2022 Class A State Tournament
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:46 pm
2022 Class A State Tournament Preview
The time is finally here for the Class A Tourney 22 and a return to the normalcy that we all are accustomed to after last year's COVID filled 2021 campaign and the ensuing disrupted State Tournament experience that followed. Class A has been dominated all year by two teams that would love a rematch of a mid season clash that went to overtime and beyond that there are plenty of new faces and storylines for the week ahead as we get ready for the Class A Tournament this upcoming week.
Meet the 2022 Class A State Tournament Teams-
Section 1A Champions- New Prague Trojans (11-15-2)
Section 1A Playoff Results- W 7-1 #4 seed Faribault, W 3-2 OT #1 seed Northfield, W 5-2 #3 seed Albert Lea
Meet the Trojans- Well rather the state or the MSHSL wanted them the Trojans have arrived at the X representing Section 1A. After a 6 year stint of getting throttled in the first round year after year by Section 2AA teams New Prague was able to get back down into Class A due to a number change in the enrollment cutoff and boy did that move pay off for them. While they still struggled mightily during the regular season finishing in the bottom of Metro West Conference they were able to garner a #4 seed in 1A. They did make news during the regular season but for all the wrong reasons and this will not be a program that is going to capture anyone’s heart at State but regardless they are here. The key to their team's success is in the net where veteran Senior Goaltender Carter Peuente (10-11-1 .911 SV% 3.14 GAA) has been steady all year. He will face a ton of rubber at State so New Prague will need him to be on top of his game. On the blueline, Senior Defenseman Ryan Brinkhaus (3-2-25 pts.) uses his physical style of play to lead the group from the back end. Up front is mixture of Underclassmen and Seniors as Junior John Schmidt (10-16-26 pts.) leads the team in points while Sophomore Willy Seymour & Freshman Luke Portner have each chipped in 21 points of their own. But it has been their Senior duo of Will Andersen (9-16-25 pts.) and Charlie Turnberg (9-6-17 pts) who have led the way in the playoffs scoring the big goals when the team needed them the most. They enter state as the lowest rated team and with losses to teams like Waconia and Kennedy during the season on their resume they will struggle mightily to keep up with any of the top 3 seeds they draw at State.
Section 2A Champions- Minneapolis (21-6-1)
Section 2A Playoff Results- W 5-1 #9 seed Hutchinson, W 5-1 #4 seed Providence Academy, W 3-1 #2 seed Delano
Meet Minneapolis- For the first time since 1994 a public school from Minneapolis will be playing in the State Boys Hockey Tournament. For a program that has had to combine into one co-opt of what was once a mighty group of proud city hockey teams due to demographics and player departures and they will be the considerable fan favorite at State in Class A. If the fan turnout in the Section 2A Tournament told us anything it is to expect a big contingent of 612 fans at the X. The team with no nickname comes into this tournament off of a magical year where they beat many state ranked teams and then went through the toughest Section in the state in Class A and capped it off by dethroning the three time defending section 2A champions. Minneapolis’s most unheralded player is their Senior Goaltender Alex Lamont (21-6-1 .899 SV% 2.18 GAA) while many pointed to him as the weakness during the year he was at his best during their run through the very tough 2A Sectional only surrendering one goal in each game. He does have a solid crew of defenders in front of him led by rock solid Senior Leo Warner (4-5-9 pts.) and and talented Junior defenders Drew Pitts (12-22-34 pts.), Joel Hanson (3-13-16 pts.) & Sophomore Hank Davis (6-7-13 pts)[/b] all who can move pucks effectively while playing a physical brand of defense. Up front their three Seniors forward have led the way all year as Jack Hanson (24-28-52 pts.), Zander Zoia (11-29-40 pts.) & Evan Grimm (16-11-27 pts.) have led the offensive charge all year. Minneapolis is one of the better storylines in the Tourney this year and will look to now get to Friday Afternoon and see how full they can get the lower bowl with their large 612 fan following.
