Centennial girls' hockey eliminated from state tournament by COVID-19

The Centennial girls' hockey team reached the Class 2A state tournament but COVID-19 ended its chances of playing in it.

School activities director Brian Jamros, in an e-mail to school families, cited "a lab-confirmed positive case" that eliminated the team from the tournament "as required by the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota State High School League guidelines."

The unseeded Cougars (16-5) were set to play No. 2 seed Edina in the opening Class 2A quarterfinal Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

The Hornets (19-0) received a bye and will next play on Thursday of next week in a 6 p.m. semifinal game.

High school league guidelines stipulate that teams unable to compete for any reason in postseason play are eliminated, owing to not being able to reschedule games. The high school league said it "considered options for a replacement team, but was unable to implement a plan.''

"This year continues to create incredibly unfortunate situations for many student-athletes," Executive Director Erich Martens said. "It's heartbreaking when a team that has worked hard to achieve a dream of playing in a state tournament has their opportunity affected by COVID."

Jamros wrote in his e-mail, "The girls' team has had an amazing season on the ice. We couldn't be more proud of you!"

A COVID quarantine connected to the Lakeville North girls' basketball team forced the team to forfeit its Class 4A, Section 3 championship game Thursday against Rosemount. The outcome means the Irish will advance to the state tournament quarterfinals next week.

Both teams had reached the section final after victories last Saturday.

Lakeville North coach Shelly Clemons posted on Twitter on Wednesday that the team learned "a player from our previous opponent tested positive and, therefore, our team must quarantine due to contact exposure."

She added, "I am beyond proud of our team this season."