At least half the Class 2A girls' hockey teams ranked in the top 10 won't survive this week's section semifinals and championships.
Skilled, passionate play will decide which of these state tournament-caliber teams advances to the Xcel Energy Center.
In Section 6, No. 1 Edina, the defending state champions, plays Cretin-Derham Hall on Wednesday at Parade Arena. The second game of the semifinal doubleheader features No. 2 Blake against No. 9 Wayzata. The favored Bears, defending Class 1A state champions, opted up to play with the larger schools by enrollment. An anticipated Edina-Blake showdown would take place Friday.
Section 5 also features a trio of top-10 teams. No. 3 Centennial plays Rogers on Tuesday at Roseville Ice Arena, followed by No. 4 Maple Grove against No. 8 Blaine, the state tournament runner-up last season. Centennial, which last reached the state tournament in 2008, is led by 12 seniors, including dynamic forwards Gabbie Hughes and Anneke Linser.
"As a team, we are confident in our abilities," Hughes said. "That's a component that we've been missing. We know this is our time."
The section final is set in Section 7, where No. 6 Andover plays No. 7 Forest Lake on Thursday night at Fogerty Arena. In the teams' Dec. 14 meeting, Andover beat the Rangers 4-2.
In Class 1A, Section 4, No. 6 St. Paul United and No. 7 South St. Paul must win their respective semifinal games Tuesday to reach Thursday's final.
Wrestling sections
Ready for Round 2? Barring a major upset, the Class 3A, Section 2 wrestling team finals are expected to pit Shakopee, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, against No. 2 Apple Valley, seeking its 35th consecutive state tournament appearance. The Eagles have won 12 consecutive Class 3A state titles but are the No. 2 seed in the section, the result of a 32-30 loss to Shakopee on Jan. 25 that earned the Sabers' the top seed.
