2022 Class A State Tournament

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ClassAGuy
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2022 Class A State Tournament

Post by ClassAGuy » Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:46 pm

2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

The time is finally here for the Class A Tourney 22 and a return to the normalcy that we all are accustomed to after last year's COVID filled 2021 campaign and the ensuing disrupted State Tournament experience that followed. Class A has been dominated all year by two teams that would love a rematch of a mid season clash that went to overtime and beyond that there are plenty of new faces and storylines for the week ahead as we get ready for the Class A Tournament this upcoming week.

Meet the 2022 Class A State Tournament Teams-

Section 1A Champions- New Prague Trojans (11-15-2)
Section 1A Playoff Results- W 7-1 #4 seed Faribault, W 3-2 OT #1 seed Northfield, W 5-2 #3 seed Albert Lea

Meet the Trojans-
Well rather the state or the MSHSL wanted them the Trojans have arrived at the X representing Section 1A. After a 6 year stint of getting throttled in the first round year after year by Section 2AA teams New Prague was able to get back down into Class A due to a number change in the enrollment cutoff and boy did that move pay off for them. While they still struggled mightily during the regular season finishing in the bottom of Metro West Conference they were able to garner a #4 seed in 1A. They did make news during the regular season but for all the wrong reasons and this will not be a program that is going to capture anyone’s heart at State but regardless they are here. The key to their team's success is in the net where veteran Senior Goaltender Carter Peuente (10-11-1 .911 SV% 3.14 GAA) has been steady all year. He will face a ton of rubber at State so New Prague will need him to be on top of his game. On the blueline, Senior Defenseman Ryan Brinkhaus (3-2-25 pts.) uses his physical style of play to lead the group from the back end. Up front is mixture of Underclassmen and Seniors as Junior John Schmidt (10-16-26 pts.) leads the team in points while Sophomore Willy Seymour & Freshman Luke Portner have each chipped in 21 points of their own. But it has been their Senior duo of Will Andersen (9-16-25 pts.) and Charlie Turnberg (9-6-17 pts) who have led the way in the playoffs scoring the big goals when the team needed them the most. They enter state as the lowest rated team and with losses to teams like Waconia and Kennedy during the season on their resume they will struggle mightily to keep up with any of the top 3 seeds they draw at State.

Section 2A Champions- Minneapolis (21-6-1)
Section 2A Playoff Results- W 5-1 #9 seed Hutchinson, W 5-1 #4 seed Providence Academy, W 3-1 #2 seed Delano

Meet Minneapolis-
For the first time since 1994 a public school from Minneapolis will be playing in the State Boys Hockey Tournament. For a program that has had to combine into one co-opt of what was once a mighty group of proud city hockey teams due to demographics and player departures and they will be the considerable fan favorite at State in Class A. If the fan turnout in the Section 2A Tournament told us anything it is to expect a big contingent of 612 fans at the X. The team with no nickname comes into this tournament off of a magical year where they beat many state ranked teams and then went through the toughest Section in the state in Class A and capped it off by dethroning the three time defending section 2A champions. Minneapolis’s most unheralded player is their Senior Goaltender Alex Lamont (21-6-1 .899 SV% 2.18 GAA) while many pointed to him as the weakness during the year he was at his best during their run through the very tough 2A Sectional only surrendering one goal in each game. He does have a solid crew of defenders in front of him led by rock solid Senior Leo Warner (4-5-9 pts.) and and talented Junior defenders Drew Pitts (12-22-34 pts.), Joel Hanson (3-13-16 pts.) & Sophomore Hank Davis (6-7-13 pts)[/b] all who can move pucks effectively while playing a physical brand of defense. Up front their three Seniors forward have led the way all year as Jack Hanson (24-28-52 pts.), Zander Zoia (11-29-40 pts.) & Evan Grimm (16-11-27 pts.) have led the offensive charge all year. Minneapolis is one of the better storylines in the Tourney this year and will look to now get to Friday Afternoon and see how full they can get the lower bowl with their large 612 fan following.

