March Madness as its traditionally called is all about the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Millions of Americans form their own office pools or participate in online tournaments based on how well they set their brackets with the hope of predicting the outcome and gaining some kind of monetary award. Its a fool’s errand for most people, but it makes the games more exciting for many who probably would not care otherwise. In my opinion, the true ‘March Madness’ is the opening of the high school state tournament season for winter sports. In Minnesota its home to the best tournament of them all, the Boys State Hockey Tournament. ‘The Tourney’ pits the best of Class A and Class AA in what is by far the premier high school hockey tournament in the world. No other tournament attracts nearly as many TV viewers both at home and abroad as this one and no other tournament of its kind features the tremendous collection of hockey talent as this one. Or does it?
An intensifying topic around rinks all across the State of Hockey is about the growing perception that High School hockey has lost some of its luster as more and more high school hockey players are leaving their hometowns and schools to go play junior hockey. NHL scouts are even saying that they’re less tempted to go and watch potential draft prospects playing high school hockey because they feel the talent pool around them is so depleted that they can’t really get a good assessment of a player’s talents anymore. Others disagree saying that true talent will be recognized regardless of who they are playing against. The City Pages did a fantastic 2-part feature on this issue and its ramifications to high school hockey’s place on the overall hockey landscape here. I’d highly recommend this to any hockey fan interested in Minnesota High School hockey. Yet with all of that debate aside, the tournament is still sure to draw thousands and thousands of fans and the biggest question on their minds is who is going to win it all?
We will preview all of the State Quarterfinal match ups in the next few paragraphs, provide our take as to who we believe will win each game as well as saying who we believe will be crowned State Champion. You may not agree with my opinions, and that’s just fine but I think its safe to say we’ll have fun watching it unfold regardless.
One last thing, I would like to give a huge shoutout to FollowthePuck.com, they do a remarkable job all season long and make it easy for a guy like me to keep on top of high school hockey all across the United States.
Class A (Begins Wednesday, March 4th)
4A: #2 Mahtomedi Zephyrs (24-2-2) vs. 3A: New Ulm Eagles (18-8-2) The first game of the tournament (11AM) features a strong metro area club with some great depth and against a bit of a surprise entry from southwestern Minnesota. The Zephyrs have a junior dominated team (13 out of 20) a class which boasts 6’3″, 188lbs power forward Jack Becker (ranked 166th in NHL’s Central Scouting mid-term list) to go along with Jack Heinsch, Joe Forciea and senior Kellen Campbell gives Mahtomedi a well-rounded attack. Junior goalie Will Swanson carries the majority of the goaltending load for the Zephyrs. The Zephyrs play in a decent conference that is a mix of Class A and Class AA teams and they have some impressive wins under their belt including victories over Class A tourney qualifier Breck (3-1), and Class AA qualifiers Hill-Murray (4-0) and St. Thomas Academy (5-3) means this team can play with anyone.
Many were surprised by New Ulm’s section final 7-5 victory as the #3 seed over the much hyped and heralded Luverne Cardinals but perhaps that will serve as chip on their shoulder as they represent section 3A. The Eagles have a balanced scoring by committee approach led by seniors Brandon Helget, Collin Huffman, Jonny Kopacek and junior Ethan Kraus. The Eagles will look to senior goalie Matt Berkner to raise his game if New Ulm is to have any hope at all. Unlike Mahtomedi the Eagles do not have any wins over other State Qualifiers and no wins over any metro area teams of any kind.
Prediction: I think this one has the potential to be very ugly. The Zephyrs are arguably good enough that they could hold their own in Class AA and that simply will be too much for New Ulm. I expect a 7-0 win or greater. New Ulm will battle hard and if they can work their way in close for some ugly goals (which is the way they beat Luverne) maybe they can make a game of it.
8A: #3 East Grand Forks (24-4-0) vs. 1A: New Prague Trojans (20-8-0) The 1PM game is the only 1st round match up in Class A that pits two clubs that made the tournament last season. East Grand Forks are the defending Class A state champion and they still boast some impressive talent in senior forwards Dixon Bowen and Reed Corbid as well as junior power forward Tanner Tweten. They do not have the big blueline they had a season ago but they can still shut most opponents down. Between the pipes senior goalie Josh Weber posted 4 shutouts this season and he will have to be strong if the Green Wave are going to defend their title. East Grand Forks has some quality victories this season with wins over Class A qualifier Breck (4-1), and Class AA qualifiers Blaine (2-1) and Bemidji (4-1) which are impressive but still not the blowouts this team was producing a season ago.
