New email address

My new email address is followthepuck@gmail.com. Thank you.

Doug Hagen
FollowThePuck.com

State Tournament: Class AA Results

2007-2008 Minnesota State Hockey Tournament Results

Class AA

Finals:

Championship: Hill-Murray 3, Edina 0 | MSHSL Stats

Third Place: Benilde-St. Margaret's 5, Roseau 1 | MSHSL Stats

Fifth Place: Woodbury 4, Blaine 3 | MSHSL Stats
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Semifinals:

Edina 5, Benilde-St. Margaret's 4 (OT) | MSHSL Stats

Hill-Murray 6, Roseau 2 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

Consolation Semifinals:

Woodbury 5, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 4 | MSHSL Stats

Blaine 4, Lakeville South 0 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

Quarterfinals:

Edina 5, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 0 | MSHSL Stats

Benilde-St. Margaret's 4, Woodbury 1 | MSHSL Stats

Roseau 8, Blaine 2 | MSHSL Stats

Hill-Murray 3, Lakeville South 0 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

2008 Minnesota High School Boys Hockey All-State Selections

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Ness, Roseau

FIRST TEAM
F-Zach Lehrke, SR, Park Rapids
F-Beau Hanowski, SR, Little Falls
F-Zach Budish, JR, Edina
D-Aaron Ness, SR, Roseau
D-Jake Gardiner, SR, Minnetonka
G-Mike Lee, JR, Roseau

SECOND TEAM
F-Jake Youso, SR, International Falls
F-Tyler Barnes, SR, Burnsville
F-Ricky Litchfield, SR, Mankato West
D-Joe Gleason, SR, Edina
D-Drew Olson, SR, Brainerd
G-Joe Phillippi, SR, Hill-Murray

HONORABLE MENTION

FORWARDS
Tom Alexander, JR, Rochester Mayo; Seth Ambroz, FR, New Prague; Kevin Anderson, SR, Robbinsdale Armstrong; Korby Anderson, SR, Owatonna; Ryan Anderson, SR, Mankato West; Blake Appelhof, SR, Benilde-St. Margaret's; Jace Baldwin, JR, International Falls; Cory Belisle, SR, Anoka; Matt Berglund, SR, Benilde-St. Margaret's; Josh Birkholz, JR, Blake; Sam Blaisdell, JR, Minnehaha Academy; Ryan Bohrer, SR, Cretin-Derham Hall; Jared Bowman, SR, Albert Lea; J.T. Brown, SR, Rosemount; Dan Cecka, SR, Hill-Murray; Sam Coatta, JR, Minnetonka; Ladd Corrin, SR, International Falls; Anthony DeCenzo, SR, Hibbing; David Eddy, SR, Woodbury; Marshall Everson, JR, Edina; Chris Fiala, SR, White Bear Lake; Taylor Funk, JR, Rochester Lourdes; Ryan Furne, SR, Hill-Murray; Joe Frazer, SR, Brainerd; Lucas Gervais, SO, Fergus Falls; Devon Grossell, JR, Winona; Cole Gunner, JR, Richfield; Ben Hanowski, JR, Little Falls; Jake Hendrickson, SR, Burnsville; Jake Johnson, SR, Duluth Denfeld; Rob Johnson, SR, Duluth East; Ryan Johnson, SR, Blai ne; Justin Jokinen, SR, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton; Ryan Kesti, SR, Red Wing; Tony Krogen, SR, Marshall; Trenton Krueger, SR, St. Paul Johnson; Tyler Landman, JR, Roseau; Jared Larson, SR, Eastview; Anders Lee, JR, Edina; Corey Leivermann, SR, Mankato West; Danny Mattson, JR, Holy Angels; Adam Mueller, SR, Roseville; Joey Nadeau, SR, Winona; Ben Nelson, SR, Roseau; Nick Oliver, JR, Roseau; John O'Neill, SR, Anoka; Cody Peck, SR, Fergus Falls; Bryce Ravndalen, SR, Warroad; Brock Pederson, SR, Mounds View; Ben Persian, JR, Orono; Tyler Pitlick, JR, Centennial; Sean Randall, SR, Coon Rapids; Bryce Ravndalen, SR, Warroad; Kyle Reinarts, JR, New Ulm; Conor Rooney, SR, St. Thomas Academy; James Saintey, SR, St. Thomas Academy; Mike Schaber, SR, Blaine; Blake Schammel, JR, Red Wing; Berkley Scott, JR, Anoka; Chris Stafne, SR, Duluth Denfeld; Sean Stewart, JR, New Ulm; Charlie Thauwald, JR, Rochester Mayo; Nick Thielen, SR, Moorhead; Cory Thorson, SR, Robbinsdale Armstrong; Zach Vierling, SR, Coon Rapids; Tyler Voigt, JR, Rochester Lourdes; Ryan Walters, SO, St. Thomas Academy; Casey Woodside, SR, Albert Lea; Steve Zierke, SR, Benilde-St. Margaret's.

DEFENSEMEN
David Brown, SR, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton; Brandon Burrell, SR, North Metro; Will Corrin, SO, International Falls; Bo Dolan, SR, Hill-Murray; Cory Fienhage, SR, Eastview; Noah Greene, SR, Hopkins; Matt Grose, SR, Lakeville North; Dano Jacques, SR, Duluth Marshall; Nick Jensen, JR, Rogers; Nick Leddy, JR, Eden Prairie; Jeff Lesmeister, SR, Anoka; Luke McManus, SR, Rosemount; Eric Olson, SR, International Falls; Zach Palmquist, JR, South St. Paul; Grant Paulson, JR, Owatonna; Anthony Raiola, SR, Minnetonka; Adam Royce, SR, Albert Lea; Joe Rubbelke, SO, St. Paul Johnson; Alec Rush, JR, Eden Prairie; Dan Sova, SR, Hill-Murray; Pete Spratte, JR, Rochester Lourdes; Chris Student, SR, Benilde-St. Margaret's; Blake Thompson, SO, Eden Prairie; Rob Vannelli, SR, St. Thomas Academy; Matt Youso, SO, International Falls.

GOALIES
Mike Becker, SR, Burnsville; Tyler Bruggeman, JR, Mankato West; Matt Buonomo, SR, Minnetonka; Derrick Caschetta, SR, Edina; Matt Cooper, JR, Duluth East; Alex Fons, SO, Hopkins; Mike Hart, SO, International Falls; Tom Horner, SR, North St. Paul; Brandon Jaeger, SR, Champlin Park; Steve Loyd, JR, Eden Prairie; Matt Messina, JR, Duluth Marshall; Kyle Moody, SR, Osseo; Ben Podobinski, JR, Roseville; Mike Shibrowski, JR, Benilde-St. Margaret's; Brandon Wigen, SR, Woodbury; Hakan Yumusaklar, SR, Lakeville South.