Section 3A Champions- Mankato East Cougars (17-10-1)
Section 3A Playoff Results- W 6-0 #7 seed Mankato West, W 7-1 #3 seed Luverne, W 6-0 #1 seed New Ulm

Meet the Cougars-
When the season started many doubters had serious questions on just how good Mankato East would be as they did graduate a core of seniors who accounted for 75 of 102 of the team's goals. They also lost their returning starter goalie from the year before who decided to pursue other hockey opportunities. With question marks like that it was no guarantee to what we would see out of this year’s version of Cougar Juice. The first big question got answered by getting Senior goaltender Caelin Brueske (17-9-1 .908 SV% 2.17 GAA) to return to hockey this season after quitting the sport his junior year and all he did was set single season record for shutouts in school history so that problem was easily solved. As for replacing the high end scorers from the class of 2021 this year’s version of the Cougars has used a much more balanced team approach when it comes to offense and that approach has given them great success. Seniors Quintin Steindl (11-23-34 pts.), Aiden Prochaska (8-25-33 pts.) & Parker Anthony (11-17-28 pts.) along with Juniors Shea Gavin (16-13-29 pts), Andrew Bastian (11-14-25 pts) & Brayden Borgmeier (10-7-17 pts) and the addition of Sophomore Christian Theuninck (11-13-24 pts.) have given this team just the right amount scoring to wear teams down. They are coming into the tournament feeling good as they outscored their 3A competition 19-1 and in every game they did their most damage in the second period to put the game away. While they will be in trouble no matter who they draw in the first round at State this group of Cougars has proven already they have the answers for the questions their doubters raise.

Section 4A Champions- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (16-11-1)
Section 4A Playoff Results- W 9-0 #8 seed St Paul Johnson, W 6-0 #5 seed Two Rivers, W 4-0 #3 seed Chisago Lakes

Meet the Zephyrs-
No team enters the Class A State Tournament more battle tested and with more Championship experience than Mahtomedi. The last time we saw Coach Jeff Poeschl in St Paul his Zephyrs were raising the 2020 State Championship Trophy and no other team in the field has both a head coach and players on their roster with State Championship pedigree. This Mahtomedi team has been tested as well and no team played a tougher schedule than they did during the year playing many of the AA’s best teams this winter in preparation for the State Tournament tests. Ultimately though the reason why no one should count out the Zephyrs is because of their 4 year Senior starting goalie Ben Dardis (14-11-1 1.97 GAA .942 SV %) who is the state's all-time shutout leader comes into the Tourney with 4 straight shutouts and already has a State Title under his belt. On Defense Ben’s brother Senior Grant Dardis (5-16-21 pts.) along with Junior Cav Bruner (4-17-21 pts.) lead a solid group of defenders that have gone toe to toe with the State’s best teams all season long. Up front they are led by Senior forward Brent Gulenchyn (14-20-34 pts.) and a nice core group of Juniors forwards in David Wolsfeld (22-24-46 pts), Charlie Drage (5-22-37 pts.),Carter Haycraft (14-15-29 pts.), Jonny Grove (13-16-29 pts.) and Cory Bohmert (8-12-20 pts.) that give the Zephyrs a solid two lines to compete with anyone. The Zephyrs will look to fall back on their Championship experience and wreck the Title Game prediction of 1 vs 2 that everyone is envisioning in Class A just like they did in 2020 as the 4 seed.

Section 5A Champions- Monticello/Maple Lake Moose (13-14-1)
Section 5A Playoff Results- W 3-2 #5 seed River Lakes, W 4-3 #1 seed Little Falls, W 3-2 #3 seed St. Cloud Cathedral

Meet the Moose-
When the new Section 5A realignment came out last April many assumed that with the additions of Little Falls and St Cloud Cathedral that those two respected powerhouse programs would take over the section with ease. Not so fast as the traditional power in 5A the Moose had a lot to say about that come playoff time and Monticello made a magical run through the 5A playoffs beating a Top 10 team on their home ice and then winning the school's first ever game against a program that has owned them over the years. In order to make that playoff run the Moose got the most out of diminutive 5’7 senior goaltender Michale Biller (13-12-0 .897 SV% 3.04 GAA) who has been up and down on the year. Give Monticello Coach Eric Nelson credit he did a very nice job with a thin group talent wise as he brings his 4th team to state out of 5A in the last 6 years. Senior forward Wilson Dahlheimer (23-24-47 pts) up front and Senior defender Gavin Simon (7-18-25 pts) on the backend are very talented and do it all for the Moose but they don't have much beyond that. Coach Nelson molded the rest of the group like Seniors Brooks Wilson (7-14-21 pts.) and Juniors Tyler Miller (5-13-18 pts.) & Tyler Bitz (14-4-18 pts.) into buying into roles and playing a tough physical brand of hockey that was enough to sneak out of weak overall talent base in 5A. The Moose will be outmanned by whichever top 3 seed they face but they still had a great playoff run to surprise many and return to the X representing Section 5A.