The New Prague Trojans are returning with a team that can roll 3 lines at you and gets balanced scoring throughout its lineup. Led by juniors forward Alex Gregor and Zach Davis and senior Ben Witt the Trojans have the multi-threat attack which makes them tough to match up against. New Prague will be leaning heavily on senior goalie Conner Wagner. The Trojans do not have any wins against other state qualifiers and in most cases did not fare well against metro area clubs either.
Prediction: This East Grand Forks team does not seem to be as dominating as last year’s club yet they still have a lot of players from that championship team. I expect the Green Wave to prevail 4-2 or 5-2 in a game that might be closer than the score indicates.
7A: #1 Hermantown Hawks (25-2-1) vs. 5A: Spring Lake Park Panthers (16-11-1) This 6PM match up pits a perennial Class A powerhouse against a total newcomer in Spring Lake Park who are making their first trip to state in school history. The Hawks will be as hungry as ever, having been the State’s runner up the last 5 years in a row. Hermantown’s lineup again boasts a deep team that has plenty of speed and skill that overwhelms most opponents. Led by seniors Ryan Kero and Nate Pionk as well as talented junior Cole Koepke the Hawks have the firepower to play with anyone. Junior goaltender Luke Olson carries most of the goaltending load. They are battle tested as they earned wins against a few other State tournament qualifiers with victories over Class A’s New Prague (6-1), East Grand Forks (3-0), and Class AA’s Bemidji (8-0) is a big reason this team earned the #1 seed.
The Spring Lake Park Panthers might be a bit wide-eyed at the bigger stage of the State Tournament. The Panthers are led by senior Jacob Nystrom and Deven Sunell who will provide most of their scoring punch. Yet if Spring Lake Park is to have any chance at all it must have a stellar performance from junior goaltender Aaron Furlano who saw a ton of shots this season while the team competed in Northwest Suburban Conference which is made up of mostly Class AA schools. While the Panthers do not have any victories over any other State Qualifiers they did beat a number of Class AA opponents this season and so they might be more prepared to play against a big and fast team like the Hawks.
Prediction: Hermantown rolls to a 6-0 victory or greater. The Hawks simply have too much speed and offensive firepower for the Panthers to handle and if Spring Lake Park starts the game with any early jitters they will find the puck in the back of their net in a hurry.
2A: #4 Breck Mustangs (21-7-0) vs. 6A: #5 St. Cloud Apollo Eagles (22-4-2) The 8PM game features two schools that looking at the schedules were remarkably close to one another. The Breck Mustangs have a very young team made up of mostly underclassman (3 freshman, 9 sophomores) that could mean we’re seeing the beginning of something special. Juniors Chase Ellingson and William Blake as well as sophomore Grant Parrish lead the Mustangs’ attack up front. Breck certainly has respectable firepower but if it has a trump card its senior goaltender Stephen Headrick who may be one of the best in the state as he posted 9 shutouts this season. Breck has played against many of the better schools in Class A (East Grand Forks, Mahtomedi) and earned wins against a number of 2nd tier Class AA schools but they didn’t earn wins against the better clubs so you wonder just how good are they?
On the flip side, St. Cloud Apollo battled its way through one of the most wide-open sections in the state in 6A and used strong defense and timely scoring to make their 2nd trip to state in the last two seasons. Apollo is a junior-laden squad with Junior defenseman Tanner Breidenbach leads the Eagles in scoring while up front junior Gino Lucia and senior Jason Omann pace a group of forwards that score by committee. Between the pipes it begins and ends with junior goalie Nick Althaus who will have to help the Eagles keep games close if they’re to have a chance to move on in this tournament. The Eagles’ schedule is full of close games, which means they’re used to high pressure games but it also makes you wonder if they have the firepower to really compete against more potent clubs like Breck. Apollo has a lone 1-1 tie against Class AA Bemidji as its only game against a state qualifier.
Prediction: The night cap game could easily be the thriller of the quarterfinals. I expect St. Cloud Apollo to frustrate Breck and if they can keep it close I think we could see the Eagles eek out a 4-2 victory.