Section 3A Champions- Mankato East Cougars (17-10-1)
Section 3A Playoff Results- W 6-0 #7 seed Mankato West, W 7-1 #3 seed Luverne, W 6-0 #1 seed New Ulm
Meet the Cougars- When the season started many doubters had serious questions on just how good Mankato East would be as they did graduate a core of seniors who accounted for 75 of 102 of the team's goals. They also lost their returning starter goalie from the year before who decided to pursue other hockey opportunities. With question marks like that it was no guarantee to what we would see out of this year’s version of Cougar Juice. The first big question got answered by getting Senior goaltender Caelin Brueske (17-9-1 .908 SV% 2.17 GAA) to return to hockey this season after quitting the sport his junior year and all he did was set single season record for shutouts in school history so that problem was easily solved. As for replacing the high end scorers from the class of 2021 this year’s version of the Cougars has used a much more balanced team approach when it comes to offense and that approach has given them great success. Seniors Quintin Steindl (11-23-34 pts.), Aiden Prochaska (8-25-33 pts.) & Parker Anthony (11-17-28 pts.) along with Juniors Shea Gavin (16-13-29 pts), Andrew Bastian (11-14-25 pts) & Brayden Borgmeier (10-7-17 pts) and the addition of Sophomore Christian Theuninck (11-13-24 pts.) have given this team just the right amount scoring to wear teams down. They are coming into the tournament feeling good as they outscored their 3A competition 19-1 and in every game they did their most damage in the second period to put the game away. While they will be in trouble no matter who they draw in the first round at State this group of Cougars has proven already they have the answers for the questions their doubters raise.
Section 4A Champions- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (16-11-1)
Section 4A Playoff Results- W 9-0 #8 seed St Paul Johnson, W 6-0 #5 seed Two Rivers, W 4-0 #3 seed Chisago Lakes
Meet the Zephyrs- No team enters the Class A State Tournament more battle tested and with more Championship experience than Mahtomedi. The last time we saw Coach Jeff Poeschl in St Paul his Zephyrs were raising the 2020 State Championship Trophy and no other team in the field has both a head coach and players on their roster with State Championship pedigree. This Mahtomedi team has been tested as well and no team played a tougher schedule than they did during the year playing many of the AA’s best teams this winter in preparation for the State Tournament tests. Ultimately though the reason why no one should count out the Zephyrs is because of their 4 year Senior starting goalie Ben Dardis (14-11-1 1.97 GAA .942 SV %) who is the state's all-time shutout leader comes into the Tourney with 4 straight shutouts and already has a State Title under his belt. On Defense Ben’s brother Senior Grant Dardis (5-16-21 pts.) along with Junior Cav Bruner (4-17-21 pts.) lead a solid group of defenders that have gone toe to toe with the State’s best teams all season long. Up front they are led by Senior forward Brent Gulenchyn (14-20-34 pts.) and a nice core group of Juniors forwards in David Wolsfeld (22-24-46 pts), Charlie Drage (5-22-37 pts.),Carter Haycraft (14-15-29 pts.), Jonny Grove (13-16-29 pts.) and Cory Bohmert (8-12-20 pts.) that give the Zephyrs a solid two lines to compete with anyone. The Zephyrs will look to fall back on their Championship experience and wreck the Title Game prediction of 1 vs 2 that everyone is envisioning in Class A just like they did in 2020 as the 4 seed.
Section 5A Champions- Monticello/Maple Lake Moose (13-14-1)
Section 5A Playoff Results- W 3-2 #5 seed River Lakes, W 4-3 #1 seed Little Falls, W 3-2 #3 seed St. Cloud Cathedral
Meet the Moose- When the new Section 5A realignment came out last April many assumed that with the additions of Little Falls and St Cloud Cathedral that those two respected powerhouse programs would take over the section with ease. Not so fast as the traditional power in 5A the Moose had a lot to say about that come playoff time and Monticello made a magical run through the 5A playoffs beating a Top 10 team on their home ice and then winning the school's first ever game against a program that has owned them over the years. In order to make that playoff run the Moose got the most out of diminutive 5’7 senior goaltender Michale Biller (13-12-0 .897 SV% 3.04 GAA) who has been up and down on the year. Give Monticello Coach Eric Nelson credit he did a very nice job with a thin group talent wise as he brings his 4th team to state out of 5A in the last 6 years. Senior forward Wilson Dahlheimer (23-24-47 pts) up front and Senior defender Gavin Simon (7-18-25 pts) on the backend are very talented and do it all for the Moose but they don't have much beyond that. Coach Nelson molded the rest of the group like Seniors Brooks Wilson (7-14-21 pts.) and Juniors Tyler Miller (5-13-18 pts.) & Tyler Bitz (14-4-18 pts.) into buying into roles and playing a tough physical brand of hockey that was enough to sneak out of weak overall talent base in 5A. The Moose will be outmanned by whichever top 3 seed they face but they still had a great playoff run to surprise many and return to the X representing Section 5A.
