well it starts today with the small schools A schools (who cares they should have never made it a split tourney). and Thursday with the big AA schools. Still the biggest and the best high school tourney in the country (sorry Indiana basketball). Not quite what it was 20 years ago when SI did their big story on it but still an amazing few days. It is a treasure of the state of hockey. over 115,000 thousand will attend over the next 4 days.
8 teams from around the state of Minnesota compete in class AA.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Duluth East H.S. (17-11-0) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 12 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>White Bear Lake Area H.S. </U>(24-2-2) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD rowSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/4/2005 7 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></U>(H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD rowSpan=4><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/5/2005 7 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></U>(H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD rowSpan=8><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Champion </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Moorhead H.S. (23-2-2) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 2 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Rochester Century H.S. </U>(23-2-3) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Bloomington Jefferson H.S. (23-4-1) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 7 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Academy of Holy Angels </U>(23-3-1) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TD rowSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/4/2005 9 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></U>(H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Elk River H.S. (18-10-0) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 9 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Tartan H.S. </U>(23-3-2) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
here are my lines for winning the tourney
Duluth East 11 -1
White Bear Lake 5-2
Moorhead 5-2
Rochester Century 100-1
Bloomington Jefferson 5-1
Holy Angles 5-1
elk River 10-1
Tartan 50-1
(low hold of 7.5% of so)
game one matchups.....
White Bear - 2 1/2 even vs Duluth East
Moorhead - 4 1/2 -120 vs Rochester Century
holy angles -125 vs Bloomington Jefferson
Elk River - 1/2 -160 vs Tartan
DULUTH EAST GREYHOUNDS
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Section: 7AA
Coach: Mike Randolph
Enrollment: 1,076
Record: 17-11-0
Road to state: Defeated Cambridge-Isanti 9-0; Forest Lake 4-1 and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 3-2 (OT)
State tournaments: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1991, 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1996 (AA), 1997 (AA), 1998 (AA), 2000 (AA), 2003 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Rob Johnson, F; Chris Sall, G.; Mike Schumacher, F; Chris Anderson, F; Cade Fairchild, D
Outlook: They had to forfeit their first seven games because of ineligible players, and they had won four, including a 3-2 victory over White Bear Lake on Dec. 4 at Aldrich Arena. So their record should be more like 21-7 against a daunting list of opponents, and they have won 15 of the past 17 games. Senior forward Rob W. Johnson — not to be confused with freshman forward Rob A. Johnson — leads the team in scoring, with 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists). His linemates, Chris Anderson and Mike Schumacher, have combined for another 69 points.
WHITE BEAR LAKE BEARS
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Section: 3AA
Coach: Tim Sager
Enrollment: 2,159
Record: 23-2-3
Road to state: Defeated Irondale 4-2, North St. Paul 7-1 and Centennial 5-3
State tournaments: 1945, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1956, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1990, 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1996 (AA), 1998 (AA), 2001 (AA), 2003 (AA)
Players to watch: Zach Faust, G; Dave Grun, F; Pat Connelly, F; Justin Braun, D; Zach Hansen, D
Outlook: The Bears have one of the state's best goalies in Zach Faust, who had a shutout string of more than 155 minutes in February, and enters the state tournament with a 1.75 goals-against average. Generally considered the co-favorite in the Class AA field, along with Moorhead, White Bear lost 3-2 to the Spuds on Dec. 18, but won a rematch a week and a half later, 2-0 at Xcel in the Schwan Cup Gold Division championship game. Dave Grun leads the Bears in scoring with 38 points (20 goals, 18 assists). Pat Connelly has 37 points, and he leads the team in goals with 25.
