It’s time for one of the best weeks in the state of hockey: The boys’ high school hockey tournament.
Fans will pack Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for arguably the best state tournament in the country from Wednesday to Saturday this week. Consolation games shift over to 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus, starting with Class 1A at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
Two-time defending champion Hermantown, and only former state champion in the Class 1A field, earned the No. 1 seed. They’ll have a rematch of last year’s title game in the quarterfinals against the Monticello Moose (Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake co-op last season).
Two schools in Class 1A had both girls’ and boys’ hockey skate to state this year: Alexandria and Hermantown. The Alexandria girls’ team beat Proctor/Hermantown 1-0 to take third place. Proctor/Hermantown upset 3-seed Red Wing in the quarterfinal.
A few ways to keep up with the action on social media (other than following the Zone Coverage team, of course): #TheTourney18, #mshsl, @FollowThePuck, @tourney_18. Quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games are televised locally on KSTP Channel 45.
Let’s take a look at the Class 1A quarterfinal matchups on Wednesday.
Mankato East/Loyola v. No. 2 seed Mahtomedi – 11 a.m.
Mankato East/Loyola Cougars (16-10-2), Section 1 champion, Big Nine Conference
The Cougars are back at state after their only other appearance back in 2006. They made it back with a 6-1 victory over Rochester Loudres in the section championship game. The Cougars were down 1-0 in the first period before scoring six unanswered goals, including two each from their second line, sophomore Matthew Salzle and junior Sam Schulz.
Schulz was the team’s leading scorer in the regular season with 23 points. Defenseman Jake Anderson had six goals and 14 assists, and Salzle led the team in goals with 11 and 18 points.
Mahtomedi Zephyrs (21-6-1), Section 4 champion, Metro East Conference
Mahtomedi is no stranger to the state tournament – making its 10th appearance – though the Zephyrs are still in search of their first state title. They’re back at state for the third time in the past four years. Fresh in their minds is a 3-1 upset loss in the state quarterfinal last year as the 3-seed at the hands of unseeded Northfield. They then lost 8-1 to Delano in the consolation bracket.
Their roster boasts a ton of depth rather than one or two top players. Just look at their 6-3 section final victory over Cinderella-story Simley when the Zephyrs boasted six different goal scorers. Charlie Bartholomew had the most goals and points during the regular season with 14 goals and 28 points. Sophomore Nikolai Dulak followed with 27 points.
Also on the team? A couple of Herb Brooks’ grandsons, twin brothers Joe and Tom Paradise who are also among some of the team’s top points getters.
Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato v. No. 3 seed Orono – 1 p.m.
Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato Dragons (16-11-1), Section 3 champion, Wright County Conference
The Dragons return to the state tournament for the second time in three years. The 2016 squad lost 11-3 in the quarterfinal to eventual-champion Hermantown.
If overtime is needed, look out for first-line junior center Brandt Pedersen. He’s scored both overtime game-winners for the Dragons this season. He’s also the team points leader with 44 (27-17—44). Senior defenseman Orrin Grangroth follows with 14 goals and 12 assists.
They lost to their state quarterfinal opponent and conference-rival Orono 10-0 and 7-1 during the regular season.
Orono Spartans (20-7-1), Section 2 champion, Wright County Conference
The top seed in their section, the Spartans beat Breck 2-1 with a shorthanded, overtime winner from senior Thomas Walker to get back to state for the first time since 2014. It’s the ninth state trip for Orono, a program that went to state five out of six years starting in 2002 but still had a state title escape them.
Senior Jack Suchy is the points leader 19 goals and 37 assists. Goaltender Evan Babekuhl has seen most of the action in net this season.
Former Minnesota Wild player and a high school standout at Bloomington Jefferson High School Mark Parrish is an assistant coach for the Spartans. He scored 35 goals and 69 points in two seasons with the Wild from 2006-08.
Monticello v. No. 1 seed Hermantown – 6 p.m.
Monticello Moose (19-7-2), Section 5 champion, Mississippi 8 Conference
In the first state appearance last season for the co-op Moose program, they made it to the state championship game after upsetting No. 2 seed Delano in the quarterfinal, beating Northfield in the semi and then facing Hermantown. The Moose scored on their second shot of the game early in the second period, then took a 2-0 lead a minute later. Tied 3-3, the Hawks won with 19.6 seconds left in the second overtime period. Goaltender Tyler Klatt, who’s back this year as a senior, made 52 saves.
The Moose are back again after a late surge in the section final pushed them to victory over North Branch. Junior Troy Dahlheimer was a 45-point scorer this season. Coach Eric Nelson is a 1997 graduate of Monticello and played junior hockey before a college hockey career at the University of Connecticut and a five-year minor league career.
Hermantown Hawks (20-6-2), Section 7 champion, Lake Superior Conference
Hermantown successfully defended its state title in 2017 but needed three overtime games to do it. They also needed double overtime in this year’s section final to get past Greenway 5-4 and return to defend their Class 1A title.
The Hawks are no strangers to the state tournament, having won nine straight section titles. They’ve been to state 15 times since 1994 and are in search of their fourth championship. They won in 2016 and 2017 after six straight runner-up finishes.
The biggest change this year is behind the bench with new head coach Patrick Andrews, replacing long-time coach Bruce Plante. Andrews has been a part of Hermantown hockey in some aspect since he was four years old, graduating in 1998 after a runner-up finish at state.
This year, the Hawks started off just 2-3-2 before their holiday tournament before rebounding. They usually play a tough schedule with a mix of Class 2A teams. Captain Tyler Watkins leads the team with 68 points (25-43—68), followed by University of Minnesota Duluth commit Blake Biondi (26-28—54) and Darian Gotz (10-22—32).
No. 5 seed Thief River Falls v. No. 4 seed Alexandria Area – 8 p.m.
Alexandria Cardinals (17-10-1), Section 6 champion, Central Lakes Conference
Alexandria makes its first trip to state since 2011 and fifth overall (1996 in Class 2A). They made it back to state with a 3-2 overtime victory over tournament veteran St. Cloud Cathedral in the section final. Jack Westlund scored the game-winner at the 1:55 mark of double overtime on the power play. He’s the team’s leading scorer with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points.
Thief River Falls Prowlers (16-10-2), Section 8 champion, Mariucci Conference
This marks trip No. 15 to state for the Prowlers.
Aaron Myers leads the way in goals (27), points (47), shots on goal (101) and game-winning goals (seven). They’re 2-0 in overtime games this season. Senior goaltender Nick Corneliusen is 11-10-2 this season with seven shutouts and a .929 save percentage.
The Prowlers are coached by Tim Bergland, a captain for the Gophers hockey team in 1986-87 and former NHL right winger with Washington and Tampa Bay from 1989-94.