Section 6A Champions- Alexandria Cardinals (19-6-2)
Section 6A Playoff Results- W 19-0 #8 seed Breckenridge/Wahpeton, W 10-2 #5 seed Morris Benson, W 4-2 #2 seed Fergus Falls
Meet the Cardinals- Alexandria had a rocky year in 2021 as with a new coach and new identity they limped to a below .500 record and failed to reach the Section 6A Final for the first time in 4 years. This year it appeared they would struggle again as they got off to (3-4-1) start and entered January with below .500 record and terribly inconsistent play. No team was happier to see the calendar turn to 2022 than the Cardinals as since the new year they have put things together and they enter the State Tournament red hot with a 12 game unbeaten streak. Part of the middle of the year turn around can be attributed to Senior goaltender Teagan Pfeffer (14-6-2 .888 SV % 2.71 GAA) playing better in the nets but if there's an achilles heel its him has he had given up 4 or more goals in 7 of his 22 starts on the year. Defensively the Cardinals are led by 3 year veteran Seniors Pieter Mulder (3-25-28 pts.) & Brennan Lattimer (4-3-7 pts.). Up front the Cardinals have tremendous depth in their forwards led by their big top line of Seniors Josiah Gronholz (25-34-59 pts.) and Brycen Berg (27-16- 43 pts.) & Junior forward Tyler Kludt (13-35-48 pts.) and they are supported by a Juniors Joe Lamski (13-19-32 pts) & Nicholas Peterson (14-11-25 pts) and developing Sophomores Leo Kompelien (8-17-25 pts.) & Gavin Olson (11-5-16 pts.) who both anchor the 2nd line. Alexandria will be a tough out at the X as they are back for the first time since 2018 when as a 4 seed they made a run to the State Championship Game. Don’t be shocked if this group pulls off the same feat as they are playing their best hockey at the right time of the year.
Section 7A Champions- Hermantown Hawks (26-2-0)
Section 7A Playoff Results- W 13-0 #8 seed North Shore, W 6-0 #5 seed Greenway, W 11-0 #2 seed Duluth Denfeld
Meet the Hawks- Hermantown comes into the State Tournament having made a mockery of the Section 7A Playoffs which they outscored their opponents by a combined 30-0 margin. They enter St Paul as again the favorite in Class A a place that Coach Andrews has had his squad the previous 5 years he has been behind the bench but will this finally be the group that has so much superior talent that they can win him his first Class A Title? All signs point to yes as if there was a question coming into the year it would have been goaltending and a key transfer from Duluth East answered that question as Sophomore Dane Callaway (17-2-0 .921 SV% 1.48 GAA) has been magnificent in the net. They have three thoroughbred defenders in Senior Beau Janzig (7-17-24 pts.) and Juniors Ty Hanson (14-28-42 pts) & George Petrson (10-12-22 pts.). They also feature on the state’s top lines regardless of Class as the Plante brothers, Junior Zam (20-35-55 pts.) & Sophomore Max (16-50-66 pts.), along with Junior Kade Kohanski (20-33-53 pts.) are enough to give any opposition fits. This Hawk group though can throw out the likes of Seniors Gavin Blomdahl (10-16-26 pts) & Dominic Thomas (11-11-22 pts) , Junior Wyatt Carlson (17-13-30 pts) & Sophomore Dallas Vieau (16-11-27 pts.) as part of the supporting cast and it just makes them so difficult to match up with for any Class A team. This group looks to be the favorite as we get ready for the Class A Tourney to Start and the crazy thing is if they all stick around next year’s Hawk group will be even better then this year’s version.