MOORHEAD SPUDS
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Section: 8AA
Coach: Dave Morinville
Enrollment: 1,274
Record: 23-2-2
Road to state: Defeated Monticello 15-0, Alexandria 5-1 and Roseau 6-3
State tournaments: 1992 (I), 1993 (I), 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1997 (AA), 2001 (AA), 2002 (AA), 2003 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Brian Lee, D; Chris Vande Velde, F; Spencer Deutz, G; Jon Ammerman, D; Drew Fisher, F
Outlook: The Spuds started the season with a lot of seniors (15 on tournament roster) and high expectations after finishing second to Centennial last year. They have essentially lived up to those expectations, losing only two games against a schedule laden with ranked opponents. The NHL's Central Scouting Service ranks Moorhead defenseman Brian Lee (11G-23A-34P) higher than any other Minnesota high school player at No. 16 (Centennial's R.J. Anderson was drafted last year by Philadelphia and is therefore not ranked), and Spuds forward Chris Vandevelde (32-28-60), is No. 68. Vandevelde has had six hat tricks this season.
ROCHESTER CENTURY PANTHERS
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Section: 1AA
Coach: Bruce Frutiger
Enrollment: 1,416
Record: 23-2-3
Road to state: Rochester Century defeated Austin 3-1, Rochester Mayo 4-3 and Rochester John Marshall 5-3
State tournaments: First appearance
Players to watch: Darin Holland, F; Travis Peterson, F; Andrew Wilcox, F; Alex Kangas, G
Outlook: Century, which opened in 1997, won its first sectional title and comes into the state tournament with an 11-game winning streak. It also has one of the highest-scoring line in Class AA — Darin "Skippy" Holland, Travis Peterson and Andrew Wilcox. They have a combined 179 points. Holland scored more goals during the regular season (35) than any other player in the large-school class and now has 39. Travis Peterson was second only to Holy Angels' Jay Barriball in regular-season assists among AA players with 38 (Barriball had 42), and added five more in the sectional tournament.
BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON JAGUARS
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Section: 6AA
Coach: Jeff Lindquist
Enrollment: 1,280
Record: 23-4-1
Road to state: Defeated Hopkins 8-1, Edina 3-1 and Eden Prairie 5-0
State tournaments: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992 (I), 1993 (I), 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1997 (AA), 1998 (AA), 2000 (AA), 2002 (AA)
Players to watch: Brian Connelly, D; Matt Overman, F; Jordon Wild, F; Austin Lee, G; Josh Levine, F
Outlook: There are some similarities between this Jefferson team and the teams during the dynasty years of 1992-94, beginning on defense. Brian Connelly, a 2005 Mr. Hockey finalist, is not a clone of 1994 Mr. Hockey Mike Crowley, but his style is not unlike Crowley's, and he has Crowley's knack for running the offense. He leads the Jaguars in scoring with 50 points (8G, 42A). Senior forwards Jordon Wild (26G, 23A) and Matt Overman (19G, 29A) are close behind. Junior goalie Austin Lee, who has a 1.75 goals-against average, stopped 53 of the 55 shots he faced in three Section 6AA games.
HOLY ANGELS STARS
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Section: 5AA
Coach: Greg Trebil
Enrollment: 630
Record: 23-2-2
Road to state: Defeated Minneapolis South 12-1, Eastview 6-1 and Apple Valley 4-2
State tournaments: 1999 (AA), 2002 (AA), 2003 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Jared Hummel, D; Jay Barriball, F; Taylor Matson, F; Kyler Moje, F; Ryan Hurley, F; Keaton Smith, G; Cameron Cooper, D
Outlook: "We've had a little trouble this year putting three periods together," all-state defenseman Jared Hummel said after the Stars came back in the third to beat Apple Valley in the 6AA final. But the Stars have as much firepower on offense as any team in the tournament, and they have the No. 1 scorer in Class AA, Jay Barriball, who has 28 goals and 48 assists (76 points). His linemates — Taylor Matson and Ryan Hurley — have accounted for 102 points. Hummel is a plus-75 for the season, meaning he's been on the ice for 75 more Holy Angels goals than goals by the opposition. Barriball is plus-67.
