State Hockey Tourney Starts Wednesday

NSO-NEWS RELEASE

State Boys’ Hockey Tournament

East Grand Forks, Edina voted top seeds

            In the eighth year of seeding the qualified teams, East Grand Forks was chosen No. 1 in Class A and Edina was chosen No. 1 in Class AA for the 2014 State Boys’ Hockey Tournament.

            The East Grand Forks Green Wave qualified for the second consecutive and ninth overall time. They are seeking their first state title. The Hornets of Edina are making their 25th trip to the tournament and are the defending Class AA champions. They are seeking their ninth state title.

            All but three qualifying teams have past tournament experience. Luverne and New Prague are making first appearances in Class A and Stillwater Area is making its first appearance in Class AA.

            Class A teams will play their quarterfinal games on Wednesday, March 5, and Class AA teams will follow suit on Thursday, March 6. Both classes will continue with championship semifinals on Friday, March 7, and then third-place and championship games on Saturday, March 8. Consolation semifinals for Class A are scheduled Thursday, March 6, with Class AA following suit on Friday, March 7, and both consolation championship games on Saturday, March 8. All 2014 State Boys’ Hockey Tournament championship-round and third-place games in both classes will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. All consolation rounds for both classes will be played at Mariucci Arena on the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus.

            The seeding process had all 16 coaches of the section champions log onto a special page of the League website. Each coach then ranked the other teams in their class one through seven. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top five teams were seeded. In conference calls with all eight head coaches of each class, League Associate Director Craig Perry announced the top five seeds. An impartial participant then blindly drew the three remaining teams from a hat to establish the opponent for the top three seeded teams. Numbers four and five automatically play each other.

            Detailed statistics provided by qualified teams are available on the League’s website — www.MSHSL.org — as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Boys’ Hockey.

            Class A Preview

            3A Luverne (27-0-1) vs. (No. 2 Seed) 7A Hermantown (22-4-2): Luverne, which includes students from Adrian, is making its debut appearance. The Cardinals, who were ranked No. 17 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll, scored 106 goals this year while their opponents scored 32 against them. Thirty-one of their own goals came on power plays, a 32 percent conversion rate. Luverne did not face any other tournament qualifiers during the regular season. Sophomore forward Chaz Smedsrud led the Cardinals with 38 goals and 49 assists. Eighth-grade forward Jaxon Nelson tallied 30 goals and added 40 assists. Senior Kendall Meyer is the primary goaltender and has a save percentage of .949 on 449 saves. The Hawks of Hermantown are making their fifth consecutive and 11th overall appearance. They finished as runners-up the past four years. Hermantown won one previous title in 2007. The Hawks were ranked No. 2 in this year’s final Let’s Play Hockey poll. Hermantown defeated four Class A qualifiers during regular-season play: Orono 3-2; St. Cloud Cathedral 6-0; New Prague 7-3; and Totino-Grace 6-1. The Hawks lost 4-1 to Class AA qualifier Eagan. Hermantown scored 153 goals this year, while holding its opponents to 57. Junior center Ryan Kero led the Hawks with 49 points on 21 goals and 28 assists. Junior wing Nate Pionk scored 22 goals and added 26 assists. Seniors Adam Smith and Jace Thomas share nearly equal minutes in the net, with Smith compiling a save percentage of .903 on 343 saves and Thomas compiling a .929 save percentage on 260 saves.

            5A Chisago Lakes Area, Lindstrom (20-8-0) vs. (No. 3 Seed) 1A New Prague (21-4-3): Unranked Chisago Lakes Area is making its second appearance, but first since 1995. The Wildcats, who are still in the hunt for their first championship, did not face any other qualifiers during the regular season. One-fifth (26) of the Wildcats’ 130 goals came on the power play. Senior forward Brandon Gillespie and sophomore forward Blake Lizotte lead Chisago Lakes Area with 51 and 48 points, respectively; Gillespie with 25 and 26 assists and Lizotte with 14 goals and a team-leading 34 assists. Junior Jacob Dubose played the most minutes in net, compiling a .916 save percentage on 412 saves. The first-time qualifiers from New Prague were ranked No. 6 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. During the regular season the Trojans lost 5-4 in overtime to Class A qualifier St. Cloud Cathedral and 7-3 to Hermantown. They also lost to Class AA qualifier Eagan 2-1. New Prague scored 121 goals this year and their opponents scored 65 against them. Senior forward Austin Isaacson led New Prague with 53 points on 23 goals and 30 assists. Senior forward Seth Kriha added 11 goals and 35 assists. Junior Conner Wagner is the top goalie for New Prague. He made 605 saves this year and has a save percentage of .903.