Section 6A Champions- Alexandria Cardinals (19-6-2)
Section 6A Playoff Results- W 19-0 #8 seed Breckenridge/Wahpeton, W 10-2 #5 seed Morris Benson, W 4-2 #2 seed Fergus Falls

Meet the Cardinals-
Alexandria had a rocky year in 2021 as with a new coach and new identity they limped to a below .500 record and failed to reach the Section 6A Final for the first time in 4 years. This year it appeared they would struggle again as they got off to (3-4-1) start and entered January with below .500 record and terribly inconsistent play. No team was happier to see the calendar turn to 2022 than the Cardinals as since the new year they have put things together and they enter the State Tournament red hot with a 12 game unbeaten streak. Part of the middle of the year turn around can be attributed to Senior goaltender Teagan Pfeffer (14-6-2 .888 SV % 2.71 GAA) playing better in the nets but if there's an achilles heel its him has he had given up 4 or more goals in 7 of his 22 starts on the year. Defensively the Cardinals are led by 3 year veteran Seniors Pieter Mulder (3-25-28 pts.) & Brennan Lattimer (4-3-7 pts.). Up front the Cardinals have tremendous depth in their forwards led by their big top line of Seniors Josiah Gronholz (25-34-59 pts.) and Brycen Berg (27-16- 43 pts.) & Junior forward Tyler Kludt (13-35-48 pts.) and they are supported by a Juniors Joe Lamski (13-19-32 pts) & Nicholas Peterson (14-11-25 pts) and developing Sophomores Leo Kompelien (8-17-25 pts.) & Gavin Olson (11-5-16 pts.) who both anchor the 2nd line. Alexandria will be a tough out at the X as they are back for the first time since 2018 when as a 4 seed they made a run to the State Championship Game. Don’t be shocked if this group pulls off the same feat as they are playing their best hockey at the right time of the year.

Section 7A Champions- Hermantown Hawks (26-2-0)
Section 7A Playoff Results- W 13-0 #8 seed North Shore, W 6-0 #5 seed Greenway, W 11-0 #2 seed Duluth Denfeld

Meet the Hawks-
Hermantown comes into the State Tournament having made a mockery of the Section 7A Playoffs which they outscored their opponents by a combined 30-0 margin. They enter St Paul as again the favorite in Class A a place that Coach Andrews has had his squad the previous 5 years he has been behind the bench but will this finally be the group that has so much superior talent that they can win him his first Class A Title? All signs point to yes as if there was a question coming into the year it would have been goaltending and a key transfer from Duluth East answered that question as Sophomore Dane Callaway (17-2-0 .921 SV% 1.48 GAA) has been magnificent in the net. They have three thoroughbred defenders in Senior Beau Janzig (7-17-24 pts.) and Juniors Ty Hanson (14-28-42 pts) & George Petrson (10-12-22 pts.). They also feature on the state’s top lines regardless of Class as the Plante brothers, Junior Zam (20-35-55 pts.) & Sophomore Max (16-50-66 pts.), along with Junior Kade Kohanski (20-33-53 pts.) are enough to give any opposition fits. This Hawk group though can throw out the likes of Seniors Gavin Blomdahl (10-16-26 pts) & Dominic Thomas (11-11-22 pts) , Junior Wyatt Carlson (17-13-30 pts) & Sophomore Dallas Vieau (16-11-27 pts.) as part of the supporting cast and it just makes them so difficult to match up with for any Class A team. This group looks to be the favorite as we get ready for the Class A Tourney to Start and the crazy thing is if they all stick around next year’s Hawk group will be even better then this year’s version.

