The top dog of all MN Boys high school holiday hockey tournaments. The QF line-up is:
STA (#3A) vs. AHA (unranked); Duluth East (#1AA) vs. Burnsville (#7AA); Minnetonka (#2AA) vs. Hill-Murray (#18AA) and Blaine (#11AA) vs. Edina (#5AA).
Storylines to watch for: With DE (#1AA) in the top half and Tonka (#2AA) in the bottom half, most are predicting a Hounds vs. Skippers final. With the Skipper’s nemesis Edina (#5AA) looming as a logical semifinal match-up, the state may have to wait until Hockey Day MN to see those two teams go toe-to toe at the Excelsior Commons on the shores of Lake Minnetonka.
As everyone on this board knows, the winner of the Gold Bracket has NEVER won the AA State title. Will that be put to bed this year? Only time will tell.
blueblood’s prediction: Edina over DE in the finals (therefore the Hornets will not win State
); Tonka over STA for 3rd; Blaze over the Bengals for 5th; Hill over Holy for right to stay in next year’s Gold. Sorry Zamman…St. Louis Park (BSM)
BSM has put together a solid event the past few seasons and this year is no exception. It is now the #2 holiday hockey tournament, surpassing the Schwann’s Silver bracket in terms of level of competition. The QF match-ups are:
ER (#9AA) squares off in a NWSC match-up against MG (#3AA); Wayzata (#12AA) vs. Jefferson (unranked); EP (#6AA) vs. Moorhead (#13AA); and BSM (#8AA) vs. Centennial (#14AA).
Story lines to watch for: ER needs a win over MG to stay in contention for NWSC title (They already lost to Blaine at home). Will the Jags come off the “Winless” high school hockey list?
blueblood’s prediction: MG over EP in the finals; BSM over Wayzata for 3rd; ER over Moorhead for 5th; Centennial over Jefferson for the toilet bowl. Sorry Jags…
Schwann Silver
The winner of this event will get the opportunity to move up to the Gold Bracket next season. The QF line-up is:
Lakeville South (#19AA) vs. Stillwater (unranked); Breck (#1A) vs. AV (unranked); Bemidji (#20AA) vs. Forest Lake (unranked); Roseville (unranked) vs. Blake (#10A)
Story lines to watch for: Can the #1 Breck Mustangs defeat three AA teams to win the Silver title? Can Lakeville South and the “Kloos Konnection” step up and represent for Section 1AA?
blueblood’s prediction: Breck over Bemidji in the finals; South over Blake for 3rd; Stilly over Roseville for 5th; AV over Flake for the toilet bowl. Sorry Oldgoalie…
South St. Paul Premier
As the HHF stated, anything less than the SSP title would be a major disappointment for the Eagan Wildcats. With the emergence of Eagan as a premier boys HS program, they need to get out of this tourney in future seasons.
Story lines to watch for: Will the perceived lack of holiday completion come back to haunt the Wildcats in their match-up versus Tonka on January 3rd at the Pagel Center?
blueblood’s prediction: (Eagan #3) over Woodbury for the title…