            2A Orono (19-8-1) vs. (No. 1 Seed) 8A East Grand Forks (25-2-1): The Spartans of Orono are making their eighth tournament appearance and were ranked No. 11 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. Their last appearance came in 2007 and they have never won a state title. Orono scored 104 goals, including 22 on 97 power-play opportunities, and gave up 58 goals. The Spartans lost to Hermantown 3-2 during the regular season. Junior forward Joey Luedtke paced Orono with 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points. Linemates Jacob Flemmer, a senior defenseman, contributed 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists). Junior goaltender Jon Flakne made 568 saves for a .918 save percentage. The Green Wave of East Grand Forks were ranked No. 1 in this year’s final Let’s Play Hockey poll. This is the second consecutive and ninth overall appearance for the Green Wave. East Grand Forks, which placed fourth in 2013, is still searching for its elusive first title. East Grand Forks defeated two other Class A qualifiers during regular-season play: Totino-Grace 4-0; and St. Cloud Cathedral 3-1. They also defeated Class AA qualifier Roseau twice, 8-3 and 6-2. The team scored 117 goals to its opponents’ 33. Junior wing Reed Corbid led the Green Wave with a team-high 42 points on 16 goals and 26 assists. Junior center Dixon Bowen has 37 points on 17 goals and 20 assists. Junior Josh Weber is the primary goaltender and has a save percentage of .922.

            (No. 5 Seed)4A Totino-Grace, Fridley (17-10-1) vs. (No. 4 Seed) 6A St. Cloud Cathedral (20-7-1): This game is a rematch of a regular-season game that St. Cloud Cathedral won 5-4. The Eagles of Totino-Grace return for their fifth appearance but first since 2005. The Eagles were ranked No. 8 in this year’s final Let’s Play Hockeypoll and are looking for their second championship. They won their previous title in 2002. In addition to St. Cloud Cathedral, Totino-Grace also lost to East Grand Forks 4-0 and to Hermantown 6-1. This year the Eagles netted 99 goals, including 19 on power plays, to their opponents’ 77. Senior forward Nick Tandeski led Totino-Grace with 31 points on 15 goals and 16 assists. Senior forward Kai Barber added a team-leading 19 goals and 11 assists. Senior Dominic Wippler contributed the bulk of the goaltending duties and made 604 saves with a .909 save percentage. The Crusaders of St. Cloud Cathedral were ranked No. 10 in this year’s final Let’s Play Hockey poll. This is the sixth appearance for the Crusaders whose last appearance was in 2009. During the regular season St. Cloud Cathedral defeated New Prague 5-4 in overtime. The Crusaders lost to Hermantown 6-0 in January. The team scored 104 goals to its opponents’ 59. Senior forward Will Hammer led the Crusaders with 23 goals and 30 assists this season. Hammer also set a new school record with 172 career points. Junior forward Matt Fritz scored 15 goals and added 23 assists. Junior Zach Fritz is the primary goaltender and has a save percentage of .914 and made 631 saves. The Crusaders have never won a state championship.

            Class AA Preview

            8AA Roseau (20-7-1) vs. (No. 2 Seed) 1AA Lakeville North (23-4-1): The Rams of Roseau were ranked 16th in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. They are making their 34th appearance and have seven previous titles. Two of the Rams’ losses were against Class A tournament qualifier East Grand Forks, 8-3 and 6-2. They have not played any Class AA qualifiers. They have scored 46 goals on the power play, a 50 percent conversion rate. They outscored opponents 131 to 64 goals. Senior wing Zach Yon has a team-high 80 points on 39 goals and 41 assists. Senior center Alex Strand has 77 points on 29 goals and a team-high 48 assists. Ten other players also have points on the season. Senior goaltender Ryan Anderson plays the most minutes and has a .901 save percentage on 571 saves. The Panthers of Lakeville North, ranked No. 2 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll, seek their first title in their fifth appearance. In four regular-season games against tournament qualifiers, the Panthers defeated Eden Prairie 7-0, defeated Eagain twice, 4-2 and 4-3, and defeated Duluth East 3-2 in overtime. Lakeville North has scored 139 goals on the season, 29 of them on the power play, while giving up 50. The Panthers are led by junior forward Jack Poehling, one of three brothers on the team, all of whom have verbally committed to St. Cloud State, with 51 points on 28 goals and 23 assists. Junior forward Nick Poehling has 41 points on 12 goals and 29 assists. Senior Will DuPont and ninth-grader Jake Oettinger share goaltender duties. Dupont has a .904 save percentage and 265 saves while Oettinger has a .937 save percentage and 268 saves.