Section 8A Champions- Warroad Warriors (24-3-1)
Section 8A Playoff Results- W 10-0 #8 seed Park Rapids, W 5-1 #4 seed East Grand Forks, W 4-1 #2 seed Thief River Falls

Meet the Warriors-
Hockeytown USA is on cloud nine these days as over the past two weeks their Girls Program won the Class A Title and now their Boys Programs heads to St Paul looking to do the same. Warroad has been excellent this year and excluding a small stretch where they struggled near the end of January they have been nearly perfect and unbeatable all winter long. It starts in the net for the Warriors as Junior Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (24-3-1 .928 SV% 1.48 GAA) has played nearly every minute in net and been outstanding all season. He has four fantastic defenseman in front of him as Seniors Carson Reed (9-29-38 pts.) & Todd Powassin (6-11-17 pts.) and Junior Eric Comstock (4-29-33 pts) and Sophomore Ryan Lund (5-18-23 pts.) can all defend and can get up and add to the rush and be an offensive threat as well. Speaking of offensive the Warriors have developed a good 1-2 punch as the season has went along as their while their top line of Seniors Daimon Gardner (39-37-76 pts), Matt Hard (22-19-42 pts.) and Junior Jayson Shaugabay (25-49-74 pts.) get all the attention. The 2nd line of dynamic Sophomores Murray Marvin-Cordes (15-17-32 pts.) and Carson Pilgrim (15-12-27 pts.) have developed nicely as the season has progressed and the Warriors look primed to do exactly what the Girls did two weekends earlier and head to St Paul and return home with some State Championship Hardware to really reinforce their claim as Hockeytown USA.

5 Interesting Storylines on the 2022 Class A State Tournament

The City back in the Tourney
Brace yourself Class A fans for a large fan base following of 612 area code hockey lovers. If the Section 2A Tournament taught us anything it's that Minneapolis is gonna pack the Xcel with a ton of alumni and this group can definitely play. Many questioned this group and just how good they were but with wins over the likes of Delano twice, Orono , Providence Academy twice and State Tournament teams Alexandria and Mankato East on the resume no one should be doubting this group anymore. They have created some much needed hockey fever in the Minneapolis area and they will take the ice at state for the first time since 1994 and will be crowd favorites come Wednesday.

Warriors Double Dip?
Two weeks ago the Warroad Girls Hockey team took home the 2022 Class A title and now the Boys team comes to the cities looking to do the same thing again. The number two ranked Warriors boys teams has been a story to watch all winter as they feature the offensively gifted duo of Senior Daimon Garnder and Junior Jayson Shaugabay and beyond a mini mid season slump they have been terrific all year. Hockeytown USA would love to put on the welcome to town billboard home of the 2022 Girls & Boys State Hockey Champs by the end of this upcoming weekend.

Championship Pedigree
With all the focus and attention on the highly rated Hermantown and Warroad teams and the lovable story of the public school city team returning to the X for the first time since the mid 90’s it's easy to forget about the 2020 State Champions. No other team in the field has the experience of winning a State Title recently like Mahtomedi. Just two years ago they were raising the trophy at the end of the Tournament when no one had pegged the #4 seed to do much of anything at the start of it. Could this be deja vu all over again with Goaltender Ben Dardis in net for his 4th straight year anything is possible for the Zephyrs.

Cinderella Stories
This year’s Class A State Tournament features two Section Champions that were number four seeds in their own sections and enter the tournament with below .500 records but are on Cinderella runs through their sectional playoffs. Everyone loves an underdog story however, how these two teams will be received will be much differently by the overall crowds at State. Monticello took down the top team in their section on their home ice and then beat a program they had never beaten in their school’s history to get to the X and their program has become a fan favorite in St. Paul as everyone loves and can get behind a good Moose Chant. Meanwhile, New Prague got here with a major upset of their own knocking off the South’s top team in overtime but they enter with some really bad publicity of late about their fans and school’s behavior and wont receive the same lovable attention that Moose will get at the Tourney22.

