St. Francis
After going 8-16-1 in '06-'07 and 5-21-0 last season, a 6-0 start this season is a phenomenal accomplishment for the St. Francis Saints. Junior Joey Benik currently leads the state in scoring while teammate sophomore TJ Belisle is second. Joey's brother Andy is no 'stiff' in goal either. He is averaging 24 saves per game and holds a 2.33 goals against average.
The bad news is that they have yet to play a team with a winning record. Per their schedule, they may not play one for awhile. Their biggest tests will most likely come from Totino-Grace and Benilde-St. Margaret's later in the season. Also, the Saints play 14 games against Class A teams, nine against Class AA.
While Benik and Belisle are leading the state in scoring, the rest of the team has only contributed to 30% of the Saints scoring. St. Francis will need to find more scoring from the rest of the team.
Still, new Head Coach Tony Hoops has the Saints playing well. St. Francis has won four of their first six games by three or more goals and show no signs of letting up. It is quite possible for the Saints to go undefeated through December.
Big-time scorers:
Joey Benik (11) | 16 goals, 11 assists, 27 points | Minnesota state scoring leader
TJ Belisle (10) | 7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points | 2nd in the state in scoring
Benik/Belisle 47 of 67 goals | 70% of the team's scoring
Tough in goal:
Andy Benik | 6 wins, no losses, 91.4% saves, 24 saves per game, 2.33 GAA
Northern Lakes
Northern Lakes Senior Charlie Hollinbeck
gets tripped up by a Bagley/Fosston defender
Photo courtesy of the Northland Press
After a very good 18-6-2 season last year, the Northern Lakes Lightning are on their way to an even better year in '08-'09. They are lead with exceptional goaltending by senior Trey Flesch, who has allowed only one goal per game, and a balanced scoring attack lead by seniors Charlie Hollinbeck, Ryan Donovan, and Sam Johnson.
Northern Lakes, a Class AA team, plays 23 of their 25 regular season games against Class A teams. None of the 25 teams they play have made a state tournament appearance in recent years. Northern Lakes could run the table and go 25-0 during the regular season. Yet, they may only see a sixth seeding in the competitive Section 8AA.
To be fair, Northern Lakes should be a Class A team. A formal letter has been sent to the MSHSL expressing that two of the five cooped schools that make up Northern Lakes have no current players on varsity.
The Lightning have deep experience back from last year's 18-6-2 team. They should not be overlooked come playoff time. As a sixth seed, they could surprise a third seeded team like a Buffalo, St. Cloud Tech, or Brainerd in a quarterfinal matchup.
Great goaltending:
Trey Flesch (12) | 6 wins, no losses, 95.5% saves, 21 saves per game, 1.00 GAA
Balanced scoring:
Charlie Hollinbeck (12) | 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points
Ryan Donovan (12) | 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points
Sam Johnson (12) | 7 goals, 3 assists, 10 points
Collin Burke (11) | 6 goals, 4 assists, 10 points
Cody Chambers (11) | 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points
Ben Kepner (12) | 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points
Three others with 7 points
