Sports

Lakeville North, Other Surprises Skating under Spotlight at State

The Panthers are one of many underdogs taking center ice at this week's State AA Boys' Hockey Tournament in St. Paul.

They’ve already had what some consider the run of the postseason, putting together a run to the Section Championship. Now, Lakeville North and the Panther faithful are hoping to score a couple more upsets en route to the State of Hockey’s biggest title.  

The Panthers, unranked in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll, seek their first title in their fourth appearance, their most recent two years ago. In four games during the regular season against tournament qualifiers, the Panthers were able to manage a 2-2 tie against Eastview of Apple Valley, but also lost 6-2 to Eastview, lost 7-0 to Hill-Murray and lost 2-0 to Duluth East. Lakeville North has scored 78 goals on the season while giving up 92. The Panthers are led by junior center Tristen Hazlett with 31 points on 10 goals and 21 assists. Senior wing Jack Diercks has 30 points on 16 goals and 14 assists, and sophomore center Nick Poehling has 24 points on six goals and 18 assists. Junior Will DuPont is the No. 1 goalie and has a .900 save percentage with 401 saves, and sophomore Pierce Wilson has significant minutes and an .855 save percentage with 247 saves.

North takes on No. 3 seed Edina: The Hornets, who bowed out in the 2012 consolation round, are returning for their seventh consecutive and 24th overall appearance. They were ranked No. 6 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll and are in the hunt for their 11th title. They won previously in 1969, 1971, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1997, and 2010, plus 1974, 1978 and 1979 as Edina East. During the regular season the Hornets defeated Wayzata three times, 3-0, 5-4 and 2-1. They defeated Centennial 4-0 and lost a 2-1 overtime game against Hill-Murray, plus the exact same losing result to Class A qualifier St. Thomas Academy. Junior center Connor Hurley paced this year’s squad with 47 points on 17 goals and 30 assists. Sophomore wing Dylan Malmquist added 20 goals and 21 assists, while senior Andy Jordahl contributed 18 goals and 18 assists. They all play on the first line. Senior Willie Benjamin (.904 save percentage) went 16-4 in the net for Edina and junior Andrew Rohkohl (.900 save percentage) went 6-2.

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Other team capsules, thanks to the MSHSL:

Wayzata: According to the MSHSL’s John Milea, the Trojans are making their third appearance and first since 2004. They were ranked eighth in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. Edina had their number this season, defeating them 3-0, 5-4 and 2-1. Wayzata did defeat Eastview 3-1, Duluth East 1-0, Moorhead 4-3, and Hill-Murray 3-1.

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Wayzata scored 80 goals this season, 18 on the power play, and gave up 52. Sophomore wing Matthew Freytag leads the team with 36 points on 22 goals and 14 assists, followed by ninth-grade wing Maxwell Zimmer with 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) and junior center Jack Sorenson with 26 points (four goals, 22 assists. Eight other players are also in double-figure points. Senior Aaron Dingmann sees the most minutes in goal and has a .927 save percentage on 498 saves.

Centennial. They were ranked 11th in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. This season the Cougars defeated Moorhead 5-1 and Duluth East in back-to-back games, but lost 4-0 to Edina in their season opener. Centennial scored 113 goals this season, 34 of them on the power play, while giving up 61. Junior wing Ryner Gorowsky leads the team with 53 points on 21 goals and 32 assists. His senior brother, wing Hans Gorowsky, has 48 points on 25 goals and 23 assists. Senior wing Andrew Bertrand added 16 goals and 18 assists. Senior Patrick Munson has had the bulk of the minutes in the net and has a .926 save percentage with 690 saves.

No. 1 seed Hill Murray: 2012 runner-up, was ranked No. 1 in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. The Pioneers are  making their second consecutive and 26th overall appearance and seek to add a fourth title, having won in 1983, 1991 and 2008. Hill-Murray defeated Edina 2-1 in overtime, Lakeville North 7-0 and Moorhead 6-4, and also lost 3-1 to Wayzata. They went 1-1-1 against Class A qualifier St. Thomas Academy, losing 2-1, winning 3-1 and tying 3-3 in overtime. Hill-Murray scored 154 goals while allowing opponents only 40. Twenty-six of their own goals were power-play goals. Junior wing Mitch Slattery leads the team with 60 points on 25 goals and 35 assists, followed by senior wing Zach LaValle with 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) and junior wing Willie Brown with 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists). Senior John Dugas has the most minutes in net and a .936 save percentage with 501 saves.

No 2. Seed Duluth East: The Greyhounds of Duluth East, the 2012 consolation winners,  are making their fifth consecutive and 20th overall appearance. They were ranked No. 3 in this year’s final Let’s Play Hockey poll and seek a fourth title, having previously won in 1960, 1995 and 1998.  Besides Moorhead, Duluth East defeated Class AA qualifiers Edina 4-1 and Lakeville North 2-0 late in the season, but lost 1-0 to Wayzata, 5-2 to Centennial of Circle Pines, and lost 2-0 to Class A qualifier Breck School. Duluth East outscored opponents 129 to 45, including 32 power-play goals. Senior center Jack Forbort has a team-high 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points. Junior wing Alex Toscano has 55 points on 21 goals and 34 assists, and senior defenseman Meirs Moore has 18 goals and 29 assists. Senior goaltender Dylan Parker has a save percentage of .917 and made 411 saves.

Moorhead: The Spuds, who finished fourth last year, were unranked in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll. They are making their third consecutive and 14th appearance and have won no titles yet. Five of the Spuds’ losses were against tournament qualifiers: they lost 5-1 to Centennial of Circle Pines, lost 4-3 to Wayzata, lost 5-1 to Duluth East and lost 6-4 to Hill-Murray, all Class AA qualifiers, plus a 6-4 loss to Class A qualifier Breck School. Twenty-one percent of their 100 goals came on the power play. Senior wing Tony Uglem has a team-high 36 points on 17 goals and 19 assists. Junior center Aaron Herdt has a team-high 19 goals plus 14 assists, and senior center Thomas Carey has 32 points on 17 goals and 15 assists. Fourteen other players also have points on the season. Sophomore goaltender Jacob Dittmer plays the most minutes and has a .920 save percentage on 470 saves, while senior Peter MacFarlane has played eight games and has an .820 save percentage with 211 saves.

Eastview: Unranked in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll, Eastview of Apple Valley is making its second tournament appearance; the school’s previous qualification came in 2001. The Lightning defeated Lakeville North 6-2 early in the season and later settled for a 2-2 tie against the Panthers. They lost 3-1 to Wayzata, also early. Thirty of the Lightning’s 86 goals came on the power play, a 26 percent conversion rate. Eastview’s roster includes players from the 2012 state champion lacrosse, baseball and soccer teams. Senior wing Ryan McNamara leads the team with 22 goals and 20 assists. Junior wing Jake McGlocklin, senior center Nick Abbott and senior defenseman Mitch Beattie contributed 26, 25 and 24 points, respectively. Sophomore Zachary Driscoll is the No. 1 goaltender and has a .942 save percentage and made 572 saves. 


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