Section 8A Champions- Warroad Warriors (24-3-1)
Section 8A Playoff Results- W 10-0 #8 seed Park Rapids, W 5-1 #4 seed East Grand Forks, W 4-1 #2 seed Thief River Falls
Meet the Warriors- Hockeytown USA is on cloud nine these days as over the past two weeks their Girls Program won the Class A Title and now their Boys Programs heads to St Paul looking to do the same. Warroad has been excellent this year and excluding a small stretch where they struggled near the end of January they have been nearly perfect and unbeatable all winter long. It starts in the net for the Warriors as Junior Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (24-3-1 .928 SV% 1.48 GAA) has played nearly every minute in net and been outstanding all season. He has four fantastic defenseman in front of him as Seniors Carson Reed (9-29-38 pts.) & Todd Powassin (6-11-17 pts.) and Junior Eric Comstock (4-29-33 pts) and Sophomore Ryan Lund (5-18-23 pts.) can all defend and can get up and add to the rush and be an offensive threat as well. Speaking of offensive the Warriors have developed a good 1-2 punch as the season has went along as their while their top line of Seniors Daimon Gardner (39-37-76 pts), Matt Hard (22-19-42 pts.) and Junior Jayson Shaugabay (25-49-74 pts.) get all the attention. The 2nd line of dynamic Sophomores Murray Marvin-Cordes (15-17-32 pts.) and Carson Pilgrim (15-12-27 pts.) have developed nicely as the season has progressed and the Warriors look primed to do exactly what the Girls did two weekends earlier and head to St Paul and return home with some State Championship Hardware to really reinforce their claim as Hockeytown USA.
5 Interesting Storylines on the 2022 Class A State Tournament
The City back in the Tourney
Brace yourself Class A fans for a large fan base following of 612 area code hockey lovers. If the Section 2A Tournament taught us anything it's that Minneapolis is gonna pack the Xcel with a ton of alumni and this group can definitely play. Many questioned this group and just how good they were but with wins over the likes of Delano twice, Orono , Providence Academy twice and State Tournament teams Alexandria and Mankato East on the resume no one should be doubting this group anymore. They have created some much needed hockey fever in the Minneapolis area and they will take the ice at state for the first time since 1994 and will be crowd favorites come Wednesday.
Warriors Double Dip?
Two weeks ago the Warroad Girls Hockey team took home the 2022 Class A title and now the Boys team comes to the cities looking to do the same thing again. The number two ranked Warriors boys teams has been a story to watch all winter as they feature the offensively gifted duo of Senior Daimon Garnder and Junior Jayson Shaugabay and beyond a mini mid season slump they have been terrific all year. Hockeytown USA would love to put on the welcome to town billboard home of the 2022 Girls & Boys State Hockey Champs by the end of this upcoming weekend.
Championship Pedigree
With all the focus and attention on the highly rated Hermantown and Warroad teams and the lovable story of the public school city team returning to the X for the first time since the mid 90’s it's easy to forget about the 2020 State Champions. No other team in the field has the experience of winning a State Title recently like Mahtomedi. Just two years ago they were raising the trophy at the end of the Tournament when no one had pegged the #4 seed to do much of anything at the start of it. Could this be deja vu all over again with Goaltender Ben Dardis in net for his 4th straight year anything is possible for the Zephyrs.
Cinderella Stories
This year’s Class A State Tournament features two Section Champions that were number four seeds in their own sections and enter the tournament with below .500 records but are on Cinderella runs through their sectional playoffs. Everyone loves an underdog story however, how these two teams will be received will be much differently by the overall crowds at State. Monticello took down the top team in their section on their home ice and then beat a program they had never beaten in their school’s history to get to the X and their program has become a fan favorite in St. Paul as everyone loves and can get behind a good Moose Chant. Meanwhile, New Prague got here with a major upset of their own knocking off the South’s top team in overtime but they enter with some really bad publicity of late about their fans and school’s behavior and wont receive the same lovable attention that Moose will get at the Tourney22.
Can Coach Andrews finally get it done?
The Hermantown Hawks will enter the Class A Tournament for the 11th time in 12 years with their new accustomed role as the most hated program in Class A. Well maybe New Prague’s bunch will save them from that title this year at least. However, in the last 5 years since Coach Pat Andrews has taken over starting in 2018 they have yet to get the job done and win the Title even though year after year they have a roster composed of superior talent then everyone else in the Class A field. No one can blame him for last year’s COVID exposure JV vs. Dodge County first round upset but prior to that losing to a Mahtomedi team they beat by 7 goals during the year in 2020, not even reaching State for the first time in Decade in 2019 and losing in Class A semis to a number 4 seeded Alexandria team as two time defending champions don't look so great on his coaching resume for guiding his groups to postseason success. They enter 2022 again the heavy favorite to win with a AA talent wise team. Can he finally seal the deal and win his first Tourney this week? If not the questions might start growing on if he will ever get the job done.
