A QF- #2 Delano vs #7 Mankato West

[ClassAGuy]

#2 seed Delano (2A) (22-4-2) vs #7 seed Mankato West Scarlets (3A) (19-7-2)
March 4th, 2025 | 6:00 PM CT | Class A Quarterfinals | @ Grand Casino Arena, St Paul MN

Delano enters the State Tournament for the first time in 4 years and for their 5th appearance overall. The Tigers were able to cruise through the deepest Sectional in the State, and they arrive in St Paul red hot as they are (12-0-1) in their last 13 games. They have been able to play their normal structured base hockey, but they have an added element of offense as their top line, anchored by their Mr. Hockey Finalist, gives this team a scary offense as well. Now they will look to do something they have never done in program history, and win a State Quarterfinal Game to advance at the Tourney.

Tigers Leaders- Srs. #13 Brady Kangas (30-46-76 pts) & #12 Daniel Halonen (39-31-70 pts) and Soph. #62 Lance Halonen (21-22-43 pts) lead the way on the top line for the offense. Sr. #36 Connor Oja (4-22-26 pts), Jr. #21 Dylan Nelson (4-21-25 pts) & Soph #34 Jackson Wollak (5-17-22 pts) have been the leaders of a defensive group that is very structured and one of the best in all of Class A.

Tigers Goalie- Sr. #1 Evan Geyen (11-0-1) 1.73 GAA .918 SV% the three year starter had to miss the first half of the year due to injury but since his return Delano has gone to another level and they are unbeaten with him net this season.

Tigers Quarterfinal Curse- Normally, when we talk about the Quarterfinal Curse with a program whose color scheme is black and orange when referencing the Boys State Hockey Tournament, most people immediately think of White Bear Lake. Well, Class A has its own Black and Orange version growing when it comes to Delano. The Tigers have come on the hockey scene strongly over the past decade, as they will be making their 5th appearance in the last 10 years this week. However, they have yet to win a Quarterfinal Game, and they will want to end that stigma this year and not let this be a thing that hangs over this excellent program’s head any longer.

Tigers Special Teams- The Power Play is at 27.3% and Penalty Kill is at 83.3%

Mankato West enters the State for the first time since 2016 and for the 3rd time overall in program history. This team has been coming on for a while, and they were able to get their revenge as last year they lost in the Section 3A Final in double overtime heartbreak, but they were able to make amends this year by winning a triple overtime thriller. Now they’re back in St Paul, and they will be looking to win a Quarterfinal Game as they’ve yet to be able to do that in their two previous appearances, and this could be the first of many times here, looking at the youth of their roster.

Scarlets Leaders- Jrs. #27 Jakobe Tosch (20-34-54 pts), #7 Keaton Dorzek (18-25-43 pts) & #17 Brodie Cox (14-17-31 pts) have been their steady and productive top line all season long. Jr. #12 Grady Schmidt (14-28-43 pts) & 9th grader #8 Brooks Baukol (10-28-38 pts) have been very good and also productive on the back end as they give the Scarlets good production from the blueline.

Scarlets Goalie- Soph #29 Blake Brekke (10-5-1) 2.02 GAA .928 SV% split the net most of the season but he has been their main guy in net of late and he has played very well the playoffs and is a key reason why they are heading to St Paul this week.

Scarlets Second Half Surge- Mankato West is coming into this State Tournament game playing its best hockey of the year. The Scarlets are still a young team, but they really have grown up as the year has gone along, and they have been one of the top teams in Class A post Christmas time. After a little bit of a sluggish start, the Scarlets are now (16-3-0) since December 29th. This current group of players was expected to have success as they were able to play in multiple State Tournaments when they were coming up from the youth ranks. While drawing one of Class A’s top seeds is tough, don't overlook this hot and confident Scarlets team.

Scarlets Special Teams- The Power Play is at 25% and Penalty Kill is at 83.2%

[Puckguy19]

Delano should be a 4 or 5 seed, at best. West has a real shot in this game.

[bardown27]

Delano by a touchdown

[Nostalgic Nerd]

Haha the mighty big red MW more than hanging in there after 2. They shouldn't be, but they are.

[elliott70]

Haha the mighty big red MW more than hanging in there after 2. They shouldn't be, but they are.

Grit and effort.

[grindiangrad-80]

If you’re ever going to waste a 3 goal lead late Delano is trying.

[grindiangrad-80]

They got by with it but those penalties were not smart.

[elliott70]

They better be smarter the rest of the way and tighter in their d zone.