Can Coach Andrews finally get it done?
The Hermantown Hawks will enter the Class A Tournament for the 11th time in 12 years with their new accustomed role as the most hated program in Class A. Well maybe New Prague’s bunch will save them from that title this year at least. However, in the last 5 years since Coach Pat Andrews has taken over starting in 2018 they have yet to get the job done and win the Title even though year after year they have a roster composed of superior talent then everyone else in the Class A field. No one can blame him for last year’s COVID exposure JV vs. Dodge County first round upset but prior to that losing to a Mahtomedi team they beat by 7 goals during the year in 2020, not even reaching State for the first time in Decade in 2019 and losing in Class A semis to a number 4 seeded Alexandria team as two time defending champions don't look so great on his coaching resume for guiding his groups to postseason success. They enter 2022 again the heavy favorite to win with a AA talent wise team. Can he finally seal the deal and win his first Tourney this week? If not the questions might start growing on if he will ever get the job done.
Last edited by ClassAGuy on Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:27 pm, edited 5 times in total.

Joe2015
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Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by Joe2015 » Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:48 pm

My quick thoughts: the Wednesday quarterfinals might be as bad as ever. It will take a minor miracle for the first three games to stay out of running time. Only the 4/5 game (probably Alex and Minneapolis) will be interesting.
Hermantown easily beats the 4/5 winner in the first game on Friday. The second game is a potential Warroad/Mahtomedi matchup: Dardis keeps the Zephyrs in it but the Warriors pull away late
That gives us the all Northern final we have been expecting: Hermantown reclaims the title in a one-goal classic

ClassAGuy
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Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by ClassAGuy » Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:52 pm

Joe2015 wrote:
Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:48 pm
My quick thoughts: the Wednesday quarterfinals might be as bad as ever. It will take a minor miracle for the first three games to stay out of running time. Only the 4/5 game (probably Alex and Minneapolis) will be interesting.
Hermantown easily beats the 4/5 winner in the first game on Friday. The second game is a potential Warroad/Mahtomedi matchup: Dardis keeps the Zephyrs in it but the Warriors pull away late
That gives us the all Northern final we have been expecting: Hermantown reclaims the title in a one-goal classic
If MPLS gets the 3 seed sets up 2 watchable games Wednesday. If Maht gets the 3 then agree with your takes above.

Also you dont know the format at State 2/3 is the 11 AM game followed by 1 vs 4/5.

I will take Warroad in the rematch Hermantown had struggled in the Tourney in the big games over the last few years. TV timeouts allow Gardner and Shaugabay to play mega minutes and Stun the Hawks Again and get the Double Dip!

ClassAGuy
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Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:51 pm

Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by ClassAGuy » Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:07 am

Class A State Tournament Schedule

Class A Quarterfinals (3/9/22) @ Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul MN
#2 seed Warroad 7 Monticello 1
#3 seed Mahtomedi 4 Mankato East 1
#1 seed Hermantown 5 New Prague 1
#5 seed Alexandria 4 #4 seed Minneapolis 1

Class A Consolation Round (3/10/22) @ Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
Monticello vs Mankato East
New Prague vs #4 Minneapolis

Class A Semifinals (3/11/22) @ Xcel Energy Center, St Paul MN
#2 seed Warroad vs #3 seed Mahtomedi
#1 Hermantown vs #5 Alexandria

Class A Consolation Championship (3/12/22) Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
TBD vs TBD

Class A Third Place Game (3/12/22) @ Xcel Energy Center, St Paul MN
TBD vs TBD

Class A Championship Game (3/12/22) @ Xcel Energy Center, St Paul MN
TBD vs TBD
Last edited by ClassAGuy on Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:44 pm, edited 7 times in total.

Nostalgic Nerd
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Location: St. Paul, MN

Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by Nostalgic Nerd » Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:21 am

Go Monticello! [-o< :lol:
I can splash in the rink puddles!

BlueLineSpecial
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Location: RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!!

Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by BlueLineSpecial » Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:12 am

ClassAGuy- I have to give you a lot of credit. The detail and thoughtfulness of your class A write-ups is really great. It actually gets me more invested in watching/following class A games. Thanks for taking the time to do this
The City of Hill Murray is beautiful this time of year

ClassAGuy
Posts: 2564
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:51 pm

Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by ClassAGuy » Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:53 am

BlueLineSpecial wrote:
Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:12 am
ClassAGuy- I have to give you a lot of credit. The detail and thoughtfulness of your class A write-ups is really great. It actually gets me more invested in watching/following class A games. Thanks for taking the time to do this
Thanks BlueLineSpecial! Side hobby and I love Class A just trying to give the Class A teams on the Board the love and insight we get from Karl on the AA side. Also, I miss Stang this year just for another voice and opinion. Hope all is well with Stang and next winter we can both be at full force!

