Tom Patnode took over the Simley girls’ hockey varsity program almost a decade ago and quickly instilled a college coach’s approach to player retention.

Closing the borders of Inver Grove Heights, the school’s home community, took priority.

Four Inver Grove Heights girls skated for South St. Paul during Patnode’s first season at Simley. Another three played at Cretin-Derham Hall or with the St. Paul United program. He said the Spartans staff “worked diligently to stop that process” and keep more players home. It worked.

“The last player we lost to South St. Paul was three years ago,” Patnode said.

Success has followed. Section playoffs begin this week, and Simley (18-4-3) earned the No. 1 seed in Class 1A, Section 4. The Spartans received a first-round bye and will face either No. 4 seed Chisago Lakes or No. 5 seed Visitation next Tuesday.

Simley has never been to the state tournament. Meanwhile, neighboring South St. Paul, the No. 2 seed in Section 4, became the sport’s first dynasty. And Visitation, formerly part of St. Paul United, also made state tournament appearances. Those programs challenged Simley on and off the ice.

“It’s like we had two private schools in our section,” Patnode said.

It’s not all bad blood, however, between Simley and South St. Paul. Former Packers standout Steve Woog is Patnode’s brother-in-law and an assistant on Patnode’s staff. Steve’s father, Doug, a South St. Paul legend and former Gophers men’s hockey coach, was Patnode’s consultant.

Some players representing Simley’s current junior and senior classes played on U-12 teams that qualified for state tournaments several years ago. They kept their talents within Inver Grove Heights, and the Spartans have flourished.

Two of those players, junior forwards Abby Jeffers and Ella Tuccitto, skate on the top line. They are centered by junior Mackaylan McGown, who played for the combined Inver Grove Heights/Eagan youth team and transferred from Eagan High School.

“It wasn’t a matter of if we’d be successful, just when,” Patnode said. “Hopefully, this is our when.”

Eternal flame

Injury and illness threatened to extinguish the promising Burnsville Blaze girls’ hockey team, a state tournament qualifier in 2020 and the top seed in Class 2A, Section 3 last season.

At one point, only 12 skaters were available out of the combined JV and varsity rosters, coach Chris Lepper said. Senior forward Sami Bowlby, a Ms. Hockey Award-caliber player, missed 12 games.

No matter.

A 14-game winning streak lasting from mid-December to late January kept Burnsville (19-5-1) in a position of prominence. The resilient Blaze earned the No. 1 seed in Section 3 for a second consecutive season. Burnsville opens play Feb. 9 at home against Park of Cottage Grove.

“These kids are very talented and have worked really hard,” said Lepper, in his third season as Burnsville head coach.

Stacked sections

In Class 1A, no road to the state tournament looks more challenging than Section 5. Three teams are ranked in the top 10 of the most recent Let’s Play Hockey coaches poll: Orono (second), Holy Angels (fourth) and Mound Westonka (sixth). The trio received the top three seeds, with No. 1 seed Orono receiving a first-round bye.

Take your pick in Class 2A when it comes to which section is most perilous. Section 4 features 10th-ranked Hill-Murray while Section 5 talk starts with No. 5 Maple Grove. Those sections are low-key tough, with several teams outside the top 10 still capable of making a run.

Section 6 remains a mini-state tournament. Defending Class 2A champion and second-ranked Edina holds the top seed and likely awaits either Benilde-St. Margaret’s (ranked seventh, seeded third) or Wayzata (ranked ninth, seeded second) to emerge from the other side of the bracket.