Edina finds girls hockey frustration within the section seedings

With the legal battle resolved and Edina's hornet logo free to adorn team jerseys once again, all should be well in the Cake Eaters capital.

Not so.

Girls hockey coach Sami Cowger has major issues with her team's No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class 2A, Section 6 playoffs. The Hornets' path toward a ninth consecutive state tournament appearance runs through top seed Blake.

Never mind the teams' positions in the latest Let's Play Hockey coaches poll, which has Blake (14-11) at No. 13 and Edina (19-4-2) fifth. Section 6 coaches, who do not meet in person or even virtually, submitted their picks and rationale via e-mail. Apparently, Blake's 1-0 upset victory on Jan. 17 at Edina's Braemar Arena was enough to sway section coaches.

"I got phone calls from several coaches asking if our bracket had a misprint," said Cowger, formerly Reber.

Four out of Cowger's first five seasons behind Edina's bench ended with state championships. Going from the state's top dog to section underdogs didn't sit well.

"If you had called the day the bracket came out, I would have said, 'No comment,' " she said. "But now, I think it's the best thing to happen. This will light a fire under us."

Section 6 gets underway on Saturday with the quarterfinals (Blake and Edina each received a bye to the semifinals). Other sections dropped the puck Tuesday.

Perhaps no section in the state is tougher than Class 2A, Section 4, which includes Hill-Murray, Gentry Academy and Stillwater — teams all residing the top 10 this week.

Treacherous sections in Class 1A include Section 4, which features No. 2 Simley and No. 6 South St. Paul. And Section 5, led by No. 4. Holy Angels, No. 5. Orono and No. 7. Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian.

Defending state champions Andover (2A) and Warroad (1A) are favored to return for the Big Skate happening Feb. 22-25 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Class 2A

By Let's Play Hockey (released Feb. 7)

1. Minnetonka (22-2); 2. Hill-Murray (21-3-1); 3. Andover (22-3); 4. Gentry Academy (21-2); 5. Edina (19-4-2); 6. Maple Grove (18-6-1); 7. Stillwater (18-7); 8. Holy Family (18-6-1); 9. Benilde-St. Margaret's (16-7-2); 10. Moorhead (18-8)

11. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (18-6-1); 12. Lakeville South (21-4); 13. Blake (14-11); 14. Apple Valley (18-6-1); 15. Lakeville North (18-7); 16. Roseville/Mahtomedi (17-7-1); 17. Northfield (18-7); 18. Grand Rapids/Greenway (13-11); 19. North Wright County (12-11-2); 20. Roseau (16-10).

Class 1A (records through Feb. 7)

1. Warroad (21-3-1); 2. Simley (20-4-1); 3. Proctor/Hermantown (16-6-2); 4. Academy of Holy Angels (19-5-1); 5. Orono (17-3-4); 6. South St. Paul (19-5-1); 7. Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian (17-8); 8. Fergus Falls (19-4-1); 9. Duluth Marshall (17-6-1); 10 Luverne (19-6).

11. Crookston (13-6-2); 12. Dodge County (15-8-2); 13. Mankato East (18-6); 14. Albert Lea (16-7-1); 15. Delano/Rockford (12-12-1); 16. Chisago Lakes (14-10-1); 17. New Ulm (16-8-1); 18. Willmar (13-4-1); 19. Litchfield-Dassel/Cokato (11-11-3); 20. Moose Lake Area (13-10-2).