The time is finally here for the Class A Tourney 22 and a return to the normalcy that we all are accustomed to after last year's COVID filled 2021 campaign and the ensuing disrupted State Tournament experience that followed. Class A has been dominated all year by two teams that would love a rematch of a mid season clash that went to overtime and beyond that there are plenty of new faces and storylines for the week ahead as we get ready for the Class A Tournament this upcoming week.
Meet the 2022 Class A State Tournament Teams-
Section 1A Champions- New Prague Trojans (11-15-2)
Section 1A Playoff Results- W 7-1 #4 seed Faribault, W 3-2 OT #1 seed Northfield, W 5-2 #3 seed Albert Lea
Meet the Trojans- Well rather the state or the MSHSL wanted them the Trojans have arrived at the X representing Section 1A. After a 6 year stint of getting throttled in the first round year after year by Section 2AA teams New Prague was able to get back down into Class A due to a number change in the enrollment cutoff and boy did that move pay off for them. While they still struggled mightily during the regular season finishing in the bottom of Metro West Conference they were able to garner a #4 seed in 1A. They did make news during the regular season but for all the wrong reasons and this will not be a program that is going to capture anyone’s heart at State but regardless they are here. The key to their team's success is in the net where veteran Senior Goaltender Carter Peuente (10-11-1 .911 SV% 3.14 GAA) has been steady all year. He will face a ton of rubber at State so New Prague will need him to be on top of his game. On the blueline, Senior Defenseman Ryan Brinkhaus (3-2-25 pts.) uses his physical style of play to lead the group from the back end. Up front is mixture of Underclassmen and Seniors as Junior John Schmidt (10-16-26 pts.) leads the team in points while Sophomore Willy Seymour & Freshman Luke Portner have each chipped in 21 points of their own. But it has been their Senior duo of Will Andersen (9-16-25 pts.) and Charlie Turnberg (9-6-17 pts) who have led the way in the playoffs scoring the big goals when the team needed them the most. They enter state as the lowest rated team and with losses to teams like Waconia and Kennedy during the season on their resume they will struggle mightily to keep up with any of the top 3 seeds they draw at State.
Section 2A Champions- Minneapolis (21-6-1)
Section 2A Playoff Results- W 5-1 #9 seed Hutchinson, W 5-1 #4 seed Providence Academy, W 3-1 #2 seed Delano
Meet Minneapolis- For the first time since 1994 a public school from Minneapolis will be playing in the State Boys Hockey Tournament. For a program that has had to combine into one co-opt of what was once a mighty group of proud city hockey teams due to demographics and player departures and they will be the considerable fan favorite at State in Class A. If the fan turnout in the Section 2A Tournament told us anything it is to expect a big contingent of 612 fans at the X. The team with no nickname comes into this tournament off of a magical year where they beat many state ranked teams and then went through the toughest Section in the state in Class A and capped it off by dethroning the three time defending section 2A champions. Minneapolis’s most unheralded player is their Senior Goaltender Alex Lamont (21-6-1 .899 SV% 2.18 GAA) while many pointed to him as the weakness during the year he was at his best during their run through the very tough 2A Sectional only surrendering one goal in each game. He does have a solid crew of defenders in front of him led by rock solid Senior Leo Warner (4-5-9 pts.) and and talented Junior defenders Drew Pitts (12-22-34 pts.), Joel Hanson (3-13-16 pts.) & Sophomore Hank Davis (6-7-13 pts)[/b] all who can move pucks effectively while playing a physical brand of defense. Up front their three Seniors forward have led the way all year as Jack Hanson (24-28-52 pts.), Zander Zoia (11-29-40 pts.) & Evan Grimm (16-11-27 pts.) have led the offensive charge all year. Minneapolis is one of the better storylines in the Tourney this year and will look to now get to Friday Afternoon and see how full they can get the lower bowl with their large 612 fan following.