FollowThePuck.com's 2008 Minnesota Boys Hockey Rankings (03/09/08)

Class AA Rankings

FollowThePuck.com
2008-2009 Preseason Rankings
11/28/08

1. Hill-Murray (4AA)
2. Edina (2AA)
3. Roseau (8AA)
4. Academy of Holy Angels (2AA)
5. Hopkins (6AA)
6. Bloomington Jefferson (2AA)
7. Duluth East (7AA)
8. Blaine (5AA)
9. Centennial (5AA)
10. White Bear Lake (4AA)
11. Minnetonka (6AA)
12. Moorhead (8AA)
13. Burnsville (2AA)
14. Forest Lake (7AA)
15. Maple Grove (5AA)
16. Buffalo (8AA)
17. Rochester Mayo (1AA)
18. Anoka (7AA)
19. Benilde-St. Margaret's (6AA)
20. Woodbury (3AA)

Class A Rankings

FollowThePuck.com
2008-2009 Preseason Rankings
11/28/08

1. Breck School (2A)
2. St. Cloud Cathedral (5A)
3. Little Falls (6A)
4. Rochester Lourdes (1A)
5. Duluth Marshall (7A)
6. St. Thomas Academy (4A)
7. Alexandria (6A)
8. Orono (2A)
9. New Prague (1A)
10. Totino-Grace (4A)
11. International Falls (7A)
12. Warroad (8A)
13. Virginia/MI-B (7A)
14. Mankato West (1A)
15. Mahtomedi (4A)
16. Duluth Denfeld (5A)
17. Blake School (2A)
18. Red Wing (1A)
19. Hibbing/Chisholm (7A)
20. Rogers (2A)

Aaron Ness is MR. HOCKEY

It was announced today that Aaron Ness of Roseau is Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award winner for 2008. He seemed to be the inevitable favorite for much of the season. Congratulations to Aaron on winning the award. It is well deserved.

Here are some other awards that were awarded today for 2008:

Frank Brimsek Award: Joe Phillippi - Frank Brimsek Award for best senior goaltender

John Mariucci Award: Ken Essay of Mankato West and Curt Giles of Edina - Class A and Class AA high school coaches of the year

Cliff Thompson Award: Jim Pohl - "Old Timer Coach" of the year

Wells Fargo All-Tournament Team & Herb Brooks Award Winner: Class AA

2008 Herb Brooks Award Winner: Joe Phillippi - Hill-Murray

Presented by: Channel 45, MSHSL, Herb Brooks Foundation, Warners' Stellian

2008 Wells Fargo All-Tournament Team - Class AA:

Selected by the media that was at the tournament and the MSHSL:

Hill-Murray Pioneers:

Dan Sova (Senior) - Defenseman
Dan Cecka (Senior) - Forward
Ryan Furne (Junior) - Forward
Joe Phillippi (Senior) - Goaltender

Edina Hornets:

Zach Budish (Junior) - Forward
Joe Gleason (Senior) - Defenseman
Marshall Everson (Junior) - Forward
Derrick Caschetta (Senior) - Goaltender

Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights:

Matt Bergland (Senior) - Forward
Chris Student (Senior) - Forward

Roseau Rams:

Aaron Ness (Junior) - Defenseman
Tyler Landman (Junor) - Forward

Poll Results: Mr. Hockey 2008: Who is your favorite?

Poll Question: Mr. Hockey 2008: Who is your favorite?

Poll Results:

Aaron Ness - Roseau: 1676 votes (46%)
Jake Gardiner - Minnetonka: 469 votes (13%)
Jake Youso - International Falls: 369 votes (10%)
Joe Gleason - Edina: 255 votes (7%)
Zach Lehrke - Park Rapids: 221 votes (6%)
Tyler Barnes - Burnsville: 176 votes (4%)
J. T. Brown - Rosemount: 167 votes (4%)
Justin Jokinen - Cloquet/Esko/Carlton: 105 votes (2%)
Drew Olson - Brainerd: 101 votes (2%)
Cory Fienhage - Eastview: 50 votes (1%)

3589 total votes

Box Score: Edina vs. Hill-Murray - 2008 Class AA Championship

Hill-Murray 3, Edina 0 (Final)

Edina | 0 | 0 | 0|| 0 |
Hill-Murray | 2 | 0 | 1 || 3 |

Shots:

Edina | 9 | 15 | 4 || 31 |
Hill-Murray | 14 | 4 | 8 || 26 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Hill-Murray: 2:30, Ryan Furne 4 (unassisted)
Hill-Murray: 16:59, Ryan Furne 5 (Tyler Zepeda, Dan Sova)

It was all Hill-Murray in that first period. Great saves by Joe Phillippi and intense offense by Ryan Furne and Dan Cecka.

Ryan Furne ended the first period with a wild shot from beyond the blue line that seemed to handcuff Derrick Caschetta with just .1 second left on the clock. He also scored the first goal of the game and the period.

Somewhere in the middle of the period, Isaac Kohls took a shot from the middle that rebounded to Caschetta's left. Dan Cecka was standing there with an open net, he tried to control the puck and stuff it in. The puck hit the near post and then slid across the crease and hit the other post.

Edina is playing better defense tonight but they are back on their heels. Their big three are going to have to step up now.

The Pioneers' Joe Phillippi is making his case for MVP of the tournament. He looks solid in goal.

2nd Period:

No Scoring

Edina dominated on the offensive end but this is the Joe Phillippi show. He has been amazing. He stopped 15 Hornets shots in the second period and most were point blank shots. He seems very calm and in position every time.

3rd Period:

Hill-Murray: 4:36 Delaney "Lou" Metcalf 1 (Chris Casto)

Joe Phillippi, Joe Phillippi, Joe Phillippi: A name to remember for a long time. Excellent tournament for the senior who allowed only two goals the entire tournament and the only goaltender to shut out an incredible offensive machine in the Edina Hornets.

Congratulations to the Hill-Murray Pioneers - 2008 State Class AA Champions!

Saves: Derrick Caschetta (Edina) 24 | Joe Phillippi (Hill-Murray) 31

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Joe Phillippi - Hill-Murray
2. Ryan Furne - Hill-Murray
3. Dan Sova - Hill-Murray

State Tournament Results: Class A

2007-2008 Minnesota State Hockey Tournament Results

Class A

Finals:

Championship: St. Thomas Academy 5, Duluth Marshall 1 | MSHSL Stats

Third Place: Warroad 2, St. Cloud Cathedral 1 (OT) | MSHSL Stats

Fifth Place: Little Falls 7, Mankato West 3 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

Semifinals:

Duluth Marshall 3, Warroad 1 | MSHSL Stats

St. Thomas Academy 9, St. Cloud Cathedral 2 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

Consolation Semifinals:

Mankato West 7, Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 0 | MSHSL Stats

Little Falls 5, Blake School 0 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

Quarterfinals:

Duluth Marshall 2, Mankato West 1 | MSHSL Stats

Warroad 4, Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 0 | MSHSL Stats

St. Thomas Academy 5, Little Falls 3 | MSHSL Stats

St. Cloud Cathedral 3, Blake School 1 | MSHSL Stats
__________________________________________________________________

Website/Blog Problems!

I have had Google/Blogger issues today. Their server was messed up since late Friday night until about 1:30 PM Central time on Saturday. All seems to be working fine now and I have caught up.

This is another really good reason to donate! I am powerless when my website is on someone else's server. If you have the ability, you like the website, and you would like to see even better for next year, please donate.

Congratulations to St. Thomas Academy for winning the 2008 Class A State Championship!

Thank you!

