Section 3A Preseason Prediction
| Team | Regular Season Wins in '10-'11 | More or Less Wins in '11-'12 | Section Rank |
| Luverne | 17 | More | 1st |
| Hutchinson | 9 | More | 2nd |
| New Ulm | 18 | Less | 3rd |
| Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato | 14 | Less | 4th |
| Marshall | 15 | Less | 5th |
| Redwood Valley | 10 | More | 6th |
| Windom Area | 4 | More | 7th |
| Fairmont | 5 | Less | 8th |
| Worthington/RL-B | 0 | More | 9th |
1. Luverne
F Skyler Wenninger (11) - 34 pts (18g, 16a) in 20 gamesF Jonny Solma (11) - 32 pts (13g, 19a) in 24 games
F Cody Christensen (12) - 30 pts (12g, 18a) in 24 games
- Despite Section 3A's leading scorer in 2010-2011, Connor Fitzer, having graduated, Luverne should be in good shape this season.
- The Cardinals will bring back three players that had scored double-figures in goals and three experienced defensemen.
- Luverne will look to a tandem of good goaltenders including sophomore Kendall Meyer, who led the team in wins with seven, and senior Austin Van Santen, who led the team in save percentage at .905.
- The top five goaltenders from Section 3A last year have all graduated. All five were from the top-four seeds in the Section, New Ulm, Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (2), Hutchinson, and Marshall. Luverne will have the best RETURNING goaltenders in the Section.
- I like what they have coming back at the top end and their overall depth.
- They have the most varsity experience coming back than any other team in the Section. Last season, The Cardinals were a young team that won 17 of 24 regular season games. This year, 20 wins could be reachable.
2. New Ulm
F Brody Peterson (12) - 41 pts (17g, 24a)F Dylan Schreckenberg (12) - 20 pts (6g, 14a)
D Jeff Banal (12) - 19 pts (6g, 13a)
- New Ulm, Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, and Hutchinson are usually the perennial top contenders in the Section. Each team is returning about the same amount of goal production. All three have bout the same amount of returning, experienced players, 10 or 11, from last year. All three graduated goaltenders that played almost all of their teams minutes in goal.
- Senior Brody Peterson and a group of experienced skaters that got a taste of the state tournament last season will set the Eagles apart from the other two. Peterson finished tied for third in scoring in the Section last season and will be a top contender to win the Section's scoring title this year.
- New Ulm needs to reload with a new goaltender and more defense.
- Never count out the Eagles. They are always right at the top to battle for a Section 3A title.
3. Hutchinson
F Trace Adams (12) - 24 pts (8g, 16a)F Tyler Ellefson (12) - 22 pts (13g, 9a)
F Cody Nielsen (11) - 17 pts (11g, 6a)
- Hutchinson will need to find a way to score more goals this season. They only managed 2.5 goals per game in 2010-2011.
- The Tigers won nine regular season games and still made it to the Section semifinals.
- Hutchinson brings back 65% of their goal production from last year and more goals than what Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato will be returning and just under what New Ulm brings back. LDC defeated Hutchinson in the 3A semifinals last season, 4-2, and the year before, 3-1.
- If the Tigers can find a good replacement for graduated goaltender Jordan Johnson and they can tighten up their defense, they will find themselves in, at least, another semifinal game next February.
4. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato
F Max Hyberger (12) - 20 pts (8g, 12a)F Aaron Haataja (11) - 18 pts (10g, 8a)
F John Raisanen (12) - 18 pts (10g, 8a)
- The Dragons have been to four Section semifinal games, three Section championship games, and two state tournaments in the last four years.
- Strong, timely, and experienced goaltending has been one of the main factors for their Section success.
- The Dragons will have to find a new goaltender.
- With a lack of depth, the Dragons will have to rely on their top three returning scorers to lead this team.
- LDC always seems to FIND A WAY and you can never count them out as a Section 3A contender.
5. Marshall
F Bryce Peterson (12) - 21 pts (14g, 7a)F Beau Mikel (11) - 18 pts (8g, 10a)
D Max Campion (12) - 14 pts (8g, 5a)
- The Tigers were a strong team in 3A last season and they made great strides with their goaltending and defense.
- Marshall has most of that strong defensive core back led by Campion and Andrew Buysse but goaltender Andy Noble graduated and will be missed.
- The Tigers should have another good season lead by several seniors.
- If the Marshall wants to get back to the Section semifinals, they will have to match or better their 5.43 goals per game and their 2.09 goals against average from last season.
6. Redwood Valley
F Colin Bailey (12) - 24 pts (7g, 17a)F Austin Kretsch (11) - 22 pts (14g, 8a)
F Jordan Skeie (12) - 19 pts (9g, 10a)
7. Windom Area
F Adam Eisenmenger (12) - 43 pts (29g, 14a)F Mitchell Baumhoefner (12) - 31 pts (15g, 16a)
F Brett Larson (12) - 11 (9g, 2a)
8. Fairmont
F Jacob Lemon (12) - 14 pts (4g, 10a)F Ross Wilken (12) - 13 pts (5g, 8a)
G Cody Harder (12) - 3 wins, 6.00 GAA, .801 save percentage
9. Worthington/Round Lake-Brewster
F Ethan Stofferan (12) - 10 pts (7g, 3a)F Levi Leach (11) - 9 pts (3g, 6a)
G Ryan Scholtes (11) - 0 wins, 9.28 GAA, .836 save percentage
