2010-2011 FollowThePuck.com Playoffs Picks

1AA	My Pick: Lakeville South Upset Special: Lakeville North Dark Horse: Farmington Insight: Lindgren is the only kryptonite that might slow Lakeville South down. The Cougars cannot forget what happened last year.
2AA	My Pick: Burnsville Upset Special: Bloomington Jefferson Dark Horse: Academy of Holy Angels Insight: Where's Edina? Repeating is almost impossible these days. I think Burnsville is more hungry and Jefferson may get overlooked. Jefferson is peaking at the right time.
3AA	My Pick: Apple Valley Upset Special: Eagan Dark Horse: Cretin-Derham Hall Insight: It will be no upset if Eagan upends Apple Valley. The difference will be who plays better between the pipes, Gretz or Bodeker.
4AA	My Pick: Hill-Murray Upset Special: White Bear Lake Dark Horse: Stillwater Area Insight: The best game in the Section will probably be between Stillwater and White Bear Lake in the semifinal. Stillwater needs more O and White Bear Lake needs more D/G. Hill-Murray lacks none of the three.
5AA	My Pick: Maple Grove Upset Special: Blaine Dark Horse: Centennial Insight: Maple Grove had eight shutouts during the regular season and their offense is scoring more at the right time. If Blaine can get by Tim Bonner and Osseo in the semifinal, Nick Malvin will have to outplay Maple Grove's Coyne for the title.
6AA	My Pick: Eden Prairie Upset Special: Wayzata Dark Horse: Benilde-St. Margaret's Insight: Best offense: Benilde-St. Margaret's Best defense: Wayzata Best goaltending: Even Best coaching: Even Eden Prairie has the best balance in all four categories. None of the top four teams, including Minnetonka, have a goaltender that stands out enough to neutralize four of the best offenses in the state in this one Section.
7AA	My Pick: Duluth East Upset Special: Grand Rapids Dark Horse: Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Insight: My pick for Duluth East is not without reservations. Grand Rapids is a high-flying offensive force with several players in its arsenal that are hard to contain. Duluth East is one of only a few teams in the state that have the ability to neutralize the Thunderhawks. Grand Rapids' senior leaders may be more hungry than Duluth East's junior leaders. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton is prime for an upset with Jack McFarlane, Nolan Meyer, freshman Karson Kuhlman, and the Michauds (Ben and Beau) in their own purple clad arsenal.
8AA	My Pick: Bemidji Upset Special: Roseau Dark Horse: Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz Insight: Roseau and Moorhead have combined for the last 14 Section 8AA titles. That streak ends this year. Bemidji has the best overall team balance in the Section. I would not be surprised if Roseau upsets Moorhead in the semifinal but only if the Rams goaltender can save 90+ percent of Moorhead's shots. The Spuds will need more than Michael Bitzer this year to get back to the X. Brainerd has the best offense in the Section. If they can find some defense and timely goaltending, it is not far-fetched to believe that the Warriors could make some noise.
1A	My Pick: Rochester Lourdes Upset Special: Mankato West Dark Horse: Albert Lea Insight: Albert Lea and Mankato West both score a lot of goals until they face Rochester Lourdes. Albert Lea averaged 4.8 goals per game during the regular season, Mankato West 5.7. Albert Lea vs. Lourdes: 0 goals. Mankato West vs. Lourdes: 2 goals. Lourdes has the balance to get back to the X.
2A	My Pick: Blake School Upset Special: Breck School Dark Horse: Delano/Rockford Insight: I do not know if you can call it an upset if the two-time defending Class A State Champions, Breck School, win another Section 2A title. It would certainly not be a surprise if Breck School wins it again. After all, Breck School did take down the Bears 5-1 last Saturday in the final game of the regular season. Blake School has great goaltending and a great defense. Breck School has no issues with their ability to score. The defense and goaltending has been a question mark this season. Do not count out Delano/Rockford. They have good goaltending in junior Ryan Pinoniemi. We all know a good goaltender can get hot in the playoffs. Add Pinoniemi with Class A regular season scoring champion Tyler Heinonen and Dillon McLain, who finished ninth, and you have a extremely formidable challenger for that Section 2A title.
