Class A QF: Northfield vs. #3 Mahtomedi

[karl(east)]

NORTHFIELD VS. #3 MAHTOMEDI
1:00 Wednesday
-As in the first game, this one features two larger Class A public schools somewhere toward the outskirts of the Metro; this one features a newbie against a young but talented regular that is a mild surprise. There is no recent history here.

Northfield (19-5-3, #13, 1-seed in 1A)
First State appearance
Key section win: 3-2 (2 OT) over 3-seed Red Wing
-The Raiders are unusually balanced for an unseeded Class A team, with 6 forwards over 20 points in the regular season. Jacob Halvorson (22) is the big goal-scorer, with Grant Sawyer (5), Jackson Cloud (11), and Nicholas Kvernmo (9) all having productive years. Griffin Loecher (8) and Jack Fox (3) are their top two defensemen, and Ryan Bielenberg (1) has been very solid in goal. They didn’t play many games outside of southern Minnesota, especially in the second half of the season, but a two-goal loss to St. Cloud Cathedral and a tie against Sartell suggest they’re capable of hanging in there against Mahtomedi.

Mahtomedi (15-11-1, #5, 2-seed in 4A)
State appearances: 8 (first since 2015)
Key section win: 3-1 over #4 St. Paul Academy
-The Zephyrs are back at State following a mild upset of St. Paul Academy in 4A. Luke Posner (2) is the clear star here, with more than double the points of any of his teammates, but they have fairly good depth beyond that. Their next four scorers include one player in each class, from senior to freshman: Matt Vannelli (15), Charlie Bartholomew (27), Dylan Lallier (28), and Colin Hagstrom (4). Sophomore Bailey Huber (32) won the goaltending job over the course of the season and has been hot down the stretch, including some of their big wins. This group doesn’t have the top-end skill of a Delano, but it is battle-tested, with a very tough schedule for a Class A team, and has some chance of making the semifinal interesting.

[blueblood]

Could be a close one, I'll go with Mahtomdi by 2

[goldy313]

Bielenberg hasn't been his usual sharp self toward the end of the season, the Raiders need that to change. Mahtomedi plays a much tougher schedule, I think that is the difference.....playing Hill Murray, STA, twice versus Owatonna, West, and the Rochester schools.

Zephyers by 4

[elliott70]

Bielenberg hasn't been his usual sharp self toward the end of the season, the Raiders need that to change. Mahtomedi plays a much tougher schedule, I think that is the difference.....playing Hill Murray, STA, twice versus Owatonna, West, and the Rochester schools.

Zephyers by 4

ditto

[BodyShots]

Lets just hope the Zephyrs don't were those ugly uniforms that they wore on hockey day! You know, the ones that have absolutely no school colors in them.

[HSPuckFan]

Lets just hope the Zephyrs don't were those ugly uniforms that they wore on hockey day! You know, the ones that have absolutely no school colors in them.

I saw they're selling s)white shirts at the school with that logo and a red white and blue STATE 17 on them so who knows.

[elliott70]

Another good QF game.

[TTpuckster]

Of course, I am biased, but I felt that EGF should have been seeded ahead of Maht. Just sayin....

[grindiangrad-80]

Another entertaining game. So far all 4 teams have played well. And of course I haven't picked a winner yet. That's okay though. If every game ends up being played like the 2 this afternoon we are in for a great weekend.

[defense]

Nice start. Nice job to the two winners

[karl(east)]

I was less surprised at this game than the Delano or Hermantown ones, but credit to Northfield. They play a nice team game and have decent depth, which meant they didn't really have any matchup issues with Mahtomedi. They've quietly built a pretty nice little team, and got the goaltending they needed, too.