            5AA Centennial, Circle Pines (16-10-2) vs. (No. 3 Seed) 6AA Eden Prairie (17-8-3): The Cougars of Centennial are making their second consecutive and third overall appearance. Their first was in 2004 when they won the title and established a record of not allowing a single goal, a mark that can be tied but never broken. Centennial was unranked in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. This season the Cougars defeated Duluth East 3-2, but lost 6-1 to Edina in their season opener. Centennial scored 97 goals this season, 15 of them on the power play, while giving up 68. Senior forward Ryner Gorowsky leads the team with 38 points on 22 goals and 16 assists. Senior forward Adam Anderson has 28 points on 7 goals and 21 assists. Senior Blake Miller has had the bulk of the minutes in the net and has a .896 save percentage with 509 saves. The Eagles of Eden Prairie are making their seventh tournament appearance and they won titles in 2009 and 2011. Eden Prairie was ranked fifth in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. They have scored 105 goals and allowed opponents 74 goals. Senior forward Steven Spinner has 47 points on 20 goals and 27 assists. Senior defender Luc Snuggerud has 46 points on 9 goals and 37 assists. Senior Jake Gerdes has the most minutes in goal and has a .900 save percentage.

            4AA Stillwater Area (16-10-2) vs. (No. 1 Seed) 2AA Edina (22-4-1): The Ponies of Stillwater Area are making their inaugural tournament appearance. They defeated 2013 runner-up Hill-Murray 2-1 to qualify. Stillwater Area scored 91 goals, 21 on the power play, and allowed 83 goals to opponents, 16 on the power play. Senior forward John Heddle leads the team with 29 points on 15 goals and 14 assists. Senior Sam Sagissor has 21 points on 12 goals and 19 assists. Sophomore Josh Benson is the primary goaltender and has an .890 save percentage and 405 saves. The defending champion Edina Hornets are returning for their eighth consecutive and 25th overall appearance. They were ranked No. 1 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll and are in the hunt for their ninth title. In addition to last year, they won previously in 1969, 1971, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1997 (In 1974, 1978 and 1979 Edina East also won titles). During the regular season the Hornets defeated Eden Prairie three times, 4-2, 2-1 and 5-3. They also defeated Centennial 6-1 and lost a 2-1 game against Eagan. Edina scored 111 goals while allowing opponents 50. Senior forward Miquel Fidler paced this year’s squad with 45 points on 18 goals and 27 assists. Junior forward Dylan Malmquist added 14 goals and 25 assists. Senior Andrew Rohkohl is the primary goaltender and has a .922 save percentage with 533 saves.

            (No. 5 Seed)3AA Eagan (18-9-1) vs. (No. 4 Seed) 7AA Duluth East (21-6-1):The Wildcats of Eagan are making their fourth appearance and have yet to win a title. They were ranked 13th in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. Lakeville North had their number this season, defeating them 4-2 and 4-3. The Wildcats did defeat Edina 2-1, plus Class A qualifiers New Prague 2-1 and Hermantown 4-1. Eagan scored 96 goals this season, 16 on the power play, and gave up 49, including 15 on the power play. Senior Jack Jenson leads the team with 56 points on 20 goals and 36 assists. Senior Kyle Stebbing has 34 points on 16 goals and 34 assists. Junior Andrew Lindgren is the primary goaltender and has a .933 save percentage on 683 saves. The Greyhounds of Duluth East, the 2013 third-place finishers, are making their sixth consecutive and 21st overall appearance. They were ranked No. 6 in this year’s final Let’s Play Hockey poll and seek a fourth title, having previously won in 1960, 1995 and 1998. Duluth East defeated Eden Prairie 3-1, but lost 3-2 to Centennial and 3-2 in overtime to Lakeville North during the regular season. Duluth East outscored opponents 103 to 54, including 31 power-play goals. Junior forward Nick Altmann has a team-high 20 goals and 26 assists for 46 points. Senior defenseman Phil Beaulieu has 18 goals and 24 assists. Senior goaltender Gunnar Howg has a save percentage of .912 and made 479 saves.