I'll post the official seeds so they're here:
1. Northfield
2. Rochester Lourdes
3. Red Wing
4. Mankato West
5. Mankato East
6. Albert Lea
7. Waseca
8. Austin
9. Le Sueur-Henderson/St. Peterson
10. La Crescent
11. Faribault
12. Winona
Giving some attention to the top four seeds (because I think only one of these four teams will win the section):
Northfield
Record: 17-5-3
Last 10 games: 7-2-1
Leading scorers:
Jacob Halvorson: 26-18-41
Grant Sawyer: 12-24-36
Jackson Cloud: 14-22-36
Nicholas Kvernmo: 12-23-35
Goaltending:
Ryan Bielenberg: 2.29 GAA, .908 SV%
Northfield is a balanced group and has two lines that can score. Coming down the stretch, their only loss that is reason for concern would be to Red Wing on 2/16. Though the stats sheet shows the Raiders carried the play for most of the game. Coming into sections Northfield has outscored opponents 51-19 in their last 10 games (four blowout wins in there over Winona, Mayo, Faribault and Mankato West). This group seems to be trending in the right direction for a playoff run.
Rochester Lourdes
Record: 15-10
Last 10 games: 8-2
Leading scorers:
Montana Streit: 18-22-40
Jared Anderson: 15-13-28
Lucas Newman: 11-17-28
Ed Caples: 8-13-21
Goaltending:
Adam Renn: 2.84 GAA, .889 SV%
Similar to Northfield, a lot of balance throughout this roster with all players contributing. Montana Streit leads in scoring, but there are 11 players with double-digit point totals and 10 at/above 16 points on the season. The Eagles have some depth. Coming into sections, the Eagles have outscored opponents 60-22 over their last 10 games (one game being a 14-0 win over Dodge County). In their last 10, they also have wins over Mankato West (7-1) and Red Wing (9-2). This is a team that seems to rise to the occasion when needed and sinks a bit against lesser competition. If they can avoid defensive hiccups, they have the ability to win the section.
Red Wing
Record: 15-9
Last 10 games: 8-2
Leading scorers:
Seth Cushing: 32-29-61
Tyler Defore: 22-22-44
Camryn Blue: 11-16-27
Teddy Lillico: 3-9-12
Goaltending:
Zach Harding: 3.10 GAA, .891 SV%
Immediately noticeable is how top heavy this team is. Their first line accounts for 66% of their offence (132/199 points). Only six players have double digit point totals, and three of those are at or below 12. It's safe to say that as this first line goes, so does the team. Coming down the stretch, this team has outscored opponents 48-28 over their last 10 games (in there is a 10-2 win over Winona and the afore mentioned loss to Lourdes 2-9). Of these last 10 games, there are losses to Lourdes, Mankato West, and an important win over Northfield (4-1). Depth is an issue for this group. For this reason they have struggled against fast, physical teams. And, as noted, if the first line isn't producing, they'll have some issues... As the Wingers move through the tournament, if they run into a team that locks down their first line defensively, they'll struggle. However, this is a team that has beaten Northfield down the stretch. They are capable of making a run toward the X.
Mankato West
Record: 12-11-1
Last 10 games: 4-5-1
Leading scorers:
Kyle Looft: 15-26-41
Jimmy Miller: 11-24-35
Cole Fossen: 5-11-16
Ethan Swenson: 3-13-16
Goaltending:
Jackson Peterson: 2.60 GAA, .896 SV%
Admittedly, of the top four seeds, I am the least familiar with West. This isn't a team that will beat you offensively, as they average 2.79 goals per game. However, they get contributions throughout the line up. They are top heavy, being led by Kyle Looft and Jimmy Miller. After that, they have five other players with double digit point totals. Of the top four seeds, West is the only one to come into sections on a downward trend losing their last 4 games. Two of those four losses were to Lourdes (1-7) and Northfield (0-5) with West being handily out-shot in both of those games. If West can avoid getting down in games early, it works to their favor.
Ultimately, I can see any of these teams winning, as there is a lot of parity in this section. All of these top teams have beaten and lost to each other this season. I think Lourdes is the most battle tested of these teams. Their schedule is a bit tougher than those teams in the Big 9. I don't think it's possible to look at this section with one team being the best overall. This tournament really comes down to individual match-ups. I can see Red Wing causing some trouble for the top teams. And, ultimately, in a best of one series, a hot goaltender for any team can make things problematic. All of that said, the section goes through Rochester. They aren't the number one seed, but all teams are still wanting them out. We'll see what happens.
Best of luck to all teams. It should be an entertaining tournament.
4-5-0 6-9-0 4.0 3.4 Lost 2