While the girls hockey state tournament plays out at Xcel Energy Center this week, the boys teams begin section playoffs throughout the state.
The push to state begins: Boys hockey teams head into sections
The top-ranked teams in Class 2A, Minnetonka and Edina, don't hold the top seeds.
February 21, 2023 at 12:11AM
Last year's champions, Andover (Class 2A) and Hermantown (1A), drop the puck Tuesday in their respective Section 7 brackets. Andover is the No. 2 seed while the top-seeded Hawks are favored to clinch their 13th state tournament trip to St. Paul in the past 14 seasons. This year's event runs March 8-11.
Minnetonka and Edina, ranked first and second in the most recent Let's Play Hockey coaches poll, didn't earn the top seeds in their loaded Class 2A sections.
In Section 2, Chanhassen is No. 1. The Storm's status owes a great deal to a 4-1 victory against the Skippers on Dec. 10. Chanhassen's four top scorers, Jack Christ, Caden Lee, Tyler Smith and Gavin Uhlenkamp, are at or near the 40-point mark. They hope to push the Storm to their first state tournament appearance.
No big-school program is hotter than Minnetonka, the No. 2 seed in Section 2. The Skippers are riding a 14-game winning streak.
Wayzata secured the top spot in Section 6 with a recent and emphatic result against Edina. The Trojans won 7-0 on Saturday to leave no doubt as to their state tournament mission. Senior goaltender Will Ingemann stopped all 25 Edina shots for his sixth shutout this season.
If the seeds hold in Section 5, a finals rematch of No. 1 Rogers and No. 2 Maple Grove is on tap. The Royals tied and beat the Crimson earlier this season. Players on those teams hope to emerge victorious and make their state tournament debut. Maple Grove doesn't lack for motivation either, having lost 6-5 in overtime of the state tournament championship game last season.
Speaking of state tournament championship game losses, Warroad has some unchecked boxes. The titans of Class 1A much of this season, the Warriors are 24-0-1. They open play in Thursday's quarterfinal round against the winner of Tuesday's Section 8 play-in game. Senior forward Jayson Shaugabay is tied for first in the state with 51 assists.
Should Warroad stay on its seasonlong roll, the Warriors can avenge a 3-2 title game loss against Hermantown.
On Jan. 14, Warroad ended Hermantown's 103-game regular-season unbeaten streak against Class 1A competition. Warriors senior Garrett Hennum said afterward: "That means we're No. 1 and they're No. 2. We're over them."
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