ClassAGuy
Posts: 2564
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:51 pm

Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by ClassAGuy » Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:55 am

2022 Class A QF Round Previews and Picks

#2 seed 8A Champion Warroad (24-3-1) vs 5A Champion Monticello (13-14-1) Class A QF @ Xcel Energy Center
The Class A Tournament gets started off with a traditional northern power taking on a Cinderella team. Warroad will look to be a heavy favorite in this one. The Warriors top line of Seniors Daimon Gardner (39-37-76 pts), Matt Hard (22-19-42 pts.) and Junior Jayson Shaugabay (25-49-74 pts.) will be on the ice all afternoon and the Moose will have trouble containing them. Monticello’s Senior forward Wilson Dahlheimer (23-24-47 pts) will do his best to carry his team like he did on their upset campaign through the 5A Section Playoffs. However, the Warroad D core of Seniors Carson Reed (9-29-38 pts.) & Todd Powassin (6-11-17 pts.) and Junior Eric Comstock (4-29-33 pts) and Sophomore Ryan Lund (5-18-23 pts.) will look to contain him all afternoon. The Warriors also have a big advantage in the net and this one looks like Warroad will cruise into the semifinals with a win.

My Pick- Warroad wins by 2 or 3 goals but the Moose will battle hard

#3 seed 4A Champion Mahtomedi (16-11-1) vs 3A Champion Mankato East (17-10-1) Class A QF @ Xcel Energy Center
The second game of the day features a match up that we saw back in 2018 the year before Ben Darids took the nets for the Zephyrs. Back then the #2 seeded Zephyrs were the heavy favorite over a young Mankato East crew yet the Cougars had Mahtomedi on the ropes until a 5 minutes major called on the Cougars late in third helped the Zephyrs escape with a win. There are some similarities to this year's matchup as Mankato East does have a Senior goaltender Caelin Brueske (17-9-1 .908 SV% 2.17 GAA) who set the single season record for shutouts in school history this winter and he was their Starter at State in 2020 as sophomore. Mahtomedi counters with the above-mentioned Ben Daridis and all he has going on is that he is coming into the Tourney riding a four game shutout streak. The Cougars are built like Mahtomedi in the fact they don't have a big gun up front and rely on their scoring depth but Mahtoemedi’s Juniors forwards David Wolsfeld (22-24-46 pts), Charlie Drage (5-22-37 pts.) & Carter Haycraft (14-15-29 pts.) are coming into the State Tournament red hot. Mahtomedi has the depth advantage and better overall skill and should be able to wear down the Cougars with their relentless forecheck and advance to the Semifinal round.

My Pick- Mahtomedi wins by 2 but scores late to pull away and Mankato East hangs around most of the game

#1 seed 7A Champion Hermantown (26-2-0) vs 1A Champion New Prague (11-15-2) Class A QF @ Xcel Energy Center
The third game of the day on prime time tv will be an ugly between the two most controversial teams in Class A this season. Not much of an interest from a fan perspective here as both teams come to St Paul with some not well received fan fare. New Prague made headlines late in the year for all the wrong reasons but they did benefit from a weak Section 1A and were able to beat Top 10 Northfield to get here so they earned it. However they will need Senior goaltender Carter Peuente (10-11-1 .911 SV% 3.14 GAA) to be outstanding just to keep this game somewhat competitive on the scoreboard. Look for the Hawks to get off to a fast start and their top line of the Plante brothers, Junior Zam (20-35-55 pts.) & Sophomore Max (16-50-66 pts.), along with Junior Kade Kohanski (20-33-53 pts.) will shine. The Hawks will be in cruise control in this one and I don't think many will feel bad for New Prague and not much else to really say about this one.

