The week ahead in preps: Boys' hockey section finals feature top matchups

Call it 51 hours of fury.

Boys' hockey section championship games, the final step in a crazed pursuit of a state tournament appearance, start with a 6 p.m. puck drop Wednesday at Mariucci Arena and end around 9 p.m. Friday.

Along the way, 16 teams will see their dream realized. Two matchups of top-10 teams highlight the Class 2A games.

No. 5 Holy Family Catholic reached a section final for the first time. The Fire faces top-seeded Eden Prairie for the Section 2 crown at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mariucci Arena.

Eden Prairie beat Holy Family 4-2 in the section semifinals last season.

In Section 5, No. 6 Centennial plays No. 9 Maple Grove at 7 p.m. Thursday at Aldrich Arena. The Northwest Suburban Conference foes split two meetings this season.

Section 7 features a rematch of Duluth East and Grand Rapids at 7 p.m. Thursday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. The Thunderhawks used a rousing five-goal third period to upset top seed Elk River in the semifinals.

No. 4-ranked St. Paul Academy, the top seed in Section 4, will be without catalyst Dev McCabe.

The junior forward, who is second on the team with 60 points, got ejected from the regular-season finale against Simley.

His second ejection of the season triggered a four-game suspension. He must sit out the section playoffs and would miss the state tournament quarterfinals as well.

Team and individual champions will be determined this week in the wrestling and boys' swimming state tournaments.

Wrestling begins Thursday at Xcel Energy Center with 24 teams competing for titles in three classes. The individual portion of the meet begins Friday and concludes Saturday.