Doug Hagen
FollowThePuck.com

Wells Fargo All-Tournament Team & Herb Brooks Award Winner: Class A

2008 Herb Brooks Award Winner: Bryce Ravndalen - Warroad

Presented by: Channel 45, MSHSL, Herb Brooks Foundation, Warners' Stellian

2008 Wells Fargo All-Tournament Team - Class A:

Selected by the media that was at the tournament and the MSHSL:

St. Thomas Academy Cadets:

Ryan Walters (Sophomore) - Forward
Jon Schreiner (Senior) - Defenseman
James Saintey (Senior) - Forward
Kurt Altrichter (Sophomore) - Goaltender
Rob Vannelli (Senior) - Defenseman

Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers:

Zach Mausolf (Junior) - Forward
Willy Paul (Junior) - Goaltender
Dano Jacques (Senior) - Defenseman

Warroad Warriors:

Mark McDonald (Senior) - Defenseman
Bryce Ravndalen (Senior) - Forward

St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders:

Stephen Rindelaub (Senior) - Forward

Little Falls Flyers:

Ben Hanowski (Junior) - Forward

Box Score: St. Thomas Academy vs. Duluth Marshall - 2008 Class A Championship

St. Thomas Academy 5, Duluth Marshall 1 (Final)

St. Thomas Academy | 2 | 1 | 2 || 5 |
Duluth Marshall | 0 | 1 | 0 || 1 |

Shots:

St. Thomas Academy | 8 | 9 | 4 || 21 |
Duluth Marshall | 6 | 4 | 4 || 14 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

St. Thomas Academy: 0:37, Christian Isackson 2 (Justin Crandall)

2nd Period:

St. Thomas Academy: 16:21, James Saintey 3 (unassisted)

3rd Period:

Duluth Marshall: 13:09, Pat Mahoney 2 (David Hafferty)
St. Thomas Academy: 11:07, Isackson 3 (Tony Mergens)
St. Thomas Academy: 13:43, Saintey 4 (powerplay) (Walter, Rooney)

Shots: Kurt Altrichter (St. Thomas Academy) 13 | Willy Paul (Duluth Marshall) (19:46 MIN) 6 | Matt Messina (Duluth Marshall) (31:01 MIN) 10

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. James Saintey - St. Thomas Academy
2. Christian Isackson - St. Thomas Academy
3. Ryan Walters - St. Thomas Academy

Box Score: Roseau vs. Hill-Murray - 2008 Class AA Semifinal

Hill-Murray 6, Roseau 2 (Final)

Roseau | 0 | 0 | 2 || 2 |
Hill-Murray | 2 | 1 | 3 || 6 |

Shots:

Roseau | 16 | 8 | 12 || 36 |
Hill-Murray | 13 | 12 | 7 || 32 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Hill-Murray: 12:06, Nick Widing 1 (powerplay) (Dan Sova, Bo Dolan)
Hill-Murray: 13:46, Ryan Furne 1 (Isaac Kohls, Dan Cecka)

There will not be as much commentary on this game. I am going to sit back as much as I can and just enjoy this game.

Hill-Murray commits a penalty. Andy Singerhouse gets two minutes for interference. Roseau gets the first power play in the game. The time of the penalty was at 7:11 left in the first period.

The Pioneers had a great first period. Joe Phillippi was stellar in goal .

Isaac Kohls committed an unwise penalty on Aaron Ness as the period came to end. He cross-checked Ness in the back sending him to the ice. The Rams will be on the power play at the start of the second period. We will see if that penalty will cost them.

2nd Period:

Hill-Murray: 2:41, Dave Casalenda 1 (Kohls, Lou Metcalf)

Hill-Murray killed the Roseau penalty to start the second period.

Shortly after killing the penalty, Hill-Murray scores. Dave Casalanda gets it by Mike Lee for the Pioneers third goal.

The Rams are not looking as smooth as they were on Thursday night. Each pass is off and the control of the puck has not been the same. It could be Hill-Murray's smothering defense that is throwing their timing off.

3rd Period:

Roseau: 2:14, Dustin Moser 1 (Mike Koenig, Tyler Landman)
Hill-Murray: 14:27, Cecka 2 (Furne)
Hill-Murray: 15:27, Kohls 1 (empty net) (unassisted)
Roseau: 15:50, Kevin Erickson 1 (Ness)
Hill-Murray: 16:45, Kohls 2 (empty net) (Nolan)

Roseau looked like they had a second goal but they had a player in the crease. They are reviewing it right now. The goal was disallowed. The Roseau player was almost out of the crease but he still had one leg in. After reviewing the goal, the referee had pointed towards a dot for the face off but the signal looked like he was counting the goal. Very confusing. It was the right call though. The goal that was disallowed was by Nick Oliver.

Roseau is 0-6 on the power play tonight. Time is running out for the Rams. Five minutes remain. The last time Roseau lost a game was January 23rd, 2007.

Dan Cecka scores for Hill-Murray on a breakaway. Roseau was playing deep in the Hill-Murray zone and Cecka was waiting for the deep outlet pass. Nice move to Lee's left and backhanded in.

This Roseau's first loss in 42 games.

Congratulations to the Pioneers! Well played game tonight. Joe Phillippi was very strong in goal and saving 34 shots. He is my number one star tonight.

Saves: Mike Lee (Roseau) 28 | Joe Phillippi (Hill-Murray) 34

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Joe Phillippi - Hill-Murray
2. Isaac Kohls - Hill-Murray
3. Dan Cecka - Hill-Murray

Box Score: Edina vs. Benilde-St. Margaret's - 2008 Class AA Semifinal

Edina 5, Benilde-St. Margaret's 4 (Final - Overtime!)

Edina | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 || 5 |
Benilde-St. Margaret's | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 || 4 |

Shots:

Edina | 10 | 4 | 9 | 3 || 26 |
Benilde-St. Margaret's | 7 | 16 | 10 | 2 || 35 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Edina: 7:24, Matt Leer (unassisted)
Benilde-St. Margaret's: 15:48, Jon Holmers (Tom Knauff)
Edina: 16:04, Joe Gleason 3 (Jack Jorgeson, Marshall Everson)

I am severely lamenting that I was unable to attend the tournaments this year. I hope it is the last time that I will ever miss one for the rest of my life. The games tonight should be special.

Well, this matchup is turning out as advertised. After one period, Ken Pauly and the Benilde-St. Margaret's still need to figure out how to slow down the Hornets just a little bit more. They were doing fine after the Leer goal. They positioned themselves to score and tie the Hornets on a great play from Knauff to Holmers. It looked like we were going to be tied after one. Mr. Hockey candidate Joe Gleason would not let that happen. Gleason stepped in from the blue line and took a nice slap shot that got past Meyers.

Edina can be slowed down for a little while and they will give up a goal or two but, if not contained the entire game, they will continue to find a way to score. The Red Knights have their hands full. If they can score the next goal and tie the game up again, I expect the Red Knights to spend much of the rest of the game concentrating on just keeping the puck out of their end and hope that they can catch a break with a power play opportunity or a breakaway. The Red Knights have the defense to keep the Hornets wrapped up. Remember, they did beat Edina earlier in the year on a big sheet of ice, 2-1. It is already 2-1 and that favors Edina at this point. The Red Knights need to shut Edina down in the second period.

