Section 2A

[Schnauzer1]

Section 2A has long been ruled by Breck. Delano and Orono have taken their turns pushing Breck aside on occasion, and this year Breck has struggled. It has been said many times that this section is deep with contenders, and 2A has generally fared well when playing opponents from other sections. It appears to be wide open with up to 6 different teams that, if hot, could make a run to state. I have only seen discussion related to 2A here in other threads, like the 3A conversation. Your thoughts on section 2A as we turn the page to February?

[BP]

Section 2A has long been ruled by Breck. Delano and Orono have taken their turns pushing Breck aside on occasion, and this year Breck has struggled. It has been said many times that this section is deep with contenders, and 2A has generally fared well when playing opponents from other sections. It appears to be wide open with up to 6 different teams that, if hot, could make a run to state. I have only seen discussion related to 2A here in other threads, like the 3A conversation. Your thoughts on section 2A as we turn the page to February?

2A has always been the deepest section in the state year after year. As is Class A Hockey being down this year, this section is completely up for grabs this year - unlike what you stated above. The 3-6 and 4-5 quarterfinal match-ups will be really fun to watch.

[elliott70]

Per QRF
1 No. 2 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer
2 No. 7 Orono
3 No. 10 Minneapolis
4 No. 17 Delano
5 No. 21 Providence Academy
6 No. 28 Breck
7 No. 66 Waconia
8 No. 68 Southwest Christian
9 No. 70 Bloomington Kennedy

#1 whomever it is will have an easy game.
#2 ditto
#3 may have Breck - not the best spot.
After that watch out, it could be anyone.

I am hoping to see Minneapolis versus Mound.
If I were to pick the team I would bet on....
the team who has the hot goalie.

[Schnauzer1]

I'm not sure if Southwest Christian / Richfield will be playing in sections yet. I don't think they did last year. If so, they will just seed 8 teams, have three rounds, and go at it. As others stated, there will be some interesting quarter final games, let alone semis and final.

[Stang5280]

Per QRF
1 No. 2 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer
15-4-1 overall, 6-1 section (Orono)
2 No. 7 Orono
11-5-1, 6-1 (Delano, at Mound, at Waconia)
3 No. 10 Minneapolis
12-8, 4-2 (Breck)
4 No. 17 Delano
10-9, 3-4 (at Orono, at Waconia)
5 No. 21 Providence Academy
12-5-2, 2-3 (at Kennedy)
6 No. 28 Breck
5-12, 1-2 (at Minneapolis)
7 No. 66 Waconia
3-17, 0-6 (Delano, Orono, Mound)
8 No. 68 Southwest Christian
2-5, 0-1 (None)
9 No. 70 Bloomington Kennedy
2-15, 2-4 (Providence)

#1 whomever it is will have an easy game.
#2 ditto
#3 may have Breck - not the best spot.
After that watch out, it could be anyone.

I am hoping to see Minneapolis versus Mound.
If I were to pick the team I would bet on....
the team who has the hot goalie.

I added overall records, section records, and remaining section opponents to Elliott’s post. I believe these are correct, but feel free to point out any errors.

The listing above looks to be about how the current seeding would go, with the exception of Kennedy likely being ahead of Waconia based on section record and a head-to-head victory. At this point, Providence, Breck, Kennedy, and Waconia are basically locked into the five through eight seeds in that order, as only Waconia has a significant number of sectional games remaining (and they will likely lose all three).

Mound and Orono could certainly swap places, as could Minneapolis and Delano. This is a huge week for Mound, Orono, and Delano, who all face one or both of the other two teams at some point this week.

Delano has the goalie most likely to steal a game, though they struggle to generate much offense. Minneapolis is somewhat of a wildcard, as they have some great wins and head scratching losses. I would not be surprised to see any of the top four teams win this section.

[elliott70]

So Breck would be a surprise?
Mild or a shocker?

[Stang5280]

So Breck would be a surprise?
Mild or a shocker?

Breck winning the section would definitely be a surprise to me. Maybe not quite a shocker, but leaning closer to that end of the spectrum. The Mustangs have proven that they can hang around with the better Class A teams, so in that respect they could knock off any of the higher seeds. However, Breck lacks the ability to generate offense on a consistent basis, and it would be quite surprising to see them score enough to win three straight games against good opponents.

[Schnauzer1]

I believe the winner of tomorrow night's BIG clash between Westonka and Orono will get the #1 seed in section 2A, with tomorrow's loser getting the #2 seed.

That makes it pretty straight forward for the first two seeds. I believe #3 and #4 will likely be Delano and Minneapolis. Who gets that nod? Who gets the higher seed between Providence and Breck?

[Stang5280]

Who gets that nod? Who gets the higher seed between Providence and Breck?

Providence 7, Breck 1 is pretty much the beginning and end of the story. I think the other coaches will have a hard time looking past that head-to-head matchup and delving deep into strength of schedule, other comparative results, etc. Not that I can blame them, either. All other things being relatively equal, an overwhelming head-to-head victory should separate two teams.