Patch to Live Blog Lakeville South's State Tourney Game v. Duluth East

will be live blogging the the action for tomorrow's state quarterfinal showdown between the  boys hockey team and No. 1 Duluth East.

Patch coverage will begin at 5 p.m. with the puck slated to drop around 6:15 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night.

Editor Derrick Williams will be joined by Sarah Packingham, a freelance sports reporter and Duluth native, for the live coverage of the game. Derrick will provide up to the moment coverage of on-ice action, along with tid-bits and information about Lakeville South's squad, while Sarah will provide the color and all the background and insight about Duluth East.

The two teams didn't meet during the regular season. South finished the year with a 20-8-0 record, and Duluth East finished 27-1-0.

South has hovered around the Top 10 in the Class AA rankings all year, and are considered one of the top tier teams in the state, but have just a 0-5 record versus this year's other state qualifying teams, losing to Eagan twice, as well as recording losses to Edina, Hill Murray, and Class A entrant, Breck.

The other Class AA match-ups:

No. 4-ranked Edina (23-5-0) received the No. 4 seed and will play unseeded Benilde-St. Margaret's on Thursday at 8 p.m.

No. 3-ranked Maple Grove (24-2-2) is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 9-ranked Hill-Murray (22-6-0) at 11 a.m. in the first of the four quarterfinals.

No. 5-ranked Eagan (24-3-1) received the No. 3 seed and plays No.-10 ranked Moorhead (21-6-0) at 1 p.m.

South earned its trip to state on Thursday when the Cougars beat  for the Section 1AA crown.