson Tigers do what they failed to do in the regular season and beat Mound-Westonka. They lost both games to the Whitehawks by identical 3-2 scores. The fourth seeded New Prague Trojans could have a tough task ahead if they face Delano-Rockford in the semifinals. The sleeper team in the field is the fifth seeded New Ulm Eagles, who lost to Mound-Westonka and Hutchinson. The Eagles have won four straight games and look to return to the X. first they have to beat the New Prague Trojans. If you decide to catch only one section final, take a drive down Highway 169 to St. Peter and head for the Gustavus Adolphus ice arena to see the championship game on February 16. Who knows who will play for a trip to state?
Now to Section 3 where the top seeded Mankato East/Loyola Cougars and the second seeded Marshall Tigers are the only teams with winning records. The rest of the section has losing records. The Tigers have gone 9-2-1 since losing to the North Metro Stars on December 27 in the Schwan Cup. Can they earn their first trip to St. Paul?
Over in Section 4, top seeded St. Paul United looks to return to the X after losing in last year's class A final to the Blake Bears. But first they will likely contend with the second seeded South St. Paul Packers. Veteran head coach Dave Palmquist has had some outstanding teams over the years but can they beat St. Paul United for a trip back to the X?
The good news is that the two top seeds in Section 5 are the defending Class A champion Blake Bears and the Breck Mustangs. They have been the state's top two Class A teams this season. Now comes the bad news. Only one of them will be heading to St. Paul. The Bears swept the Mustangs in the regular season series. and haven't lost since December 22 to defending Class AA champion Eden Prairie. Breck will need to have a good game from Minnesota signee Grace Zumwinkle as well as play solid defense to end Blake's championship run. Bring a thermos of coffee if it's Blake and Breck for the section final. This game could last late into the night.
The pairings have not yet been determined in Section 6 but three teams to watch for are the Fergus Falls Otter, the Alexandria Cardinals and the Northern Lakes Lightning. It's a wide open field though the Lightning is on a roll with five straight wins.
On to Section 7 where the top seeded Proctor/Hermantown Mirage looks for a return trip to St. Paul after they took fourth place season. Their closest competitor is the second seeded Moose Lake Area Rebels, who the Mirage beat 3-1 on January 26. Third seeded Hibbing/Chisholm and the fourth seeded International Falls Broncos are also in the hunt.
Wrapping up the preview is Section 8 and the top seed is the Warroard Warriors who have gone 8-1-1 since they lost three straight games in their own holiday tournament in December. But don't count out the second seeded East Grand Forks Green Wave and the third seeded Thief River Falls Prowlers. The Prowlers found their offense after they were shut out in two straight games. Can they keep the offensive momentum going into sections?
That's the section preview. Who will emerge on the Road to St. Paul?
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