Girls Hockey State Tournament Advance Release
Posted: Sunday, March 21, 2021 - 8:22 PM
March 21, 2021
The Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Hockey State Tournament, held annually since 1995, is scheduled to begin this week at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. The Class A quarterfinals are set to begin on Friday, March 26 and the Class AA quarterfinals will follow on Saturday. The two tournaments resume play on April 1 for the semifinals and championship games in each class are set for Saturday, April 3. Here is a look at the state tournament.
At Xcel Energy Center
Friday, March 26
Class A quarterfinals
Saturday, March 27
Rochester Lourdes (9-8-0) vs. No. 2 Warroad (19-1), 11 a.m.
Luverne (16-2-0) vs. No. 3 Proctor/Hermantown (18-0), 1 p.m.
River Lakes (13-5-2) vs. No. 1 Gentry Academy (16-2), 6 p.m.
No. 5 Mound Westonka/Mayer Lutheran/SW Christian (14-2) vs. No. 4 Chisago Lakes (17-2), 8 p.m.
Class AA quarterfinals
Centennial (16-5) vs. No. 2 Edina (19-0), 11 a.m.
Alexandria (14-4-2) vs. No. 3 Minnetonka (15-3-3), 1 p.m.
Farmington (10-8-1) vs. No. 1 Andover (20-0-0), 6 p.m.
No. 5 Eastview (15-4-2) vs. No. 4 Stillwater (19-2-1), 8 p.m.
Thursday, April 1
Class A semifinals --- 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
Class AA semifinals --- 6 p.m., 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 3
Class A championship --- 11 a.m.
Class AA championship --- 1 p.m.
Tournament Information:
Onsite media --- Only pre-approved and credentialed media are permitted for onsite coverage.
Webcast: School Space Media will livestream the Class A and Class AA quarterfinals. Find the stream at www.prepspotlight.tv
• One Game - $9.99
• One Day - $14.99
• Two Days - $19.99
Broadcast: The semifinals and championship games in each class will be broadcast live by 45TV and streamed live on www.prep45.com
Complimentary tournament programs: https://www.mshsl.org/state-tournament-programs
Social media: Follow the tournament on the League’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @MSHSL and @MSHSLJohn .
Results: Game summaries and recaps will be posted on the Girls Hockey activity page.
State tournament preview
Class A
A new champion will emerge in this class. It is also the first time since 2006 that neither Blake nor Breck qualified for the state tournament. In that span since, the two schools won a combined 10 championships. Breck won the past three titles. Rochester Lourdes is making its third consecutive appearance as the Section 1A champion. Warroad averages six goals per game and has its only loss this season to Gentry Academy in early February. Luverne, on a six-game winning streak entering the state tournament, is making its second consecutive state tournament appearance. Proctor/Hermantown surrenders just 0.78 goals per game. In the section final, River Lakes recorded a 3-2 victory over Willmar, a team it had two losses to earlier in the season. Gentry Academy, making its state tournament debut, is on an 11-game winning streak. Mound Westonka/Mayer Lutheran/SW Christian is making its third state tournament appearance since 2017. Chisago Lakes senior forward Jenna Lawry, who has committed to play at Minnesota-Duluth, leads the Wildcats with 28 goals and 26 assists.
Class AA
Andover is the defending big-school champion and favored to repeat. The Huskies average more than nine goals per game and surrender just 0.35. Farmington, Andover’s quarterfinal opponent, is making its third consecutive appearance. Centennial, the Class AA runner-up in 2018, avenged a loss to Maple Grove 10 days earlier with a victory in the section final. Edina is no state tournament stranger. The Hornets are making their 11th state tournament trip since 2009. Edina has been in the Class AA championship game in each of the past four seasons, including a run of three consecutive titles from 2017-19. Alexandria returns for the first time since 2018 and 14th time since 2004. In 2008, the Cardinals were the Class A champions. Minnetonka, which also had a run of three consecutive crowns from 2011-13, returns for the third consecutive season. The Skippers placed runner-up to Edina in the Lake Conference. Eastview is back in the state tournament for the fourth time since a run of three in a row ended in 2017. The Lightning defeated crosstown rival Apple Valley 5-1 for the section crown. Stillwater, champions of the Suburban East Conference, return for the first time since 2009 when the Ponies won the Class AA title. The Ponies are on a nine-game winning streak over the past three weeks.