2nd Period:

Edina: 4:54, Zach Budish 2 (powerplay) (Marshall Everson, Brendan Baker)
Benilde-St. Margaret's: 8:16, Steve Zierke 1 (powerplay) (unassisted)

Benilde-St. Margaret's comes out firing and rings one off the post. At 15:10, the Red Knights are going on the power play due to a Matt Leer roughing penalty. These are the moments that Benilde-St. Margaret's really needs to take advantage of.

Edina scored on their power play. Remember that series of events. The Red Knights could not convert on their power play but Edina did early in the second period.

Benilde-SM is going on the power play again thanks to a Charlie Taft interference penalty. The Red Knights are 0-3 so far on the power play tonight. Score! The Red Knights convert on their fourth chance on the power play. Steve Zierke manuevered deep inside the zone and shot high on Caschetta. We have a one-goal game again.

I am a bit surprised at how aggressive Benilde-SM was in the second period. The Red Knights fired 16 shots at Caschetta in that period and Edina is scrambling and back on their heels a little bit. I thought it would be vice versa. Edina has to be thankful to still have the lead at this point.

The Red Knights need to do the same thing in the third period and, if they duplicate another 16 shots, at least one will go in. Edina needs to come back out and play their game. They are allowing the Red Knights to dictate the play right now. It should be a fantastic finish!

3rd Period:

Edina: 2:12, Baker 1 (Connor Gaarder, Patrick Regan)
Benilde-St. Margaret's: 2:58, Chris Student 1 (Matt Bergland)
Benilde-St. Margaret's: 4:38, Matt Bergland (Zierke, Blake Applehof)

Here we go again. I started to type that the Hornets broke out to a two goal lead again but less than a minute later the Red Knights strike. It's 4-3 Edina with less than 14 minutes to go.

Wow. We are now tied! The Red Knights first line swarmed the net and after a scramble and Caschetta trying to cover up the puck, Matt Bergland backhands the puck into the net. It's 4-4.

Edina is now on the power play. Tom McCarthy was called for tripping at 4:54. The Hornets hit the pipe! Jacob Meyers make a nice save on Anders Lee. The Knights are back to full strength.

The game is intense! I can hardly keep up.

With about 9:00 minutes to go, that fantastic line of Zierke, Bergland, and Applehof are virtually unstoppable right now. They just came down again with Zierke taking the initial shot high on Caschetta. Bergland got a long rebound and drove it hard back into Caschetta and Caschetta hung on to the puck that time.

Jacob Meyers makes a nice save for the Red Knights as Marshall Everson came in all alone from Meyers right to left. Meyers just made ANOTHER save on Everson and Anders Lee. Meyers looking tough right now.

Inside 30 seconds to go, score still tied, Applehof took a shot at the top of the slot and Jack Jorgeson went down. It looked like he caught the puck in the throat area. The ref blew the whistle due to the injury. He was able to get up and go to the bench. He looked like he'd be okay.

We are headed for overtime! Incredible game. Minnesota high school hockey at its best! I wish I was there to take in that atmosphere. There is NOTHING like it.

Overtime:

Edina: 5:48, Marshall Everson 2 (Lee, Budish)

The first overtime is eight minutes long without the ice getting the Zamboni treatment.

Penalty! Niklas Almstrom tripped Joe Gleason as he was just coming out of the Edina zone. Edina is on a power play at 2:27 of the first overtime, 5:33 left on the clock.

Wow! The Red Knights killed the Hornets powerplay but BARELY. There were chances on both ends. The puck trickled across the Red Knight crease and the Red Knights had a 2-1 shorthanded chance the other way that Caschetta had to up big to save and he did. Back and forth action!

Edina scores! Anders Lee makes a nice pass down low to Marshall Everson on the left side of Meyers that Meyers initially saved but Everson was able bang home the rebound. The Horne
ts leading scorer wins it for Edina.

I didn't think this would be a high scoring affair but I am sure glad it was!

Great game! Classic! Congratulations to the Hornets and the Red Knights on a well-played game!

Saves: Derrick Caschetta (Edina) 31 | Jacob Meyers (Benilde-St. Margaret's) 21

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Marshall Everson - Edina
2. Matt Bergland - Benilde-St. Margaret's
3. Zach Budish - Edina

Box Score: St. Thomas Academy vs. St. Cloud Cathedral - 2008 Class A Semifinal

St. Thomas Academy 9, St. Cloud Cathedral 2 (Final)

St. Thomas Academy | 3 | 4 | 2 || 9 |
St. Cloud Cathedral | 0 | 1 | 1 || 2 |

Shots:

St. Thomas Academy | 4 | 14 | 15 || 33 |
St. Cloud Cathedral | 8 | 2 | 12 || 22 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

St. Thomas Academy: 0:17, James Saintey 2 (Ryan Walters, Conor Rooney)
St. Thomas Academy: 12:46 Ryan Walters 4 (James Saintey, Rob Vanelli)
St. Thomas Academy: 13:10 Jon Schreiner 1 (Christian Isackson, Justin Crandall)

St. Thomas scores quickly to take a 1-0 on a goal by James Saintey.

Nice recovery by St. Cloud Cathedral after giving up an early goal. Crusader Nate Schmidt, Minnesota Gopher recruit, has had a couple of really nice hits on the Cadets.

Just after it looked like St. Cloud Cathedral was settled down and would give St. Thomas Academy a good game, the Cadets strike not once but twice within 24 seconds.

The difference right now is the goaltending. The Cadets have only had four shots on goal but they netted three of those four shots to take a 3-0 lead after one period. Kurt Altrichter has been challenged by the Crusaders but he has come up big with some nice saves.

I do not think the Crusaders are out of it yet. They put on the most pressure in the first period. They will need to score the first goal in the second period if they are going to have a chance to get back in this. Crusader goaltender Nick Maiers will need to recover from a disastrous first period and shutdown the Cadets the rest of the way.

2nd Period:

St. Thomas Academy: 2:19, Justin Crandall 1 (Isackson)
St. Thomas Academy: 10:56, Noah Gavin 1 (Isackson, Crandall)
St. Cloud Cathedral: 12:20, Stephen Rindelaub 2 (Sam Lommel, Jon Larkin)
St. Thomas Academy: 13:55, Noah Gavin 2 (Isackson)
St. Thomas Academy: 14:36, Conor Rooney 1 (Walters, Schreiner)

Justin Crandall scores. Seven shots on goals, four goals. Not a good day in net for Maiers.

St. Cloud Cathedral could not cash-in on a power play.

Now, the Crusaders were called for goalie interference. The Cadets go on the power play. Nate Schmidt rang a shorthanded try off of the post behind Altrichter. That would have been a big morale boost for the Crusaders if he would have put that one in. They are back to five-on-five hockey.

I was about to say that Maiers is settling in and standing up to some big pressure BUT Christian Isackson and Noah Gavin converted on a 2-on-1 rush. Gavin put the puck past Maiers after a nice pass from Isackson.

Cathedral scores! Stephen Rindelaub. The veteran senior gets the Crusaders on the board.

Bad goal allowed by Maiers. Noah Gavin scores from the blue line just throwing the puck at the net. The puck did knuckle towards the goal but Maiers reaction to grab the puck seemed nonchalant.

And, before I could type the above paragraph, Conor Rooney scores for the Cadets and the rout is definitely on.