3A	My Pick: New Ulm Upset Special: Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato Dark Horse: Luverne Insight: New Ulm is the giant in this Section. As always, it would take an outstanding performance by a hot goaltender to take out New Ulm. Ryan Koivisto of Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato might be that goaltender. LDC started out strong this season but did not finish particularly well. They did, however, defeat New Ulm once and Delano/Rockford once thanks to Koivisto. I think LDC will get by Hutchinson who defeated them twice during the regular season. I changed my dark horse from Marshall to Luverne for one reason, Connor Fitzer. He did not score in the teams two close regular season games against each other. He has been hot since and finished tied for 10th in scoring in the state in Class A. Improving freshman goaltender Kendall Meyer will also be key for the Cardinals.
4A	My Pick: St. Thomas Academy Upset Special: South St. Paul Dark Horse: Mahtomedi Insight: St. Thomas Academy should get over two upsets in the last two years in the playoffs and make it to the X. However, the Cadets may face Mahtomedi in the semifinals. Mahtomedi was the team that upset St. Thomas Academy both times in the playoffs. The only team in Section 4A that have given the Cadets a fight this season was South St. Paul, once in two games. The only Class A team that has defeated South St. Paul this season has been St. Thomas Academy. There are a few teams not to overlook in this Section including Totino-Grace and Chisago Lakes Area. Even St. Paul Johnson and Spring Lake Park might have something to say.
5A	My Pick: Hermantown Upset Special: Rogers Dark Horse: Proctor Insight: Hermantown has not lost to a Class A team this season. They did tie Thief River Falls. They have one of the best defenses in Class A. Garrett Skrbich should have been considered as a Mr. Hockey candidate. Regular season scores against Rogers: 4-0; against Proctor: 5-1; against St. Cloud Cathedral 6-4. Rogers has a very good defense but they did struggle to score at times. Proctor can score but their defense/goaltending struggled against better teams. St. Cloud Cathedral has some great, young talent but they are not ready to advance this year.
6A	My Pick: Sartell-St. Stephen Upset Special: Little Falls Dark Horse: Willmar Insight: Sartell-St. Stephen snuck up on me this year. They went 10-4-1 since January 1st. I really did not take notice of the Sabres until they defeated, then, 12-2-2 Little Falls, 8-3. Except for running into a hot Virginia/MIB goaltender and losing 2-0, the Sabres have been scoring goals in bunches. They have only three losses against Class A teams. Little Falls was my pick to win this Section at the beginning of the season. It is difficult not to pick them now. The Flyers had games where they looked unbeatable and they had games where they barely survived against less than mediocre teams. Little Falls is 6-0-0 in overtime games. All of those games finished 3-2. The teams that they beat in those games included Northern Lakes, Alexandria, River Lakes, St. Cloud Cathedral, Sauk Rapids-Rice, and Rogers. Even though they lost to Sartell-Stephen in the last half of the season, they did defeat the Sabres 3-1 earlier in the year. The eight goals that Little Falls gave up to Sartell-St. Stephen was the most given up by the Flyers in a game by far. The second most was four, only twice. Willmar defeated Little Falls and tied Sartell-St. Stephen this season. They also lost to Sartell-St. Stephen 3-0. The Cardinals have the ability to upset but this same team lost to Alexandria, Marshall, Morris/Benson, Hutchinson and tied St. Cloud Apollo.
7A	My Pick: Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl Upset Special: Duluth Marshall Dark Horse: Duluth Central Insight: Any one of four teams, Virginia/MIB, Hibbing/Chisholm, Duluth Marshall, or Duluth Central, could take the Section 7A Title. Virginia/MIB had the better, deeper team on paper at the start of the season and I believe they still do. Duluth Marshall defeated some good teams, lost to some good teams. Tough schedule. Duluth Central had some good wins but were beat handily but good teams. Hibbing/Chisholm had a bad second half of the season, 5-7-0.
8A	My Pick: Warroad Upset Special: Thief River Falls Dark Horse: Lake of the Woods Insight: The name of the game in Section 8A is defense and goaltending. Warroad and Thief River Falls has both. Lake of the Woods has the best goaltender in the state in Alex Lyon. In the end, Warroad has a little more offense to put them on top.