‘Class A’ Tournament Prediction: I have been predicting this for the last few years but I think Hermantown finally gets that elusive championship. Mahtomedi will be a very tough opponent but I think the Hawks manage to win in a 5-4 thriller. I think its time Bruce Plante‘s club gets rewarded but if the Zephyrs end up the champions I wouldn’t be surprised.
Class AA (begins Thursday, March 5th)
2AA: #2 Edina Hornets (25-1-2) vs. 8AA: Bemidji Lumberjacks (23-3-2) The 11AM game to open up Class AA play features perennial metro power house Edina versus Bemidji, a program making its first trip to the Tourney in 29 years. Edina has a team with loads of firepower led by seniors Dylan Malmquist, Parker Mismash, Matt Masterman and junior Garrett Wait make for a relentless attack. Head Coach Curt Giles‘ clubs have always had that enviable mix of grit, size, speed and skill and this Hornets’ team is no different. Senior Kobi Boe will backstop the Hornets but he’ll no doubt be tested more than he was during the regular season and playoffs. The Hornets have one of the toughest schedules in the state with a vicious non-conference schedule and they have defeated Class AA state qualifiers with wins over Duluth East (7-1), Hill-Murray (3-1 & 6-3) and Eden Prairie (4-3, 5-0 & 3-0).
Meanwhile, Bemidji has patiently waited for its chance to return to the State Tournament. The Lumberjacks are led by senior forward Jack Leitner and after him its a very balanced attack (Brady Tatro, Rocky Copiskey, Josh Lusby, Cole Hartje, Jack Johnson, Alex Pollock who were all double-digits in goals) that gives Bemidji 3 solid scoring lines. Between the pipes, the Lumberjacks will look to senior goaltender Grant Theraldson who carried most of goaltending load this season but they may try to surprise Edina with fellow senior puckstopper Garret Atteberry too. Unlike Edina who has tested themselves against many of the best teams in the state throughout the season, Bemidji has played mostly schools within its region with a fair portion of them being Class A clubs. Bemidji split its season series against Class A defending champion East Grand Forks but overall there is not a lot of quality victories in the Lumberjacks’ season especially against Class AA foes.
Prediction: It is hard to imagine Bemidji will be prepared for Edina’s explosive offense and general team speed. I think Bemidji’s scoring balance will make it tough for Edina who will likely do what they can to shut down Leitner and force the Lumberjacks to try to beat them with the rest of their lineup. I think Edina wins 6-1 or 7-1.
3AA: #3 St. Thomas Academy (23-3-2) vs. 7AA: Duluth East Greyhounds (14-10-4) The 1PM game pits St. Thomas Academy, once the dominant team in Class A finally makes its first trip to the tourney as a Class AA school and they look to be ready to do some damage as the Greyhounds make it 7-straight trips to St. Paul after pulling off a 5-4 double overtime upset of Elk River in the 7AA final. The Cadets are led by the senior forward trio of Peter Tufto, Christiano Versich and Alec Broetzman with defenseman Seamus Donahue as one of the best offensive defenseman in the state. In goal the Cadets look to senior goaltender Matt Snow to be the anchor keep opposing offenses at bey. As always the Cadets tried to augment its ‘ok’ conference schedule with tougher non-conference opponents. St. Thomas Academy split their season series over Class A state qualifier Mahtomedi (8-1 & 3-5) and Class AA’s qualifier Hill-Murray (2-3 & 4-2) and most importantly earned a 4-1 over their 1st round opponent Duluth East.
Duluth East is led offensively by senior forward Nick Altmann who had a great run through the section playoffs and his younger brother, junior Ash Altmann but compared to St. Thomas Academy it looks like a pop-gun attack. Defensively the Greyhounds are very solid and senior goaltender Gunnar Howg is one of the best. The Greyhound’s record looks pretty rough compared to everyone else but it was earned playing top competition which they have done so as a program not aligned with any conference. So that’s meant a lot of long bus rides to play teams all across the state and while they’ve played and lost to a number of Class AA state qualifiers including Edina, Blaine, Lakeville North, Eden Prairie as well as St. Thomas Academy so they have experience against most of the field. But will that be an advantage?
Prediction: I think St. Thomas Academy takes care of business and wins this one 4-1 in a game that will be closer than the score indicates. The Cadets have too much firepower and too much balance for Duluth East to contend with. A victory over a high-powered Elk River squad should give St. Thomas Academy plenty of reason not to take Duluth East lightly and I don’t think Head Coach Tom & Greg Vanelli will allow that to happen.