Third Period:

St. Thomas Academy: 0:21, Rob Vannelli 1 (Gavin)
St. Cloud Cathedral: 4:46, Rindelaub 3 (Larkin, Lommel)
St. Thomas Academy: 5:55, Ryan Walters 5 (powerplay) (Rooney)

Goals aplenty. Complete domination by St. Thomas Academy in this game since they scored their second goal back in first period.

Matt McNeely has now come in to replace Kurt Altrichter in goal for St. Thomas Academy. He came in with 11:05 remaining after the Cadets score their ninth goal.

Now it is a matter of figuring out who should get the three stars of the game. I am going to give all three to St. Thomas Academy players but Stephen Rindelaub should get at least an honorary star for scoring the only two goals for St. Cloud Cathedral. Several Cadet players deserve mention but I can only pick three.

Saves: Kurt Altrichter (St. Thomas Academy) 14 | Matt McNeely (St. Thomas Academy) 6 | Nick Maiers (St. Cloud Cathedral) 24

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Ryan Walters - St. Thomas Academy
2. Christian Isackson - St. Thomas Academy
3. Noah Gavin - St. Thomas Academy

Box Score: Duluth Marshall vs. Warroad - 2008 Class A Semifinal

Duluth Marshall 3, Warroad 1 (Final)

Duluth Marshall | 1 | 1 | 1 || 3 |
Warroad | 0 | 0 | 1 || 1 |

Shots:

Duluth Marshall | 8 | 6 | 5 || 19 |
Warroad | 9 | 15 | 10 || 34 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Duluth Marshall: 11:46, Tom Paine 1 (unassisted)

Warroad started out dominating the offense in the game but could not put the puck in the net. Willie Paul is doing very well in goal for Duluth Marshall so far.

Tom Paine and the Hilltoppers' strike first. The offensive pendulum swung back in Marshall School's favor during the second half of the period.

Well played game through the first period. The game is everything that I have anticipated it would be so far. Hard hitting, good goaltending, and decent scoring chances for both sides. Jon Hellquist of Warroad is standing out with some hard hits that he is putting on the Hilltoppers.

2nd Period:

Duluth Marshall: 2:52, Zach Mausolf 1 (Dano Jacques)

The Hilltoppers score again. Defenseman Dano Jacques carried the puck deep into Warroad's end and behind the net. He threw the puck out front and Zach Mausolf was right there the slam the puck home past Jared Paquin. Very nice execution by Jacques and Mausolf.

Warroad is swarming around Willy Paul and they are peppering him this period. We'll see if Paul can continue to handle the onslaught.

There is a lot of hitting going on. Hellquist just punished another Hilltopper skater, Lanny Olson, in Marshall's end. It has been a very fun game to watch on both ends.

Warroad's Jeremy Hahn just missed the net as he penetrated deep and had Paul out of position. The shaft of Paul's stick barely misdirected Hahn's shot wide. Paul just saved another point blank shot by the Warriors. Paul's effort is worth a number one star through two periods.

This game is far from over. Remember what happened in Warroad! It only took 16 seconds to score two the last time. The Warriors are VERY aggressive. Duluth Marshall may need to try and 'HANG ON!' again.

Third Period:

Duluth Marshall: 0:15, Zach Mausolf 2 (David Hafferty)
Warroad: 9:28, Dane Shaugabay 1 (Jeremy Hahn, Bryce Ravndalen)

Nice quick backhand by Zach Mausolf just 15 seconds into the third period as the Warriors turned it over in their own zone. A pass was picked off by David Hafferty and he quickly passed out front to a waiting Mausolf. It really was what the Hilltoppers needed to make sure that they are not back on their heals the entire third period. They have some breathing room.

Boom! Marshall's Trent Harris knocked the Warriors' Michael Pieper into the Warroad bench. Fantastic hitting going on all game. The Warriors' Hellquist gets the MAC (Most Awesome Checks) in this game though.

Warroad could not take advantage of a power play in the middle of the third period. The chances for another miraculous comeback are starting to fade for the Warriors.

Warroad FINALLY beats Willy Paul after Jeremy Hahn and Dane Shaugabay crash the net. Shaugabay slammed in the rebound after Hahn's initial attempt. The game gets interesting again.

Warroad pulls Jared Paquin from the net at about two minutes to go.

Willy Paul stops another point blank shot by the Warriors with about a minute to go. Paul has stopped several of those today.

Well deserved win by Duluth Marshall. Willy Paul was the difference though as the Hilltoppers were outshot 19 to 34 by Warroad.

FYI ... According to NHL rules, I had been defining the game-winning goals incorrectly. I just found this out today. My definition of a game-winning goal is the goal that is scored when the winning team takes the lead in the game AND never relinquishes that lead. When Tom Paine scored the first goal for Duluth Marshall today, the Hilltoppers never lost their lead. I think Tom Paine deserved the game-winning goal honors. If Warroad would have came back and tied the game at 2-2 and then Mausolf scored the third goal, then the honor would go to Mausolf as scoring the game-winner.

The NHL definition is as follows:

"After the final score has been determined, the goal which leaves the winning Club one goal ahead of its opponent is the game-winning goal (example: if Team A beats Team B 8-3, the player scoring the fourth goal for Team A receives credit for the game-winning goal)."

I don't like their definition but I will go with it. My definition makes more sense to me. Now, I have to figure out the spots where I gave the wrong person the credit according to MY definition of the rule. Actually, I'm going to leave my rules in tact for games prior to this one. Going forward, I will go by the NHL rule. If you like my rule better and if I get at least 10 emails stating so, I'll leave MY RULE intact.

Congratulations to the Hilltoppers on a nice win! On to Saturday's Class A championship......

Saves: Willy Paul (Duluth Marshall) 33 | Jared Paquin (Warroad) 16

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Willy Paul - Duluth Marshall
2. Zach Mausolf - Duluth Marshall
3. Dane Shaugabay - Warroad

FTP's 2008 Minnesota State Boys Hockey Tournament - Predictions - Semifinals

Here are FTP's predictions for the semifinal match-ups on Friday:

Class A:

Game 1: Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers (24-5-0) vs. Warroad Warriors (23-6-0)

Quarterfinal Results:

Duluth Marshall defeated Mankato West 2-1
(Pat Mahoney GWG; David Hafferty 1g; Willie Paul 20 Saves)

Warroad defeated Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 4-0
(Jeremy Hahn GWG; Brock Nelson 1g; Bryce Ravndalen 1g; Mark McDonald 1g; Jared Paquin 10 Saves)

Key Players:

Duluth Marshall: David Hafferty (Sr.), Zach Mausolf (Jr.), Pat Mahoney (Jr.), Dano Jacques (Sr.), Matt Messina (Jr.), Willie Paul (Jr.)

Warroad: Bryce Ravndalen (Sr.), Dane Shaugabay (Jr.), Jeremy Hahn (Sr.), Jared Paquin (Sr.)

