A new era begins in high school holiday hockey tournaments Thursday with the first Herb Brooks Holiday Classic at the NSC Super Rink in Blaine with the first of three days of high school boys hockey action.
The Herb Brooks Holiday Classic is the successor to the Schwan's Cup. Here's a preview of the four varsity divisions that will culminate with championship games Saturday, December 28 with championship games at the TRIA Rink in downtown St. Paul.
Where have all the top teams gone? In the Gold Division, there's no Edina, Eden Prairie, Centennial or Hill-Murray. Usually, the top ranked teams get an invite but not so in 2019. There's still plenty of action that starts with the Holy Angels Stars facing the Rogers Royals, followed by Minneapolis taking on the Park of Cottage Grove Wolfpack. In the lower bracket, the Breck Mustangs, a perennial Class A power face the Hudson, WI Raiders and the University School of Milwaukee battles the Sartell-St. Stephen Sabers.
To the Silver Division where Redhawks fans who are en route to see Jalen Suggs and the highly ranked boys basketball team at East Ridge in Woodbury can head to Blaine to see their boys hockey team battle the Northfield Raiders. The only ranked team in the tournament, Gentry Academy, the 10th ranked team in Class A faces the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles. The lower bracket features the St. Paul Academy Spartans taking on the Eau Claire North Polars, followed by the Chisago Lakes Wildcats and the Marshall Tigers.
In the Bronze Division, the Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars open quarterfinal play against the Spring Lake Park Panthers. Next up, the Princeton Tigers faces the third team from the IMAC in the tournament the Providence Academy Lions. A pair of Metro East Conference teams with identical 2-6 records square off in the third quarterfinal game as the Simley Spartans face the Henry Sibley Warriors. The festivities wrap up on Rink 2 in the Bronze Division with the Pine City Dragons, who are on a seven game winning streak going up against the Brookfield, WI Stars. The Stars are 6-3 and are playing their first game against a Minnesota school. It should be a dandy.
Only four teams comprise the Open Division and will play a round robin schedule. Becker/Big Lake, who has not won since they beat Moose Lake Area on November goes up against the Luverne Cardinals. The other two teams are the Faribault Falcons and the Cambridge-Isanti Blue Jackets. The Falcons have won six of their last seven games with their only loss on December 17 to the Mankato West Scarlets 2-1.
Following three days of boys tournament play is the girls turn in the Holiday Classic spotlight starting on Monday, December 30 and continuing the 31st and ending the start of 2020 January 1.
The Gold Division begins with the top ranked team in Class AA, the Andover Huskies battling the Holy Family Catholic Fire. It could set up a semifinal showdown with another top team, the Blake Bears if they get past the Rogers Royals. Over in the lower bracket, perennial Class A power St. Paul United faces the Centennial Cougars and another Class A power, the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage goes up against the Hill-Murray Pioneers. The Pioneers are on a four game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 14-4 in that run.
Opening the Silver Division quarterfinals will be the Chisago Lakes Wildcats and Delano/Rockford. The Wildcats got off to a 5-0 start and have gone 1-2-2 in their last five games. Rounding out the upper bracket will be the Duluth Northern Stars and the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars. Going to the lower bracket, Minneapolis is on a five game unbeaten streak and they hope to extend it to six against the Buffalo Bison. The Mahtomedi Zephyrs wrap up quarterfinal play against Cambridge-Isanti-Mora-Pine City.
Only three Twin Cities area teams are in the Bronze Division field with the first the Waconia Wildcats facing the Marshall Tigers. The second, the Irondale Knights, playing in their home venue, take on River Lakes. It's an outstate battle in the third quarterfinal game with North Shore from Silver Bay up against the Western WI Stars. The last team from the metro area, the St. Francis Fighting Saints faces the returning team from the Iron Range, the Eveleth-Gilbert Golden Bears.
If there's one common thread about the Open Division, it's that all the teams are from outside the Twin Cities area. First up it's the Arrowhead Warhawks from Wisconsin facing the Detroit Lakes Lakers. It could be an All Wisconsin semifinal if the University School of Milwaukee gets past the International Falls Broncos. To the lower bracket where the Moose Lake Area Rebels battle the Luverne Cardinals and the Northern Lakes Lightning taking on the Albert Lea Tiger who ended a three game winning streak and currently on a three game winning streak.
There's plenty of hockey action coming up over six days in Blaine and St. Paul. Male or female it should be an outstanding start to a new holiday tournament tradition.
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