1AA: #1 Lakeville North (28-0-0) vs. 4AA: Hill-Murray Pioneers (21-7-0) The 6PM game has the potential to be a dangerous game as many in the state were wondering if we’d see Lakeville North stumble from its magic season from a year ago. The memories of being crushed 8-2 by Edina in the finals likely have been on the mind of all the returning Panthers players all year long. Meanwhile the Hill-Murray makes another trip to the Xcel Energy Center with few expecting them to do a whole heckuva lot and I am sure Pioneers’ Head Coach Bill Lechner doesn’t mind that one bit. The Panthers are led by the trio of St. Cloud State commits in senior twins Jack Poehling, Nick Poehling and sophomore Ryan Poehling but junior Taylor Schneider is also an offensive workhorse for Lakeville North. As good as Lakeville North is up front, their defense boasts two 2015 NHL draft prospects in Jack Sadek (83rd in Central Scouting’s Mid-Term rankings) and Jack McNeely (177th in Central Scouting’s Mid-term rankings). Junior goaltender Ryan Edquist will be the likely starter for the Panthers on Thursday night. The Panthers have had their share of tests throughout the season and so far they’ve passed all of them as they have wins over Class AA state qualifiers Edina (3-1), Hill-Murray (4-3), and Duluth East (2-1), but beyond that you could say their schedule was a bit soft.
The Pioneers always seem to be in the mix at the end of each season and never can be counted out. Hill-Murray is led by seniors Zach Mills, Tyler Novak and sophomore Marko Reifenberger and a rather modest Pioneers offense. Senior 6’3″, 210lbs blueliner, Jacob Olson (157th in Central Scouting’s Mid-term rankings) is a two-way force and will be tasked with shutting down the Panthers’ high-powered attack. Between the pipes, the Pioneers will rely upon senior puck stopper Sean Wendlandt to hold the fort. Hill-Murray has played several teams in the Class AA qualifying field (Edina, Blaine, St. Thomas Academy, Lakeville North, Eden Prairie) but like Duluth East it hasn’t managed to beat any of them but in all of those games the Pioneers were close.
Prediction: I think this game could be the highlight of the ‘Class AA’ quarterfinals as Hill-Murray will give Lakeville North all its worth. The state tournament always brings out the best in Hill-Murray and I think this game has the potential for an upset. I am predicting the Panthers will prevail 4-3.
5AA: #4 Blaine Bengals (22-5-1) vs. #5 6AA: Eden Prairie Eagles (18-9-0) The 8PM game also has the makings of a real barn burner as the Bengals started to heat up towards the latter half of the season while Eden Prairie has survived the Lake Conference crucible with a team that has a young phenom. The Bengals have the firepower up front with senior Easton Brodzinski along with juniors Riley Tufte and Luke Notermann. Between the pipes, junior Jon Kallestad will get the start Thursday night. The Bengals have done reasonably well against Class AA’s better teams with wins over state qualifiers Duluth East (7-6) and Hill-Murray (4-3) and most importantly a win over Eden Prairie (8-3) so they have the ability to surprise anyone.
Eden Prairie comes to the tournament with one of the most talented youngsters in the nation in Gophers’ commit sophomore forward Casey Mittlestadt who helps lead an Eagles attack that also features junior Michael Graham and offensive defenseman Marc Sullivan. The Eagles are blessed with two solid goaltenders in sophomore Nick Wiencek and junior Shaun Durocher. My guess is Durocher gets the start. The Eagles’ record looks a bit rough but it comes from having one of the most challenging schedules in the state. Eden Prairie lost to Edina 3 times throughout the course of the season (3-4, 0-5, 0-3), but earned wins over qualifiers Hill-Murray (3-2), Duluth East (4-2) but lost 8-3 to Blaine too.
Prediction: I think Blaine goes into this game and blows out the Eagles 6-3 or 7-3. It will be a nice win for the Bengals but Eden Prairie is young team and will probably be back next year.
Tournament Prediction: A friend of mine always hitches his wagon to Edina and I’m doing the same this year. I am not doing so because I want to (in fact I’d welcome being wrong about this) but I think Edina’s firepower and that psychological edge of the tournament will go in their favor as the beat Lakeville North in a rematch for the ages.
So what do you think? Who do you think is going to win it all. Tweet me at @StateofHckyNews or comment your prediction(s) below! We’d love to hear from you!
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