Section picks: Section 8AA and Class A

Due to not having enough time to type out the rest of the previews, I'll have to share my picks for the rest here:

Section 8AA: Roseau - Just like the Sporting News says, it's the Year of the Ram.

Section 1A: New Prague - Surprise! They lost big to Mankato West at the beginning of the year. They beat Rochester Lourdes in overtime in January. Lourdes has beaten both Mankato West and Albert Lea. New Prague lost to Red Wing early in the season and revenged that loss 6 to 3 last week. The also avenged a loss to Northfield back in December defeating them 4-1 in early February. The Trojans are a scoring machine right now, even more than the Scarlets. This is a tough tough Section with at least five teams having a legitimate chance to win. I'll take the Trojans.

Section 2A: Breck School - Just when I thought Mound-Westonka was back to their dominating ways like they were when they started the season 7-0, they get blown out by Fergus Falls the last game of the regular season 7-2. They had just shutout a very tough Rochester Lourdes team just before that 3-0! Breck, on the other hand, finished the season strong avenging an earlier loss to Blake the last game of the season 4-1. Holy Family Catholic made a surge at the end of the season winning four in a row. Blake School is still a dangerous team. If Mound-Westonka has everybody playing that should be, they will be the ones to beat in this Section. But, for now, I can't trust that. The Mustangs are my horse in this race.

Section 3A: New Ulm - I really wanted to pick Marshall but they have had a tale of two seasons, one before January 12th and one after. The Tigers were 11-2-1 up to that day but 5-5-1 after. They defeated New Ulm in impressive style 7-1 back in December but, in the rematch, the Eagles destroyed the Tigers 9-0 in New Ulm on February 7th. Another team that I am keeping my eye on is Luverne. They had won eight in a row before losing to Windom that they had beaten twice before. Hutchinson and Litchfield could be heard from before it is all over but New Ulm seems to have a little more strength in this Section.

Section 4A: St. Thomas Academy - Easy choice. The Cadets had little trouble with Section 4A opponents including South St. Paul and Simley. Mahtomedi was the only team that was able to hang with St. Thomas for 51 minutes losing 3-2 on February 2nd. The Cadets should not take Totino-Grace for granted and they may get a battle with South St. Paul or Mahtomedi in the finale but the Cadets are destined for state.

Section 5A: St. Cloud Cathedral - I have to admit that I am a northland fan. I was silently pulling for Hermantown and Duluth Denfeld to do well in this Section. Duluth Denfeld started strong but struggled at the end of the regular season. Hermantown, last year's Class A Champion, struggled at the beginning, struggled in January, but finished strong winning eight games in a row UNTIL they faced St. Cloud Cathedral at home. The Crusaders won 4-2 over the Hawks on Hermantown ice. Sauk Rapids-Rice defeated the Crusaders late in the season 3-2 in overtime. Sauk Rapids-Rice has lost to Hermantown 5-2 but defeated Duluth Denfeld 6-3. Denfeld beat Hermantown 1-0 early in the season. It is a bit messy isn't it? My pick would easily had been Hermantown if they would have beat the Crusaders at home.

Section 6A: Little Falls - The Flyers have won 14 in a row including two wins over 2nd seed Fergus Falls and two wins over 3rd seed Alexandria. They are 11-0 against Section 6A teams. Enough said.

Section 7A: Duluth Marshall - It is a shame that the two best teams in Class A have to come from the same Section. Duluth Marshall and International Falls are my top two choices in the state. The only real difference is that International Falls lost to Hibbing/Chisholm 3-1 and Duluth Marshall defeated Hibbing/Chisholm 2-0. Duluth Marshall has also played, arguably, a much tougher schedule. The Hilltoppers locked in my vote by shutting down a strong St. Cloud Cathedral team the last game of the regular season 2-0. If International Falls would have upset Roseau, I would have been convinced to swing my vote for the Broncos as the best team in Class A.

Section 8A: Warroad - The Warriors are a heavy favorite in a Section that is surprisingly down this year. Only three teams out of 11 have winning records. I am confident that the Warriors will advance to St. Paul in March but I'm curious to see what Park Rapids can do against them IF the Panthers can get by East Grand Forks in the semifinals. They beat the Green Wave in overtime 6-5 back in December. The Panthers have had a very successful regular season going 24-2-0 and now Zach Lehrke and company have the opportunity to show the naysayers that they are legit and deserve a trip to the big dance.