ELK RIVER ELKS
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Section: 4AA
Coach: Tony Sarsland
Enrollment: 1,353
Record: 18-10-0
Road to state: Defeated Anoka 8-0, Maple Grove 4-3 (OT) and Osseo 4-1
State tournaments: 1993 (I), 1999 (AA), 2001 (AA), 2002 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Matt Godlewski, D; Andrew Malzahn, F; Collin Ostroot, F; Brett Peterson, F; Sam Warhol, G
Outlook: Elks coach Tony Sarsland takes pride in teams that don't necessarily have the greatest individual skills, but work hard and overachieve. "It's all the work we did in practice on Mondays that paid off in the third period tonight," he said Friday after his team spotted Osseo an early lead and then came back with four straight goals to win the Section 4AA championship. Andrew Malzahn leads Elk River in scoring with 40 points (12G, 28A); Collin Ostroot has 36 points (18G, 18A); Brett Peterson has 35 (18G, 17A); and defenseman Matt Godlewski has 28 (9G, 19A).
TARTAN TITANS
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Section: 2AA
Coach: John Humphrey
Enrollment: 1,302
Record: 23-3-2
Road to state: Defeated Park (Cottage Grove) 3-0, Woodbury 4-2 and Cretin-Derham Hall 3-2.
State tournaments: 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Mike Wallgren, F; Eric Schulz, F; Jake Schmidt, D; Cary Wood, G; Tyler Tolzman, F; Nick Fuerst, F; Jake Lodahl, D
Outlook: The Titans won their first sectional championship last year, and the momentum from that has carried over. This season, they won the Classic Suburban Conference championship, their first in school history, and repeated as Section 2AA champs. Their next goal is to win at the state tournament. Five Tartan players have collected more than 30 points. Mike Wallgren is tops in the group with 46 points (18G, 28A). Eric Schulz leads in goals with 27, and he scored the tying and winning goals in the third period as the Titans edged Cretin-Derham 3-2 in the 2AA final.
8 teams from around the state of Minnesota compete in class AA.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Duluth East H.S. (17-11-0) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 12 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>White Bear Lake Area H.S. </U>(24-2-2) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD rowSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/4/2005 7 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></U>(H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD rowSpan=4><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/5/2005 7 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></U>(H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD rowSpan=8><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Champion </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Moorhead H.S. (23-2-2) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 2 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Rochester Century H.S. </U>(23-2-3) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Bloomington Jefferson H.S. (23-4-1) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 7 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Academy of Holy Angels </U>(23-3-1) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TD rowSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/4/2005 9 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></U>(H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Elk River H.S. (18-10-0) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle>3/3/2005 9 PM</TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Xcel Energy Center </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg>Tartan H.S. </U>(23-3-2) (H) </TD><TD background=/mshsl/images/tanbk.jpg></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
here are my lines for winning the tourney
Duluth East 11 -1
White Bear Lake 5-2
Moorhead 5-2
Rochester Century 100-1
Bloomington Jefferson 5-1
Holy Angles 5-1
elk River 10-1
Tartan 50-1
(low hold of 7.5% of so)
game one matchups.....
White Bear - 2 1/2 even vs Duluth East
Moorhead - 4 1/2 -120 vs Rochester Century
holy angles -125 vs Bloomington Jefferson
Elk River - 1/2 -160 vs Tartan
DULUTH EAST GREYHOUNDS
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Section: 7AA
Coach: Mike Randolph
Enrollment: 1,076
Record: 17-11-0
Road to state: Defeated Cambridge-Isanti 9-0; Forest Lake 4-1 and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 3-2 (OT)
State tournaments: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1991, 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1996 (AA), 1997 (AA), 1998 (AA), 2000 (AA), 2003 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Rob Johnson, F; Chris Sall, G.; Mike Schumacher, F; Chris Anderson, F; Cade Fairchild, D
Outlook: They had to forfeit their first seven games because of ineligible players, and they had won four, including a 3-2 victory over White Bear Lake on Dec. 4 at Aldrich Arena. So their record should be more like 21-7 against a daunting list of opponents, and they have won 15 of the past 17 games. Senior forward Rob W. Johnson — not to be confused with freshman forward Rob A. Johnson — leads the team in scoring, with 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists). His linemates, Chris Anderson and Mike Schumacher, have combined for another 69 points.