It was January 25th, 2008. The Hilltoppers of Duluth Marshall were 16 seconds away from a 2-0 hard fought victory at The Gardens Arena in Warroad. 16 seconds. However, when you are a Warrior, 16 seconds is enough time to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

With 16 seconds left in the game, Warrior forward Jeremy Hahn slipped the puck past Duluth Marshall goaltender Willie Paul to cut their 2-0 deficit to 2-1. The Warriors avoided the shutout. Most teams would consider that a victory in itself, a moral victory. Nobody wants to be shutout, especially at home in front of their hometown fans. Alas, the Warriors were not satisfied with a moral victory against the #1-ranked team in the state. When the puck was dropped at center after having scored just their first goal of the game, the Warriors skated up ice again and, incredibly, within 15 seconds, Warrior defenseman Tai Larson shot the puck toward the Hilltopper net and scores with one second left on the clock. The score is tied. They did the improbable. The Warriors scored two goals in the last 16 seconds of the game and tied the best team in the state. They forced overtime. In overtime, the Warriors were down a man due to a penalty. In overtime, a man short, and playing the best team in the state, the Warriors should have hoped for the best just to make sure the puck stayed out of their own zone. Instead, Dane Shaugabay took the puck down the ice and scored shorthanded on the Hilltopper goaltender with 1:16 left in overtime. Wow. What a game!

I'm looking forward to this match-up on Friday. I would think that Duluth Marshall has not forgot about that game. The 250+ mile trip back to Duluth mostly likely allowed for several hours of self-examination and time to memorize what happened on that fateful day. Instead of playing 50 minutes 44 seconds, I believe that Duluth Marshall will make sure that they play all 51 this time around.

Better offense: Even

Better defense: Even

Better goaltending: Even

FTP's Prediction: Duluth Marshall 3, Warroad 2
__________________________________________________________________

Game 2: St. Thomas Academy Cadets (23-5-0) vs. St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (23-5-1)

Quarterfinal Results:

St. Thomas Academy defeated Little Falls 5-3
(Ryan Walters 3g; James Saintey 1g, 2a; Kurt Alrichter 24 Saves)

St. Cloud Cathedral defeated Blake School 3-1
(Jordan Palusky 1g, 1a; Kyle Kudak 1g, 1a; Stephen Rindelaub 1g; Nick Maiers 13 Saves)

Key Players:

St. Thomas Academy: Ryan Walters (So.), James Saintey (Sr.), Conor Rooney (Sr.), Rob Vannelli (Sr.), Kurt Altrichter (So.)

St. Cloud Cathedral: Stephen Rindelaub (Sr.), Nick Maiers (So.), Sam Lommel (Sr.), Joe Nessler (Jr.)

Best offense: St. Thomas Academy

Best defense: St. Cloud Cathedral

Best goaltending: Even

FTP's Prediction: St. Thomas Academy 4, St. Cloud Cathedral 1
_________________________________________________________________


Class AA:

Game 1: Edina Hornets (27-2-0) vs. Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights (26-3-0)

Quarterfinal Results:

Edina defeated Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 5-0
(Joe Gleason 2 goals; Zach Budish 1g, 1a; Derek Caschetta 27 Saves)

Benilde-St. Margaret's defeated Woodbury 4-1
(Matt Bergland 1g, 1a; Blake Applehof 1g, 1a; Jacob Meyers 20 Saves)

Key Players:

Edina: Marshall Everson (Jr.), Anders Lee (Jr.), Zach Budish (Jr.), Joe Gleason (Sr.), Derrick Caschetta (Sr.)

Benilde-St. Margaret's: Matt Berglund (Sr.), Steve Zierke (Sr.), Chris Student (Sr.), Blake Applehof (Sr.)

Edina and Benilde-St. Margaret's faced each in the Schwan Cup Invitational back on December 26th. The Red Knights came out on top that day winning 2-1. It was the first of only two losses that Edina suffered during the regular season. In that game, Steve Zierke and Brett Patterson scored for Benilde-SM while Everson scored for the Hornets. The shots were just 21 to 19 in favor of Edina.

If the first meeting was any indication of what we are to expect on Friday, it should be a defensive game.

Better offense: Edina (Even though Benilde has a better gpg, half of their regular season schedule was against Class A teams)

Better defense: Benilde-St. Margaret's

Better goaltending: Edina

FTP's Prediction: Edina 3, Benilde-St. Margaret's 1
__________________________________________________________________

Game 2: Roseau Rams (29-0-0) vs. Hill-Murray Pioneers (25-3-1)

Quarterfinal Results:

Roseau defeated Blaine 8-2
(Tyler Landman 4g, 2a; Aaron Ness 2g, 2a; Ben Nelson 1g, 4a; Mike Lee 32 Saves)

Hill-Murray defeated Lakeville South 3-0
(Ryan Furne 2g; Dan Cecka 1g; Joe Phillippi 18 Saves)

Key Players:

Roseau: Mike Lee (Jr.), Aaron Ness (Jr.), Ben Nelson (Sr.), Tyler Landman (Jr.), Adam Knochenmus (So.), Dustin Moser (Sr.), Nick Oliver (Jr.)

Hill-Murray: Joe Phillippi (Sr.), Dan Cecka (Sr.), Ryan Furne (Jr.), Isaac Kohls (Jr.), Tyler Zepeda (Jr.), Nick Widing (Jr.)

Better offense: Hill-Murray

Better defense: Roseau

Better goaltending: Even

FTP's Prediction: Roseau 4, Hill-Murray 3

Box Score: Hill-Murray vs. Lakeville South - 2008 Class AA Quarterfinal

Hill-Murray 3, Lakeville South 0 (Final)

Hill-Murray | 1 | 2 | 0 || 3 |
Lakeville South | 0 | 0 | 0 || 0 |

Shots:

Hill-Murray | 9 | 10 | 12 || 31 |
Lakeville South | 4 | 8 | 6 || 18 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Hill-Murray: 14:00, Ryan Furne (unassisted)

2nd Period:

Hill-Murray: 4:36, Dan Cecka (Isaac Kohls, Chris Casto)
Hill-Murray: 16:16, Ryan Furne (Tyler Zepeda)

Lakeville South has come out strong in the second period. Bill Simon was striding to the net and Bo Dolan hooked him giving the Cougars a power play early in the period. They have had at least two really good scoring chances but was stopped cold by Joe Phillippi. Phillippi is showing why he deserved the Frank Brimsek Award in February for the best senior goaltender in the state of Minnesota.

Bill Simon had a really good scoring chance steering a backhand just wide of the goal.

Dan Cecka now scored with a nice break to the net and a hard blast for Hill-Murray seconds after Simon's great chance for Lakeville South.

3rd Period:

No scoring

Saves: Joe Phillippi (Hill-Murray) 18 | Hakan Yumusaklar (Lakeville South) 28

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Ryan Furne - Hill-Murray
2. Joe Phillippi - Hill-Murray
3. Hakan Yumusaklar - Lakeville South

Box Score: Roseau vs. Blaine - 2008 Class AA Quarterfinal

Roseau 8, Blaine 2 (Final)

Roseau | 3 | 3 | 2 || 8 |
Blaine | 0 | 1 | 1 || 2 |

Shots:

Roseau | 10 | 11 | 3 || 24 |
Blaine | 9 | 11 | 14 || 34 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Roseau: 6:16, Tyler Landman 1 (Ben Nelson, Nick Oliver)
Roseau: 8:26, Aaron Ness 1 (unassisted)
Roseau: 11:33, Landman 2 (powerplay) (Ness)

I definitely did not think the Rams would take off so quickly in the first period. But, to be honest, I didn't think this game was going to be as close as many hoped it would be. This could get really ugly if the Bengals doesn't stop the hemorrhaging and make a statement in the second period.