Section 3A Champions- Mankato East Cougars (17-10-1)
Section 3A Playoff Results- W 6-0 #7 seed Mankato West, W 7-1 #3 seed Luverne, W 6-0 #1 seed New Ulm
Meet the Cougars- When the season started many doubters had serious questions on just how good Mankato East would be as they did graduate a core of seniors who accounted for 75 of 102 of the team's goals. They also lost their returning starter goalie from the year before who decided to pursue other hockey opportunities. With question marks like that it was no guarantee to what we would see out of this year’s version of Cougar Juice. The first big question got answered by getting Senior goaltender Caelin Brueske (17-9-1 .908 SV% 2.17 GAA) to return to hockey this season after quitting the sport his junior year and all he did was set single season record for shutouts in school history so that problem was easily solved. As for replacing the high end scorers from the class of 2021 this year’s version of the Cougars has used a much more balanced team approach when it comes to offense and that approach has given them great success. Seniors Quintin Steindl (11-23-34 pts.), Aiden Prochaska (8-25-33 pts.) & Parker Anthony (11-17-28 pts.) along with Juniors Shea Gavin (16-13-29 pts), Andrew Bastian (11-14-25 pts) & Brayden Borgmeier (10-7-17 pts) and the addition of Sophomore Christian Theuninck (11-13-24 pts.) have given this team just the right amount scoring to wear teams down. They are coming into the tournament feeling good as they outscored their 3A competition 19-1 and in every game they did their most damage in the second period to put the game away. While they will be in trouble no matter who they draw in the first round at State this group of Cougars has proven already they have the answers for the questions their doubters raise.
Section 4A Champions- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (16-11-1)
Section 4A Playoff Results- W 9-0 #8 seed St Paul Johnson, W 6-0 #5 seed Two Rivers, W 4-0 #3 seed Chisago Lakes
Meet the Zephyrs- No team enters the Class A State Tournament more battle tested and with more Championship experience than Mahtomedi. The last time we saw Coach Jeff Poeschl in St Paul his Zephyrs were raising the 2020 State Championship Trophy and no other team in the field has both a head coach and players on their roster with State Championship pedigree. This Mahtomedi team has been tested as well and no team played a tougher schedule than they did during the year playing many of the AA’s best teams this winter in preparation for the State Tournament tests. Ultimately though the reason why no one should count out the Zephyrs is because of their 4 year Senior starting goalie Ben Dardis (14-11-1 1.97 GAA .942 SV %) who is the state's all-time shutout leader comes into the Tourney with 4 straight shutouts and already has a State Title under his belt. On Defense Ben’s brother Senior Grant Dardis (5-16-21 pts.) along with Junior Cav Bruner (4-17-21 pts.) lead a solid group of defenders that have gone toe to toe with the State’s best teams all season long. Up front they are led by Senior forward Brent Gulenchyn (14-20-34 pts.) and a nice core group of Juniors forwards in David Wolsfeld (22-24-46 pts), Charlie Drage (5-22-37 pts.),Carter Haycraft (14-15-29 pts.), Jonny Grove (13-16-29 pts.) and Cory Bohmert (8-12-20 pts.) that give the Zephyrs a solid two lines to compete with anyone. The Zephyrs will look to fall back on their Championship experience and wreck the Title Game prediction of 1 vs 2 that everyone is envisioning in Class A just like they did in 2020 as the 4 seed.
Section 5A Champions- Monticello/Maple Lake Moose (13-14-1)
Section 5A Playoff Results- W 3-2 #5 seed River Lakes, W 4-3 #1 seed Little Falls, W 3-2 #3 seed St. Cloud Cathedral
Meet the Moose- When the new Section 5A realignment came out last April many assumed that with the additions of Little Falls and St Cloud Cathedral that those two respected powerhouse programs would take over the section with ease. Not so fast as the traditional power in 5A the Moose had a lot to say about that come playoff time and Monticello made a magical run through the 5A playoffs beating a Top 10 team on their home ice and then winning the school's first ever game against a program that has owned them over the years. In order to make that playoff run the Moose got the most out of diminutive 5’7 senior goaltender Michale Biller (13-12-0 .897 SV% 3.04 GAA) who has been up and down on the year. Give Monticello Coach Eric Nelson credit he did a very nice job with a thin group talent wise as he brings his 4th team to state out of 5A in the last 6 years. Senior forward Wilson Dahlheimer (23-24-47 pts) up front and Senior defender Gavin Simon (7-18-25 pts) on the backend are very talented and do it all for the Moose but they don't have much beyond that. Coach Nelson molded the rest of the group like Seniors Brooks Wilson (7-14-21 pts.) and Juniors Tyler Miller (5-13-18 pts.) & Tyler Bitz (14-4-18 pts.) into buying into roles and playing a tough physical brand of hockey that was enough to sneak out of weak overall talent base in 5A. The Moose will be outmanned by whichever top 3 seed they face but they still had a great playoff run to surprise many and return to the X representing Section 5A.