My Pick- Hermantown in a rout this one will be ugly

#4 seed 2A Champion Minneapolis (21-6-1) vs #5 seed 6A Champion Alexandria (19-6-2) Class A QF @ Xcel Energy Center
As is usually the case the nightcap of Class A will provide us with the day's best game. These two met back on December 11th up in Alexandria and Minneapolis built up a 4-0 lead and held on from there to win 4-2. Both teams are much different now then they were then. Alexandria was all over the place to start this year with terribly inconsistent performances. This game highlighted that I watched it and the cardinals basically slept-walked through half the game and then woke up and pressed hard and dominated the 2nd half but the 4 goal deficit was too much to overcome. Both teams come into the Tournament playing very good hockey and MPLS went through Class A’s toughest section while Alexandria got a bye into the Section championship round before having to play a real playoff game. Minneapolis’s D core of Senior Leo Warner (4-5-9 pts.) and talented Junior defenders Drew Pitts (12-22-34 pts.), Joel Hanson (3-13-16 pts.) & Sophomore Hank Davis (6-7-13 pts) vs. Alexandria’s offensive depth of top line Seniors Josiah Gronholz (25-34-59 pts.) and Brycen Berg (27-16- 43 pts.) & Junior forward Tyler Kludt (13-35-48 pts.) and 2nd line of Junior Joe Lamski (13-19-32 pts) and Sophomores Leo Kompelien (8-17-25 pts.), Gavin Olson (11-5-16 pts.) will be a great in game matchup. This one should be a great game with huge crowds pulling for the team from the 612 in the best battle of the day.

My Pick- Minneapolis wins a tight one their d core shuts down the top two lines of the Cards and wins a great QF game.
Last edited by ClassAGuy on Sat Mar 05, 2022 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

skiumah
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Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by skiumah » Sat Mar 05, 2022 2:29 pm

BlueLineSpecial wrote:
Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:12 am
ClassAGuy- I have to give you a lot of credit. The detail and thoughtfulness of your class A write-ups is really great. It actually gets me more invested in watching/following class A games. Thanks for taking the time to do this
I want to echo BlueLineSpecial. Thanks for your dedication and efforts, ClassAGuy! You obviously put a lot of time into your passion. I really appreciate what you do.

I've recently started enjoying the A game more and more. This is coming from a guy who grew up in that small town, on the westside, with a dream. 😉

I realize this is a generalization, and not fair, but it's my opinion. To me Class A exemplifies a game that is pure enjoyment. Class AA (in the Metro) seems more factory like; young machines trying to achieve the next level (Juniors/College). This is why I've come to enjoy the A game better, with the exception of one team.

side note: Hank Davis (Mpls) is a Sophomore.

ClassAGuy
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Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:51 pm

Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by ClassAGuy » Sat Mar 05, 2022 2:44 pm

skiumah wrote:
Sat Mar 05, 2022 2:29 pm
BlueLineSpecial wrote:
Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:12 am
ClassAGuy- I have to give you a lot of credit. The detail and thoughtfulness of your class A write-ups is really great. It actually gets me more invested in watching/following class A games. Thanks for taking the time to do this
I want to echo BlueLineSpecial. Thanks for your dedication and efforts, ClassAGuy! You obviously put a lot of time into your passion. I really appreciate what you do.

I've recently started enjoying the A game more and more. This is coming from a guy who grew up in that small town, on the westside, with a dream. 😉

I realize this is a generalization, and not fair, but it's my opinion. To me Class A exemplifies a game that is pure enjoyment. Class AA (in the Metro) seems more factory like; young machines trying to achieve the next level (Juniors/College). This is why I've come to enjoy the A game better, with the exception of one team.

side note: Hank Davis (Mpls) is a Sophomore.
Thanks skiumah!!

I too enjoy the product the of Class A more than AA not an opinion shared by most and that is ok. Class A has its issue but overall I enjoy the brand more and think it has improved a ton in the last 28 years since it began.

Thanks for the note on Mr Davis for MPLS been edited!

ClassAGuy
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Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament Preview

Post by ClassAGuy » Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:52 pm

Afternoon Session Class A Quarterfinal Round Recaps:

Warroad 7 Monticello 1
Warriors dominate the opening stretch. But the Moose 4th line gave Monti a spark and a 1-0 lead. Warriors 2nd line Sophomores Pilgrim and Marvin-Cordes gave them a jump. Pilgrim with an on off wing snipe and Marvin Cordes with an amazing play effort set up Jones and Warroad leads 2-1. Dominate period by the Warriors as they outshot the Moose 24-3 during a period where the controlled the play and pace and everything in between. #17 Jayson Shaugabay was the best player on the ice and his wrap around goal made it 3-1. Shortly after he set up his Line mate #13 Gardner and the lead was stretched to 4-1. The Moose Goaltender deserves a ton of credit stopping 22 of 24 shots. Gardner was able to complete the hat trick in third period and a goal on a silky move by Sophomore Pilgrim finished off the Moose. Gardner after the game said, "the boys got buzzing in the third period." Buzz indeed as they outshot the Moose 48-18 on the game. Warroad moves to the Semifinals on Friday.