The first goal by Landman was a beautiful tip in front of the net redirecting, I believe, a Ben Nelson slap shot from the top left. Landman's second shot was a hard shot from the top of the right slot.

Aaron Ness is showing why he is the best player in the state. Hello Mr. Hockey. He completely faked out Harper and a Blaine defender to score into a wide open net when he scored the second goal for the Rams.

Roseau scored on their first two shots of the game. Wow.

Can Blaine recover? I don't expect them to. They have shown signs of life but down 3-0 after the first period to the best team in the state has to be a bit disheartening.

2nd Period:

Roseau: 0:53, Tyler Landman 3 (Nelson, Ness)
Roseau: 5:14, Aaron Ness 2 (powerplay) (Landman, Nelson)
Roseau: 12:14, Nelson 1 (Ryan Weston, Landman)
Blaine: 13:21, Ryan Johnson (Tony Larson)

Hat trick for Landman! That didn't take long. The Bengals defense is not moving. Landman made it look way too easy.

Brent Hollerud replaced Danny Harper in goal after Landman scored. The MSHSL recorded that Hollerud came in at the 1:15 mark of the second period. Harper was in goal for Blaine for a total of 18:15 tonight.

Nice screened shot by Ness on the powerplay. The goalie had no chance to see the puck. The Rams keep rolling errr... I mean Landman and Ness keep rolling.

Blaine has and is putting some pressure on now and they have had some excellent chances but Lee has been tough for the Rams.

Rams went on a shooting fury that ended up with Ben Nelson getting a well-deserved goal.

Blaine finally scores while on a 4-on-4. Nice goal by Ryan Johnson.

The second period ends. No drama anticipated for the third period except to see if Ness can join Landman and score a hat trick for the Rams.

3rd Period:

Roseau: 8:40, Adam Knockenmus 1 (Jason Fabian, Nick Oliver)
Blaine: 12:01, Steffen Hansen 1 (Gavin Tufte)
Roseau: 14:55, Landman 4 (shorthanded) (Nelson, Mike Koenig)

Complete dominance by the Rams. Blaine outshot Roseau but it sure didn't seem like it. Rams are for real. I've believed it all year long. I would hope some Metro area naysayers became believers tonight.

Saves: Mike Lee (Roseau) 32 | Danny Harper (Blaine) 8 | Brent Hollerud (Blaine) 8

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Tyler Landman - Roseau
2. Aaron Ness - Roseau
3. Ben Nelson - Roseau

Box Score: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs. Woodbury - 2008 Class AA Quarterfinal

Benilde-St. Margaret's 4, Woodbury 1 (Final)

Benilde-SM | 1 | 1 | 2 || 4 |
Woodbury | 0 | 0 | 1 || 1 |

Shots:

Benilde-SM | 10 | 19 | 17 || 46 |
Woodbury | 9 | 3 | 9 || 21 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Benilde-St. Margaret's: 14:26, Matt Bergland 1 (Steve Zierke, Blake Applehof)

2nd Period:

Benilde-St. Margaret's: 12:25, Jon Holmers 1 (Jamie McCormick)

3rd Period:

Woodbury: 9:54, David Eddy 1 (Walker Hyland, Andrew Herbert)
Benilde-St. Margaret's: 16:22, John Grupa 1 (empty net) (shorthanded) (unassisted)
Benilde-St. Margaret's: 16:59, Applehof 1 (Bergland)

Saves: Jacob Meyers (Benilde-St. Margaret's) 20 | Brandon Wigen (Woodbury) 43

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Matt Bergland - Benilde-St. Margaret's
2. Blake Applehof - Benilde-St. Margaret's
3. David Eddy - Woodbury

Box Score: Edina vs. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton - 2008 Class AA Quarterfinal

Edina 5, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 0 (Final)

Edina | 1 | 2 | 2 || 5 |
Cloquet/E/C | 0 | 0 | 0 || 0 |

Shots:

Edina | 8 | 10 | 11 || 29 |
Cloquet/E/C | 7 | 12 | 8 || 27 |

Scoring:

1st Period:

Edina: 9:01, Joe Gleason 1 (Derrick Caschetta)

Edina outplayed Cloquet in the first period. They rang two pucks off the pipe and had several scoring chances. On Edina's goal, Gleason displayed his amazing speed going end-to-end starting from behind Edina's own net where goaltender Caschetta handed Gleason the puck.

2nd Period:

Edina: 11:36, Connor Gaarder 1 (Matt Leer, Jack Jorgesen)
Edina: 16:42, Zach Budish 1 (shorthanded) (unassisted)

Cloquet has dominated the 2nd period and have really put the pressure on the Hornets goaltender. Derrick Caschetta has been stellar in goal for Edina. He stopped several point blank shots by Jacks.

Aaron Baker appeared to be screened on the Gaarder goal. Baker has been good in goal despite the Jacks being down now by two goals.

Bad break for the Lumberjacks. They went on the powerplay after Edina's Connor Gaarder was called for hooking with just 46 seconds left in the period. Justin Jokinen struggled with the puck in Edina's end and Zach Budish stole the puck creating a 2-on-1 the other way. Budish was able to go all the way in and get a quick shot past Aaron Baker.

The Lumberjacks had been dominating the 2nd period until Gaarder scored Edina's second goal of the game. That seemed to take the air out of Cloquet and they have struggled to control the puck since.

3rd Period:

Edina: 4:09, Gleason 2 (Budish)
Edina: 14:07, Marshall Everson 1 (Blake Chapman, Budish)

Gleason does it again! He took another puck, this time from their blue line, and went in all the way around the Lumberjack defenseman and backhanded the puck past Baker. Amazing talent.

Caschetta was stingy in goal for Edina and denied the Lumberjacks the two goals that I had anticipated for them. Very nice game in goal for the Hornet's goaltender.

Saves: Derrick Caschetta (Edina) 27 | Aaron Baker (Cloquet/E/C) 24

FollowThePuck's Three Stars:

1. Joe Gleason - Edina
2. Derek Caschetta - Edina
3. Matt Leer - Edina - for his defense and bone-crunching hits

FTP's 2008 Minnesota State Boys Hockey Tournament - Class AA Predictions

I am only predicting one round at a time.

Quarterfinals:

Game 1: Edina (26-2-0) vs. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (15-11-2)

Section 2AA (SW Twin Cities Metro) vs. Section 7AA (Northeast Minnesota)

Regular season head-to-head results:

01/25/08 at Cloquet: Edina won 5-1

Five common 2007-2008 opponents:

vs. Duluth East

Edina won 3-1
Cloquet/E/C won 4-2
Cloquet/E/C lost 1-2
Cloquet/E/C won 6-5 in Section 7AA Semifinal

vs. Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz

Edina won 6-1
Cloquet/E/C lost 2-7
Cloquet/E/C lost 0-2

vs. Minnetonka

Edina won 4-2
Edina lost 2-3
Cloquet/E/C lost 0-4

vs. Elk River

Edina won 4-3
Cloquet/E/C won 3-0 Section 7AA Quarterfinal

vs. Grand Rapids

Edina won 3-2
Cloquet/E/C tied 2-2
Cloquet/E/C lost 2-4

Key Players:

Edina: Marshall Everson (Jr.), Anders Lee (Jr.), Zach Budish (Jr.), Joe Gleason (Sr.), Derrick Caschetta (Sr.)

