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Girls Hockey Tournament Preview

By MSHSL Press Release, 02/18/19, 5:15PM CST

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The annual Minnesota State High School League girls' hockey state tournament is scheduled for February 20-23 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul with the consolation rounds being played at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center a few blocks away.  This is the 25th state tournament since the MSHSL became the first state association in the nation to sponsor girls' hockey. Here is a look at the Wednesday quarterfinal matchups.

Class A

Fergus Falls (21-6-0) vs. No. 2 Breck School (19-8-0) --- Fergus Falls, the Section 6 champion, is making its second state tournament appearance and first since 2009. The Otters are 10-1-0 in their past 11 games. The lone loss was a 3-2 setback to Brainerd, an entrant in the Class AA tournament. Breck School is the defending Class A champion. The Mustangs, making their seventh state tournament appearance, were the Class A champion in 2012 and runner-up in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 27 games, junior forward Olivia Mobley has a team-best 28 goals and 31 assists.

Mankato East/Loyola (18-7-2) vs. No. 3 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian (22-0-5) --- Mankato East/Loyola, the Section 3 champion, is making its second trip as this co-op. The other was in 2017. In 1999, Mankato East was in a co-op with Mankato West that resulted in a state tournament trip. Two of the Cougars’ past three victories were wins over Mankato West, including a 4-3 win in the section final. Senior forward Madison Davis has 35 goals and 12 assists to lead the Cougars. Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer/SW Christian is making its second state tournament appearance as the co-op following a trip in 2017. The White Hawks also qualified in 2013. Senior goalie Taylor Smith has allowed just 28 goals this season. Senior wing Lauren Burris has 24 goals and 21 assists.

St. Paul United (12-13-2) vs. No. 1 Warroad (26-0-1) --- St. Paul United, the Section 4 champion, is a co-op of St. Paul Academy and Summit School and Visitation. This is United’s fifth state tournament appearance. In 2016 and 2017, St. Paul United was the Class A runner-up. Last season, United won the consolation final. Warroad is making its 10th state tournament appearance since 2006. In that span, the Warriors were Class A champs in 2010 and 2011, and also had four runner-up finishes. The Warriors have posted 15 shutouts this season.

No. 5 Rochester Lourdes/Dover-Eyota (15-9-1) vs. No. 4 Proctor/Hermantown (18-7-3) --- Rochester Lourdes, the Section 1 champion, is making its first state tournament trip as this co-op. In two other previous appearances in 2005 and 2006, the Eagles were a co-op with Rochester Mayo. Proctor/Hermantown is making its fourth state tournament trip. In 2018, the Mirage placed fourth in the eight-team field. The Mirage are 9-1-1 in their past 11 games. The lone loss in that span was a 3-1 setback to Blaine of Class AA. Sophomore forward Alyssa Watkins has a team-best 21 goals and senior forward Kaitlyn Fawcett has 27 assists.

Class AA

Farmington (15-11-2) vs. No. 2 Andover (23-4-0) --- Farmington, the Section 1 champion, is making its sixth state tournament appearance and first since 2017. The Tigers were the Class A runner-up in 2007. Freshman forward Claire Enright powers the Tigers with 28 goals and 24 assists. Andover won the consolation final in 2018 with a 5-4 victory over Lakeville South in three overtimes. Andover also had to work overtime in this season’s section semifinals, needing four extra sessions to post a 4-3 victory over Elk River/Zimmerman in the semifinals. Andover is making its fourth state tournament appearance. Sophomore forward Peyton Hemp has 31 goals and 27 assists, and junior forward Jamie Nelson has 18 goals and 37 assists.

White Bear Lake Area (13-12-3) vs. No. 3 Brainerd (23-4-1) --- Brainerd, making its second state tournament appearance, lost in overtime to Andover in the consolation semifinals during the 2018 event. The Warriors are 14-0-2 since the holiday break. White Bear Lake Area is making its first state tournament appearance since finishing as the Class AA runner-up in 2002 in its only other trip. To snap the drought, the Bears dethroned Hill-Murray with a 2-0 victory in the Section 4AA final. Hill-Murray had won the section crown for six consecutive seasons.

East Ridge (19-8-1) vs. No. 1 Edina (24-4-0) --- East Ridge, one of three District 833 high schools, is located in Woodbury. The Raptors are making their first state tournament appearance following a 2-0 victory over Eagan in the Section 3 final. That pushed their current winning streak to six consecutive games. Edina is the two-time defending big-school champion and trying to match the feat of three consecutive championships by Minnetonka from 2011-13. Edina, ranked No. 2 in Class AA, was awarded the top seed by participating coaches following its 3-2 victory over No. 1 Blake in the section final. Senior forward CC Bowlby has a team-best 50 points on 25 goals and 25 assists.

No. 5 Minnetonka (14-13-1) vs. No. 4 Maple Grove (19-7-1) --- This is a rematch of a regular-season game won by Maple Grove, 3-2, in overtime on Nov. 29. Minnetonka is making its fifth state tournament appearance. In addition to the three consecutive crowns from 2011-13, the Skippers were the Class AA runner-up in 2015. The Skippers lost four consecutive games to end the regular season, including a 2-0 setback to Lake Conference foe Eden Prairie. But Minnetonka has won three in a row, including a victory over Eden Prairie in the section final. Maple Grove was the Class AA runner-up in its only other state tournament appearance. Senior forward Mannon McMahon powers the Crimson with 23 goals and 25 assists.