Minnetonka lands Class 2A's top seed in boys hockey state tournament

Even before his Minnetonka hockey players finished retrieving their helmets, gloves and sticks scattered in postgame celebration Thursday, coach Sean Goldsworthy got busy lobbying for the No. 1 seed.

His Skippers had edged Chanhassen 2-1 in overtime, the latest in a season filled with high-profile games. Walt Whitman once said, "If you done it, it ain't bragging." So Goldsworthy wasn't shy about Minnetonka's bona fides.

"We've played in five or six games this year where going in it was No. 1 versus No. 2, and we've been on the winning end of that every time," he said. "We've earned the No. 1 seed and the top ranking. People have to respect that we've shown up against everybody. I think this team deserves a little more credit for what it's been doing."

Credit received. Minnetonka got the top seed Saturday morning for this week's Class 2A state tournament. The Skippers (26-2) will face unseeded Hill-Murray (13-12-1) at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center.

Minnetonka has bested five of the teams in Class 2A field a total of six times. That list: the Pioneers, No. 3 seed Edina (twice), No. 4 Andover, No. 5 Lakeville South and Moorhead.

Thursday's quarterfinals start at 11 a.m. with No. 2 Maple Grove and Cretin-Derham Hall, then Edina vs. Moorhead. In the day's final game, defending champion Andover faces Lakeville South.

The Class 1A state tournament starts Wednesday, and to little surprise, unbeaten Warroad received the No. 1 seed. Last season's runner-up, the Warriors (27-0-1) open with St. Cloud Cathedral at 6 p.m.

On Saturday morning, each head coach cast electronic votes for the other seven qualifying teams in his class. The highest and lowest votes for each team were excluded and the top five teams were awarded seeds. The remaining three teams were placed by blind draw.

Wednesday's Class 1A quarterfinals begin with Luverne and defending champion Hermantown, the No. 2 seed, at 11 a.m., followed by Alexandria against No. 3 Mahtomedi. The evening session starts with Warroad vs. St. Cloud Cathedral, and the nightcap belongs to No. 5 Northfield and No. 4 Orono.

All those teams have previous state tournament experience, though Luverne and Northfield haven't been to St. Paul since 2017.

In Class 2A, seven of the teams were in the tournament last season. The lone exception? Minnetonka. The Skippers won the 2018 state title in Goldsworthy's first season.

"Our body of work has shown we're as good as anybody, if not the best team, in the state," Goldsworthy said.