WHITE BEAR LAKE BEARS
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Section: 3AA
Coach: Tim Sager
Enrollment: 2,159
Record: 23-2-3
Road to state: Defeated Irondale 4-2, North St. Paul 7-1 and Centennial 5-3
State tournaments: 1945, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1956, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1990, 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1996 (AA), 1998 (AA), 2001 (AA), 2003 (AA)
Players to watch: Zach Faust, G; Dave Grun, F; Pat Connelly, F; Justin Braun, D; Zach Hansen, D
Outlook: The Bears have one of the state's best goalies in Zach Faust, who had a shutout string of more than 155 minutes in February, and enters the state tournament with a 1.75 goals-against average. Generally considered the co-favorite in the Class AA field, along with Moorhead, White Bear lost 3-2 to the Spuds on Dec. 18, but won a rematch a week and a half later, 2-0 at Xcel in the Schwan Cup Gold Division championship game. Dave Grun leads the Bears in scoring with 38 points (20 goals, 18 assists). Pat Connelly has 37 points, and he leads the team in goals with 25.
MOORHEAD SPUDS
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Section: 8AA
Coach: Dave Morinville
Enrollment: 1,274
Record: 23-2-2
Road to state: Defeated Monticello 15-0, Alexandria 5-1 and Roseau 6-3
State tournaments: 1992 (I), 1993 (I), 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1997 (AA), 2001 (AA), 2002 (AA), 2003 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Brian Lee, D; Chris Vande Velde, F; Spencer Deutz, G; Jon Ammerman, D; Drew Fisher, F
Outlook: The Spuds started the season with a lot of seniors (15 on tournament roster) and high expectations after finishing second to Centennial last year. They have essentially lived up to those expectations, losing only two games against a schedule laden with ranked opponents. The NHL's Central Scouting Service ranks Moorhead defenseman Brian Lee (11G-23A-34P) higher than any other Minnesota high school player at No. 16 (Centennial's R.J. Anderson was drafted last year by Philadelphia and is therefore not ranked), and Spuds forward Chris Vandevelde (32-28-60), is No. 68. Vandevelde has had six hat tricks this season.
ROCHESTER CENTURY PANTHERS
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Section: 1AA
Coach: Bruce Frutiger
Enrollment: 1,416
Record: 23-2-3
Road to state: Rochester Century defeated Austin 3-1, Rochester Mayo 4-3 and Rochester John Marshall 5-3
State tournaments: First appearance
Players to watch: Darin Holland, F; Travis Peterson, F; Andrew Wilcox, F; Alex Kangas, G
Outlook: Century, which opened in 1997, won its first sectional title and comes into the state tournament with an 11-game winning streak. It also has one of the highest-scoring line in Class AA — Darin "Skippy" Holland, Travis Peterson and Andrew Wilcox. They have a combined 179 points. Holland scored more goals during the regular season (35) than any other player in the large-school class and now has 39. Travis Peterson was second only to Holy Angels' Jay Barriball in regular-season assists among AA players with 38 (Barriball had 42), and added five more in the sectional tournament.
BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON JAGUARS
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Section: 6AA
Coach: Jeff Lindquist
Enrollment: 1,280
Record: 23-4-1
Road to state: Defeated Hopkins 8-1, Edina 3-1 and Eden Prairie 5-0
State tournaments: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992 (I), 1993 (I), 1994 (AA), 1995 (AA), 1997 (AA), 1998 (AA), 2000 (AA), 2002 (AA)
Players to watch: Brian Connelly, D; Matt Overman, F; Jordon Wild, F; Austin Lee, G; Josh Levine, F
Outlook: There are some similarities between this Jefferson team and the teams during the dynasty years of 1992-94, beginning on defense. Brian Connelly, a 2005 Mr. Hockey finalist, is not a clone of 1994 Mr. Hockey Mike Crowley, but his style is not unlike Crowley's, and he has Crowley's knack for running the offense. He leads the Jaguars in scoring with 50 points (8G, 42A). Senior forwards Jordon Wild (26G, 23A) and Matt Overman (19G, 29A) are close behind. Junior goalie Austin Lee, who has a 1.75 goals-against average, stopped 53 of the 55 shots he faced in three Section 6AA games.
HOLY ANGELS STARS
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Section: 5AA
Coach: Greg Trebil
Enrollment: 630
Record: 23-2-2
Road to state: Defeated Minneapolis South 12-1, Eastview 6-1 and Apple Valley 4-2
State tournaments: 1999 (AA), 2002 (AA), 2003 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Jared Hummel, D; Jay Barriball, F; Taylor Matson, F; Kyler Moje, F; Ryan Hurley, F; Keaton Smith, G; Cameron Cooper, D
Outlook: "We've had a little trouble this year putting three periods together," all-state defenseman Jared Hummel said after the Stars came back in the third to beat Apple Valley in the 6AA final. But the Stars have as much firepower on offense as any team in the tournament, and they have the No. 1 scorer in Class AA, Jay Barriball, who has 28 goals and 48 assists (76 points). His linemates — Taylor Matson and Ryan Hurley — have accounted for 102 points. Hummel is a plus-75 for the season, meaning he's been on the ice for 75 more Holy Angels goals than goals by the opposition. Barriball is plus-67.
ELK RIVER ELKS
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Section: 4AA
Coach: Tony Sarsland
Enrollment: 1,353
Record: 18-10-0
Road to state: Defeated Anoka 8-0, Maple Grove 4-3 (OT) and Osseo 4-1
State tournaments: 1993 (I), 1999 (AA), 2001 (AA), 2002 (AA), 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Matt Godlewski, D; Andrew Malzahn, F; Collin Ostroot, F; Brett Peterson, F; Sam Warhol, G
Outlook: Elks coach Tony Sarsland takes pride in teams that don't necessarily have the greatest individual skills, but work hard and overachieve. "It's all the work we did in practice on Mondays that paid off in the third period tonight," he said Friday after his team spotted Osseo an early lead and then came back with four straight goals to win the Section 4AA championship. Andrew Malzahn leads Elk River in scoring with 40 points (12G, 28A); Collin Ostroot has 36 points (18G, 18A); Brett Peterson has 35 (18G, 17A); and defenseman Matt Godlewski has 28 (9G, 19A).
TARTAN TITANS
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Section: 2AA
Coach: John Humphrey
Enrollment: 1,302
Record: 23-3-2
Road to state: Defeated Park (Cottage Grove) 3-0, Woodbury 4-2 and Cretin-Derham Hall 3-2.
State tournaments: 2004 (AA)
Players to watch: Mike Wallgren, F; Eric Schulz, F; Jake Schmidt, D; Cary Wood, G; Tyler Tolzman, F; Nick Fuerst, F; Jake Lodahl, D
Outlook: The Titans won their first sectional championship last year, and the momentum from that has carried over. This season, they won the Classic Suburban Conference championship, their first in school history, and repeated as Section 2AA champs. Their next goal is to win at the state tournament. Five Tartan players have collected more than 30 points. Mike Wallgren is tops in the group with 46 points (18G, 28A). Eric Schulz leads in goals with 27, and he scored the tying and winning goals in the third period as the Titans edged Cretin-Derham 3-2 in the 2AA final.
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