Minnesota Highschool Boys Section Playoffs

The Minnesota High school Hockey playoffs are a different breed, pretty much anything could happen. So far we have had upset after upset which shows that when playoffs start it really is a new season. Here is a couple examples of some of the games.

St.Cloud Crush Upsets Roseau, here is a recap of that game.

• 1st Period:
  • Roseau: Jake Kvien (power play) assisted by Noah Urness and Jake Halvorson – 8:26 1
  • St. Cloud: Reece Gronseth (power play) assisted by Jack Fitch and Henry Burkstrand – 14:24- 2nd Period: No goals scored- 3rd Period:
  • St. Cloud: Henry Burkstrand assisted by Connor Wavrin and Aiden Yurzyck – 7:05

Power Plays:

• St. Cloud: 1 for 3 (33.33%)
• Roseau: 1 for 3 (33.33%)

Shots:

• St. Cloud: 10 shots (4 in the 1st period, 4 in the 2nd period, 2 in the 3rd period)
• Roseau: 43 shots (16 in the 1st period, 13 in the 2nd period, 14 in the 3rd period) 1

Penalties:

• St. Cloud: 6 minutes on 3 infractions
• Roseau: 6 minutes on 3 infractions

Elk River beats Moorhead for the very first time in program history in a very needed time. This win puts the playing vs Buffalo in the Section 8AA finals.

• 1st Period:
  • Elk River/Zimmerman: Gavin Sperling scored at 5:40 (even strength) assisted by Preston Holmes and Hayden Jasper.
  • Moorhead: Tyden Bergeson scored at 8:18 (even strength) assisted by Mason Kraft and Carter Huotari 1.
  • Elk River/Zimmerman: Kole Mears scored at 11:18 (even strength) assisted by Braden Hansberger.
  • Moorhead: Mason Kraft scored at 16:41 (power play) assisted by Zac Zimmerman.
• 2nd Period:
  • Elk River/Zimmerman: Cooper Anderson scored at 0:59 (even strength) assisted by Tristan Kriech and Gavin Sperling.
  • Elk River/Zimmerman: Daniel Babcock scored at 16:45 (even strength) assisted by Braden Hansberger and Cooper Anderson.
• 3rd Period: No goals scored.

Penalty Summary:

• 1st Period:
  • Elk River/Zimmerman: Gavin Greniuk received a tripping penalty at 15:43 (minor).
• 2nd Period: No penalties.
• 3rd Period:
  • Elk River/Zimmerman: Easton Johnson received a tripping penalty at 4:14 (minor).

With most of the section finals set and ready to go here is some of the games we are most looking forward to.

Edina vs Wayzata

Edina Wayzata is a matchup many folks look forward to every year. These two teams have seen each other twice so far this year and each game has been great. The first game went in Edina’s favor 4-1, the first period was played evenly but Edina came out flying in the second and scored three goals and went to cruise control. The second game was a major victory for both teams and was a must win game for the Trojans. this game was a turn of events the majority of the goals were scored in the first period and both were battling it out. Wayzata was eventually the victorious team and secured the one seed in section 6AA. A couple players to keep your eye on tonight are, Wayzata’s #14 Jake Mattson he is the Trojans points leader with 28 assists and 23 goals keep a close eye on him as he will be doing everything to give the trojans an advantage. another player to watch out for is Edina’s #18 Jackson Nevers, Nevers is an all around solid player and does wonders for the Hornets he is their points leader as well, with over 30 assists on the season so far he will be looking for his teammates to hopefully set them up for a goal.

Buffalo vs Elk River

These are two team no one expected to see in this game nobody expected them to even get out of the quarter finals. Buffalo comes into this game with a 10-16 record they have played a tough schedule but have been able to pull through in a lot of ways. Buffalos starting goalie Max Varner has been steller this season he is the rock to this teams defense. On the other hand Elk River comes into this one with a 17-9 record. They have been an offesive power house this season with the upset over Moorhead they seem to be on fire. This game should be an absolute must watch and we are excited to see what happens.

Monticello vs St.Cloud Cathedral

This section 5A matchup is sure to be a goodie, these two teams have seen each other before meeting in mid February, that game went in favor of St.Cloud 3-0. But with Monticello playing their best hockey as of late they should be firing on all cylinders and are coming ready to play. Cathedral comes into this game with a 22-4 record which in the least is a very impressive record. To say their goal scoring ability is an under statement, with three guys on the roster with over 25 goals and three guys with over 30 assists they have proven they have no problem putting the puck in the net. Monticello also has a very impressive record but what impresses us the most is their total goals scored this season. Coming into this one with 130 total goals over the season they also have proven they can tuck. Monticello will be looking to make that trip to the X and get revenge on the crusaders look forward to seeing the outcome of this one.