Section 6A Champions- Alexandria Cardinals (19-6-2)
Section 6A Playoff Results- W 19-0 #8 seed Breckenridge/Wahpeton, W 10-2 #5 seed Morris Benson, W 4-2 #2 seed Fergus Falls
Meet the Cardinals- Alexandria had a rocky year in 2021 as with a new coach and new identity they limped to a below .500 record and failed to reach the Section 6A Final for the first time in 4 years. This year it appeared they would struggle again as they got off to (3-4-1) start and entered January with below .500 record and terribly inconsistent play. No team was happier to see the calendar turn to 2022 than the Cardinals as since the new year they have put things together and they enter the State Tournament red hot with a 12 game unbeaten streak. Part of the middle of the year turn around can be attributed to Senior goaltender Teagan Pfeffer (14-6-2 .888 SV % 2.71 GAA) playing better in the nets but if there's an achilles heel its him has he had given up 4 or more goals in 7 of his 22 starts on the year. Defensively the Cardinals are led by 3 year veteran Seniors Pieter Mulder (3-25-28 pts.) & Brennan Lattimer (4-3-7 pts.). Up front the Cardinals have tremendous depth in their forwards led by their big top line of Seniors Josiah Gronholz (25-34-59 pts.) and Brycen Berg (27-16- 43 pts.) & Junior forward Tyler Kludt (13-35-48 pts.) and they are supported by a Juniors Joe Lamski (13-19-32 pts) & Nicholas Peterson (14-11-25 pts) and developing Sophomores Leo Kompelien (8-17-25 pts.) & Gavin Olson (11-5-16 pts.) who both anchor the 2nd line. Alexandria will be a tough out at the X as they are back for the first time since 2018 when as a 4 seed they made a run to the State Championship Game. Don’t be shocked if this group pulls off the same feat as they are playing their best hockey at the right time of the year.
Section 7A Champions- Hermantown Hawks (26-2-0)
Section 7A Playoff Results- W 13-0 #8 seed North Shore, W 6-0 #5 seed Greenway, W 11-0 #2 seed Duluth Denfeld
Meet the Hawks- Hermantown comes into the State Tournament having made a mockery of the Section 7A Playoffs which they outscored their opponents by a combined 30-0 margin. They enter St Paul as again the favorite in Class A a place that Coach Andrews has had his squad the previous 5 years he has been behind the bench but will this finally be the group that has so much superior talent that they can win him his first Class A Title? All signs point to yes as if there was a question coming into the year it would have been goaltending and a key transfer from Duluth East answered that question as Sophomore Dane Callaway (17-2-0 .921 SV% 1.48 GAA) has been magnificent in the net. They have three thoroughbred defenders in Senior Beau Janzig (7-17-24 pts.) and Juniors Ty Hanson (14-28-42 pts) & George Petrson (10-12-22 pts.). They also feature on the state’s top lines regardless of Class as the Plante brothers, Junior Zam (20-35-55 pts.) & Sophomore Max (16-50-66 pts.), along with Junior Kade Kohanski (20-33-53 pts.) are enough to give any opposition fits. This Hawk group though can throw out the likes of Seniors Gavin Blomdahl (10-16-26 pts) & Dominic Thomas (11-11-22 pts) , Junior Wyatt Carlson (17-13-30 pts) & Sophomore Dallas Vieau (16-11-27 pts.) as part of the supporting cast and it just makes them so difficult to match up with for any Class A team. This group looks to be the favorite as we get ready for the Class A Tourney to Start and the crazy thing is if they all stick around next year’s Hawk group will be even better then this year’s version.
