Following a preview of the eight Class A section will be the eight Class AA sections.
The top seed in Section 1 is the Lakeville South Cougars. Coming off an opening loss to their section rivals the Northfield Raiders, the Cougars only other defeat was to Burnsville 3-1 on January 22. Can they get a rematch with Northfield or will they battle the Owatonna Huskies for a trip up I-35 to St. Paul?
Heading into Section 2 where the top seeded Minnetonka Skippers, a powerhouse in the 2010s have a shot at another state tournament berth. But there's a new contender that could capsize the Skipper's chances of returning to St. Paul, the second seeded Holy Family Catholic Fire. The Victoria based school lost four games in the regular season, two of them to the defending Class AA champion Edina Hornets. Can the Fire stay on fire and head to Edina February 18 for a possible showdown with the Skippers.
It could be a three team race in Section 3 with the Burnsville Blaze, Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders and the Rosemount Irish battling for a state tournament berth. The Blaze split the season series with the Irish, both games decided by a one goal margin. Will a third meeting take place to decide the section title or will Cretin-Derham Hall raid the Irish?
Last year's Class A runner up Gentry Academy moved up to Class AA and made Section 4 even tougher. It will be a four team race with the second seeded Hill-Murray Pioneer, the third seeded Stillwater Ponies and the fourth seeded Roseville Raiders. Gentry Academy enters section play on a seven game winning streak. Who will emerge with the championship trophy? It's a tough section to pick.
The pairing have not yet been determined for Section 5 but it's likely to be a three team race between three Northwest Suburban Conference teams, the Maple Grove Crimson, the Rogers Royals and the Centennial Cougars. The Royals enter section play on an eight game winning streak and look to earn their first trip to the X. Another tough section in the Twin Cities.
Last year's Class AA champion the Edina Hornets are the top seed in Section 6 and haven't missed a beat despite losses to the Minnetonka Skippers and the Andover Huskies. But before Sami Reber's bunch can board the team bus to St. Paul, they have to contend with the second seeded Wayzata Trojans and the red hot like their team color the Benilde-St.Margaret's Red Knights. The Red Knights have won 12 straight games and have not lost since they were beaten by Holy Family Catholic January 4 5-4. Will the Hornets head back to the X or will the Red Knights remain red hot?
Over in Section 7, the top ranked and unbeaten Andover Huskies have been the dominant Class AA team this season. In a rematch of the Class AA on Hockey Day Minnesota, viewers on Bally Sports North got to see how good the Huskies are as they stung the Edina Hornets 4-0. They are an overwhelming favorite to defend their section title if they can get past Grand Rapids/Greenway.
Nothing officially posted for Section 8 but the team to watch is the Moorhead Spuds, who enter section play winning four straight games. But look out for the Alexandria Cardinals and Brainerd/Little Falls.
There's plenty of exciting girls hockey section action coming up as the Road to St. Paul begins.
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