Mahtomedi 4 Mankato East 1
Both teams had a good 1st period for both teams as the Cougars were able to stick around and the Zephyrs didn't give up much and generated the better chances. Player of the period was in net but it wasn't Bend Dardis it was Cougars goalie Caelin Brueske who had a few really nice saves to keep it tied at zero. Mahtomedi was able to find the back of the net when Carter Haycraft scored about a minute into the 2nd period. Nick Beiersdorf scored in the middle of the period on assists from Jake Hodd-Chlebeck & Cole Swanson to make it 2-0 and Cav Bruner scored backbreaker to make it 3-0 with around 8 seconds left. The Cougars were able to break the shutout streak by Ben Dardis when Cougar defenseman Aiden Prochaska scored to make the game 3-1 but Mahtomedi did answer back when Charlie Drage scored to put the game away and make it 4-1. Mahtomedi moves on to face Warroad on Friday in the Semi Finals.

ClassAGuy
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Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament

Post by ClassAGuy » Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:44 pm

Night Session Class A Quarterfinal Round Recaps:

Hermantown 5 New Prague 1
The Hawks jumped all over the Trojans scoring 3 goals in the first three minutes of the period. Wyatt Carlson, Zam Plante and Dominic Thomas all lit the lamp for Hermantown. Zam Plante scored his 2nd and it looked like an ugly rout was on. However, New Prague was able to hang in there after that and Will Andersen scored a power play goal for the Trojans. A scoreless 2nd period was another win for New Prague as they were able to hang around with the Hawks. Max Plante added a goal in the third period and that was the game. Hermantown wins 5-1 and moves on to the Friday Semifinal.

Alexandria 4 Minneapolis 1
A very good hockey game. The Cards top line buries one earlier on a nice play by Gronholz and Berg pokes the rebound through. MPLS responded with heavy pressure and dominated the period but Alexandria missed a chance to go up 2-0 and not too much later Zoia tied it up 1-1 and that's where it ended after the 1st. Berg picks up his 2nd of the night with a big dirty goal in front on a nice tip in from a point shot. Sophomore Gavin Olson continued his hot playoffs and a nice set up by Joe Lamski and the 2nd line came through big to put the Cards up by a commanding 3-1 with 10 minutes to play. Joe Lamski finished the job with an empty net goal. The key to the game was goaltender Teagan Pfeffer as he was excellent. They now move on to Friday’s Class A Semifinal Game.

ClassAGuy
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Re: 2022 Class A State Tournament

Post by ClassAGuy » Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:46 pm

Class A Consolation Round Recap

Monticello 3 Mankato East 1
In a very competitive Consolation game Monticello’s Brooks Wilson scored on a feed from Brady Bergstrom with about 1:30 left in the first period to take the lead. The Moose scored again 25 seconds into the 2nd period on a goal by Cody Russell who was assisted by Tyler Miller to give Monticello a 2-0 lead. Mankato East did cut into the lead in the third period when Quintin Steindl scored to make it 2-1. The Cougars did pull their goalie to try and even the game but Wilson Dahlheimer scored on the empty net and Monticello will now head to the Consolation Championship on Saturday.

Minneapolis 5 New Prague 2
New Prague Freshman Luke Portner got the scoring going when he put the Trojans up 1-0 just 20 seconds into the first period. However, Jack Hanson would respond with two goals of his own to make it 2-1 Minneapolis after 1 period of play. New Prague’s Charlie Turnberg scored on the powerplay in the 2nd period to have the game knotted at two as they went to the third period. It was then that Minneapolis’s Caden Lacher would play the hero as he scored a natural hat trick in the third period to lead them to the big 5-2 win. Minneapolis will now head to the Consolation Championship on Saturday and try to bring the city back some hardware.

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