2011 Upper Midwest High School Elite League | Week 6 Recap

By Upper Midwest High School Elite League Staff

Team Southeast clinched at least a share of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League regular season championship with one week remaining by going 2-1-0 during Week 6 action on Oct. 11-16.

Team Southeast beat Team Northeast 9-4 on Tuesday at New Hope Ice Arena and concluded the week with an 8-3 triumph over Team Wisconsin on Sunday in New Hope. Sandwiched between those victories was a 5-3 loss to Shattuck-St. Mary’s on Wednesday in Faribault.

With three games remaining in the regular season, Team Southeast (12-3-3) has 28 points. Shattuck-St. Mary’s (10-1-1) and Team Northeast (9-6-3) each have 22 points.

Team Southeast’s Justin Kloos, a senior from Lakeville South who has committed to play at Minnesota, earned Minnesota Wild Player of the Week honors by registering eight assists in the three games. Kloos, the Elite League scoring leader with 42 points, had four assists in the victory over Team Northeast and notched three more assists in the win over Team Wisconsin.

Shattuck-St. Mary’s extended it unbeaten streak to eight games by following its victory over Team Southeast with a 5-2 triumph over Team Northeast on Thursday in Faribault and a 7-3 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, also in Faribault.

Team North also went unbeaten in Week 6, posting a 2-0-1 record in Saturday and Sunday games in Brainerd. Team North beat Great Plains 6-2, tied Team Northwest 5-5 on Saturday and got two goals from Duluth East’s Dom Toninato in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Team Southwest.

Team Northwest, which started the season 6-0-1, has two wins in its last 11 games after going 1-1-1 on Saturday and Sunday in Brainerd. Maple Grove junior defenseman and Notre Dame recruit Jordan Gross, Benilde-St. Margaret’s junior forward Grant Besse and Breck senior Grant Opperman each had six-points for Team Northwest over the weekend.

Notes
– Team North and Team Northwest are tied for third place in the league standings with 20 points, one point ahead of Team Southwest. Just three points separate five teams that still have a chance to finish in second place.

– Duluth Denfeld junior goaltender Zach Thompson, who missed most of the season because of mononucleosis, pushed his record to 2-0-1 with a tie and win over the weekend.

– Great Plains (0-17-1) came close to earning its first win of the season, as it took a one-goal lead into the third period against Team Southwest on Saturday in Brainerd. Team Southwest rallied for the 3-2 win with two third-period goals.

– Week 7 weekend games will be played in Moorhead and Eau Claire, Wis. League leaders Team Southeast and Shattuck-St. Mary’s meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Hobbs Ice Center in Eau Claire.