Section 8A Champions- Warroad Warriors (24-3-1)
Section 8A Playoff Results- W 10-0 #8 seed Park Rapids, W 5-1 #4 seed East Grand Forks, W 4-1 #2 seed Thief River Falls
Meet the Warriors- Hockeytown USA is on cloud nine these days as over the past two weeks their Girls Program won the Class A Title and now their Boys Programs heads to St Paul looking to do the same. Warroad has been excellent this year and excluding a small stretch where they struggled near the end of January they have been nearly perfect and unbeatable all winter long. It starts in the net for the Warriors as Junior Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (24-3-1 .928 SV% 1.48 GAA) has played nearly every minute in net and been outstanding all season. He has four fantastic defenseman in front of him as Seniors Carson Reed (9-29-38 pts.) & Todd Powassin (6-11-17 pts.) and Junior Eric Comstock (4-29-33 pts) and Sophomore Ryan Lund (5-18-23 pts.) can all defend and can get up and add to the rush and be an offensive threat as well. Speaking of offensive the Warriors have developed a good 1-2 punch as the season has went along as their while their top line of Seniors Daimon Gardner (39-37-76 pts), Matt Hard (22-19-42 pts.) and Junior Jayson Shaugabay (25-49-74 pts.) get all the attention. The 2nd line of dynamic Sophomores Murray Marvin-Cordes (15-17-32 pts.) and Carson Pilgrim (15-12-27 pts.) have developed nicely as the season has progressed and the Warriors look primed to do exactly what the Girls did two weekends earlier and head to St Paul and return home with some State Championship Hardware to really reinforce their claim as Hockeytown USA.
5 Interesting Storylines on the 2022 Class A State Tournament
The City back in the Tourney
Brace yourself Class A fans for a large fan base following of 612 area code hockey lovers. If the Section 2A Tournament taught us anything it's that Minneapolis is gonna pack the Xcel with a ton of alumni and this group can definitely play. Many questioned this group and just how good they were but with wins over the likes of Delano twice, Orono , Providence Academy twice and State Tournament teams Alexandria and Mankato East on the resume no one should be doubting this group anymore. They have created some much needed hockey fever in the Minneapolis area and they will take the ice at state for the first time since 1994 and will be crowd favorites come Wednesday.
Warriors Double Dip?
Two weeks ago the Warroad Girls Hockey team took home the 2022 Class A title and now the Boys team comes to the cities looking to do the same thing again. The number two ranked Warriors boys teams has been a story to watch all winter as they feature the offensively gifted duo of Senior Daimon Garnder and Junior Jayson Shaugabay and beyond a mini mid season slump they have been terrific all year. Hockeytown USA would love to put on the welcome to town billboard home of the 2022 Girls & Boys State Hockey Champs by the end of this upcoming weekend.
Championship Pedigree
With all the focus and attention on the highly rated Hermantown and Warroad teams and the lovable story of the public school city team returning to the X for the first time since the mid 90’s it's easy to forget about the 2020 State Champions. No other team in the field has the experience of winning a State Title recently like Mahtomedi. Just two years ago they were raising the trophy at the end of the Tournament when no one had pegged the #4 seed to do much of anything at the start of it. Could this be deja vu all over again with Goaltender Ben Dardis in net for his 4th straight year anything is possible for the Zephyrs.
Cinderella Stories
This year’s Class A State Tournament features two Section Champions that were number four seeds in their own sections and enter the tournament with below .500 records but are on Cinderella runs through their sectional playoffs. Everyone loves an underdog story however, how these two teams will be received will be much differently by the overall crowds at State. Monticello took down the top team in their section on their home ice and then beat a program they had never beaten in their school’s history to get to the X and their program has become a fan favorite in St. Paul as everyone loves and can get behind a good Moose Chant. Meanwhile, New Prague got here with a major upset of their own knocking off the South’s top team in overtime but they enter with some really bad publicity of late about their fans and school’s behavior and wont receive the same lovable attention that Moose will get at the Tourney22.
Can Coach Andrews finally get it done?
The Hermantown Hawks will enter the Class A Tournament for the 11th time in 12 years with their new accustomed role as the most hated program in Class A. Well maybe New Prague’s bunch will save them from that title this year at least. However, in the last 5 years since Coach Pat Andrews has taken over starting in 2018 they have yet to get the job done and win the Title even though year after year they have a roster composed of superior talent then everyone else in the Class A field. No one can blame him for last year’s COVID exposure JV vs. Dodge County first round upset but prior to that losing to a Mahtomedi team they beat by 7 goals during the year in 2020, not even reaching State for the first time in Decade in 2019 and losing in Class A semis to a number 4 seeded Alexandria team as two time defending champions don't look so great on his coaching resume for guiding his groups to postseason success. They enter 2022 again the heavy favorite to win with a AA talent wise team. Can he finally seal the deal and win his first Tourney this week? If not the questions might start growing on if he will ever get the job done.
