Saturday's (12/06) Top Five Performances in Minnesota High School Boys Hockey

There was were quite a few players that scored four or more goals on Saturday. I could have done a Top Five on those players alone. But, there were some other deserving efforts.

Here are my picks for the best performances by an individual or team from Saturday night (12/06/08):

1. Hill-Murray Pioneers | In a rematch of the 2008 Class AA State Tournament, the Pioneers went into Edina's building and let it be known that they are STILL the #1 team in Minnesota high school boys hockey. Westerhaus, Bruchu, and Widing all scored for the defending champions and sophomore goaltender Tim Shaughnessy stopped 32 Hornet shots in the Pioneers 3-1 win.

2. Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers | Another rematch from last year's state tournament but in Class A, Duluth Marshall avenged their lost to St. Thomas Academy 2-1 in Duluth on Saturday. Let's Play Hockey and a few other polls had St. Thomas Academy as the #1 team in Class A to start the season. It is wide open in Class A this year. Pat Mahoney and Dane Morin scored the Hilltopper goals and Willie Paul stopped 38 Cadet shots.

3. Mitchell Cowger (12) - Hutchinson Tigers | Not only did Mitchell Cowger score a hat trick for the Tigers, not only did he score ALL four goals for the Tigers on Saturday night, he scored the last one in dramatic fashion in overtime as Hutchinson defeated Delano/Rockford 4-3.

4. Jordan Palusky (11) - St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders | Down 3-1 inside of one minute in the 2nd period, Jordan Palusky scored with 37 seconds left to pull within one goal going into the 3rd. Palusky then assisted on a goal by senior defenseman Jon Rowe with 1:06 left in the 3rd period to tie the game. In overtime, Palusky struck again at 5:54 into the extra period to lift the Crusaders over Alexandria 4-3. The Crusaders will be the new #1 team in Class A in the FollowThePuck.com rankings for this next week.

5. Thief River Falls Prowlers | After losing 3-1 to Roseau earlier this week, the Prowlers traveled to the Twin Cities and dominated two very good programs in Totino-Grace and Minnehaha Academy. Minnehaha Academy is a bit down this year but the Eagles of Totino-Grace are a contender for the Section 4A crown. Thief River Falls shutout Totino-Grace 3-0 on Friday and then beat Minnehaha Academy on Saturday 6-1. Section 8A is going to be very tough to come out of this year. Warroad, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, and the Prowlers are all strong this season.

Honorable Mention:

Little Falls Flyers | The Flyers went up to the Iron Range and flexed their muscles by skunking the competition 15 goals to zero. They defeated Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl 1-0 on Friday and then Greenway 14-0 on Saturday. Late Note: I did not get to see the box score from this game until after I posted this originally. Ben Hanowski's seven goal, 1 assist performance should have been included.

The Benik Brothers (11)/St. Francis Saints | Can someone please tell me the last time that the St. Francis Saints started a season 4-0? Their schedule is not that of a Blaine, Hill-Murray, or Edina but there has not been a lot to cheer for lately in St. Francis when it comes to hockey. Juniors Joey and Andy Benik have been a big reason for the team's success so far this season. Joey has been scoring points in bunches and brother Andy has been keeping pucks out of the net. On Saturday, Joey Benik scored two goals and had four assists while Andy Benik stopped all 37 shots to preserve a 6-0 thumping of St. Paul Academy. They won't make a lot of noise in Class AA this year but they should see a lot of wins from their favorable schedule. They are a young team of only three seniors, two defensemen and a forward. If they string a couple of winning seasons together, it could be something to build on for years to come.

Jarrett Sachs (11) - North Branch Vikings | Jarrett Sachs scored all six Viking goals in their 8-6 loss to Meadow Creek Christian on Saturday night. That effort is a new school record.

Warroad Warriors | The Warriors apparently reloaded after the 2008 season finishing 3rd in the Class A state tournament. When I looked at their returning players, I thought they might struggle more than they usually do. I figured Dane Shaugabay and Brock Nelson would be the only real threats. So far, that appears to be enough. Nelson scored three goals over the weekend while Shaugabay assisted on six total goals and scored once as Warroad hosted and defeated two very good Twin Cities metro area teams in Section 2A. Warroad took care of Mound-Westonka 4-2 on Friday and an even better team in Orono 4-0 on Saturday. It is too bad that Fox Sports North did not schedule another trip to the northwest part of the state for a Warroad vs. Roseau matchup. Warroad might give the Rams quite a battle this year.

Four Goals Club | Props to Archie Skalbeck (Hopkins), Jake Useldinger (East Grand Forks), and Colton Warner (Apple Valley) for also scoring four goals in leading their teams to victory on Saturday. Nice job!

I know there are many deserving efforts across Minnesota. Believe me, it is very hard to narrow them all down.