South metro notebook: Farmington coach finally reaches hockey dream

Greg May grew up dreaming about playing in the hockey state tournament. He never got the opportunity.

May found the next best way to get there, as a coach. His Farmington squad made its Class 2A debut against Wayzata on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

"I never got there as a player, but it's still a dream come true to get there as a coach," May said. He just concluded his second season at the helm of the program.

May served as an assistant coach under Janne Kivihalme in Burnsville for four years before landing the Farmington position. He also played for Burnsville in high school.

"A lot of our principles are the same," May said.

He was joined at the state tournament by the Burnsville coaching staff. The Blaze won the Section 3 title and also advanced to the state tournament.

"It's really cool to be at the state tournament with them," May said. "I'm still very close to their coaching staff."

"I walked into a very good situation," May said. "I want to make Farmington into a high-level program."

• Apple Valley senior wrestler Mark Hall concluded his prep career with a dozen Class 3A state championships — six as an individual, six with the team. He became the first wrestler to win six individual crowns, beating Hastings senior Austin Eichmann 16-1 for the 170-pound title. Hall, the top-ranked wrestler in the nation, wrapped up his career with a record of 277-4.

• Burnsville senior forward Cade Borchardt had three consecutive hat tricks in the Class 2A, Section 3 boys' hockey tournament, leading the school to its ninth state tourney appearance. He entered the state tournament with 27 goals and 31 assists this season.