Cloquet/Esko/Carlton: David Brown (Sr.), Justin Jokinen (Sr.), Oscar Carlsson (Jr.), Aaron Baker (Sr.)

First of all, congratulations to the Jacks for an impressive run during the Section 7AA playoffs. Question: where was this offense during the regular season??? Where was David Brown during the regular season???? Brown scored six goals in the Section 7AA Semifinal and Championship games. He deserved MVP status for his performance. So, why does a player with such a knack for scoring net just nine goals in 26 games prior to those two final games? I am sure Duluth East and Anoka are just as perplexed as I am. At the same time, where was Mr. Hockey candidate Justin Jokinen during the Section playoffs? Jokinen netted 21 goals during the regular season but managed only one assist during the Section 7AA playoffs.

Many, especially in the Twin Cities Metro area, believed that Edina deserved to be thought of as the top ranked team in Class AA in Minnesota this season. It is not hard to be in awe when watching the Hornets. They are impressive and opponents spend so much time trying to slow them down that they hardly have time to display any offense against them. BUT, the Hornets can be scored on. They have only shut out two opponents all season long. Cloquet has shut out four teams. Edina is so aggressive on offense that teams do find themselves with favorable odd man breaks into the Hornets zone. That was very evident against Burnsville in the Section 2AA Championship game. Edina showed dominance throughout the game but Burnsville had several good scoring chances and the Blaze forced Edina into overtime.

If the Jacks are going to have any chance against Edina, Jokinen, Brown, and Carlsson will need to score and then score again. Then, they will need to slow the Hornets down. So far, very few teams have slowed down the likes of Lee, Budish, and Everson. IF the Jacks can stop two of those three Hornet players from scoring AND if Brown, Jokinen, and Carlsson can score four or more goals for Cloquet, they may have a shot to win.

The good news: Cloquet will score more goals than they did when the two teams met the first time earlier this year. The bad news: It won't be enough to outscore a determined Edina team that has a lot to prove after last year's loss to Grand Rapids in the state quarterfinals in 2007.

Edina: 5.25 gpg | 1.89 gaa
Cloquet/E/C: 3.61 gpg | 2.89 gaa

FTP's prediction: Edina 5, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 2
____________________________________________________________

Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's (25-3-0) vs. Woodbury (22-6-0)

Section 6AA (West Twin Cities Metro) vs. Section 3AA (Southeast Twin Cities Metro)

Two common 2007-2008 opponents:

vs. Cretin-Derham Hall:

Benilde-St. Margaret's won 3-2
Woodbury won 3-1
Woodbury won 2-1 in overtime

vs. Stillwater:

Benilde-St. Margaret's won 4-2
Woodbury won 4-1
Woodbury won 5-3

Key Players:

Benilde-St. Margaret's: Matt Berglund (Sr.), Steve Zierke (Sr.), Chris Student (Sr.), Blake Applehof (Sr.)

Woodbury: David Eddy (Sr.), Brandon Wigen (Sr.), Tony Pittman (Jr.), Walker Hyland (So.)

I really don't know what to expect in this game. Benilde-St. Margaret's has had a lot of attention most of the season while Woodbury came out of the shadows and has pounced hard on their opponents down the stretch. The Royals have won nine in a row including three impressive wins in the Section 3AA playoffs and including a dominating 8-2 win over Rosemount in the championship game, who was most people's pick to represent that Section in the state tournament.

This game is so difficult to predict because I'm feeling an upset might happen here. The Royals were very dominant in their Section. Yet, I cannot fully commit to taking the Royals in this game because of convincing losses to Hopkins, Blake, Andover, and Hastings. Benilde-St. Margaret's did not stumble against teams they were supposed to beat.

Benilde-St. Margaret's: 6.39 gpg | 1.61 gaa
Woodbury: 4.82 gpg | 2.39 gaa

FTP Prediction: Benilde-St. Margaret's 3, Woodbury 2
__________________________________________________________________

Game 3: Roseau (28-0-0) vs. Blaine (20-8-0)

Section 8AA (Northwest Minnesota) vs. Section 5AA (Northwest Twin Cities Metro)

Regular season head-to-head results:

02/09/08 at the Baudette Classic (outdoors): Roseau won 1-0

Two common 2007-2008 opponents:

vs. Thief River Falls

Roseau won 4-2
Roseau won 7-1
Blaine won 9-3

vs. Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz

Roseau won 7-0
Blaine won 8-3

Key Players:

Roseau: Mike Lee (Jr.), Aaron Ness (Jr.), Ben Nelson (Sr.), Tyler Landman (Jr.), Adam Knochenmus (So.), Dustin Moser (Sr.), Nick Oliver (Jr.)

Blaine: Mike Schaber (Sr.), R Johnson (Sr.), S Hansen (Sr.), Danny Harper (So.)

Rematch anyone? This time the rematch between the Rams and the Bengals will be played in an atmosphere about 100 degrees warmer than when they met in early February up in frigid Baudette, MN. Roseau was able to get one puck in the net and win the game against Blaine at the Baudette Classic, 1-0.

Blaine has no trouble scoring averaging almost five goals per game. They have scored five or more goals in 17 of their 28 games this season. Roseau has scored five or more goals in 15 of their 28 games.

Here is the glaring difference between Roseau and Blaine: Roseau has shut out, allowed zero, nada, nothing, no goals against 12 of their 28 opponents. Blaine has not shut out ANYONE this season. Zero, nada, no shutouts. As a matter of fact, Blaine has been shutout twice this year. They lost 1-0 to both Roseau and Duluth East. Roseau's goals against average is less than one goal per game.

The game outside in the frigid north was a close one and, actually, that was an advantage for Blaine. The Rams would have most likely scored more in a more favorable (indoor) condition. This game may be close at the beginning but I expect the Rams to win by more than two goals.

FTP Prediction: Roseau 4, Blaine 1
__________________________________________________________________

Game 4: Hill-Murray (24-3-1) vs. Lakeville South (14-11-3)

Section 4AA (North Central Twin Cities Metro) vs. Section 1AA (Southeast Minnesota)

One common 2007-2008 opponent:

vs. Minnetonka:

Hill-Murray lost 1-4
Lakeville South lost 0-6

Key Players:

Hill-Murray: Joe Phillippi (Sr.), Dan Cecka (Sr.), Ryan Furne (Jr.), Isaac Kohls (Jr.), Tyler Zepeda (Jr.), Nick Widing (Jr.)

Lakeville South: Hakan Yumusaklar (Sr.), Chris Cass (Sr.), Bill Simon (Sr.), Lukas Allen (Sr.)

Before the Section 1AA playoffs began, Lakeville South had not shutout one opponent all season. During the Section 1AA playoffs, the Cougars shutout all three opponents. Hakan Yumusaklar is a big reason why the Cougars advanced to state. Now, he'll have to stand on his head and perform an Alex Kangas to keep his team in the game against the Hill-Murray Pioneers.

Lakeville South did have a quality win outside of winning Section 1AA. They did defeat Rosemount late in the season 5-3.

It's the best scoring team in the tournament against the least scoring team, a difference of over 3 games per game.

Hill-Murray: 6.57 gpg | 1.57 gaa
Lakeville South: 3.21 gpg | 2.68 gaa

FTP Prediction: Hill-Murray 5, Lakeville South 1