Minnesota boys high school hockey state tournament: predicting the winners

SBLive predicts who will win the 2024 MSHSL Class 2A and Class 1A state boys hockey tournaments

Carter Dooner | Mar 4, 2024

The Minnesota boys high school hockey 2024 state tournament begins on Wednesday, March 6 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

The Class 1A tournament begins on Wednesday, March 6, and the Class 2A tournament begins on March 7.

Minnesota boys high school hockey state tournament brackets: 2024 MSHSL matchups, game times

Follow SBLive Minnesota for brackets, scores, live score updates, game stories and more during the 2024 Minnesota (MSHSL) boys high school hockey state tournament.

Here are predictions for the Class 1A and Class 2A state tournaments:

CLASS 1A

Quarterfinals

Alexandria Area (18-9-1) vs No. 1-seed Hermantown (18-8-2)

While Section 6A isn't the strongest, any team who gets to the state tournament three years in a row deserves its flowers. The Cardinals come into this game winners of 11 of their last 12 and have a senior core with a wealth of state tournament experience.

They’ll match up against the Hermantown Hawks, who have become a staple of the Class 1A tournament. It’s not the star-studded Hermantown squad we are used to seeing, but like the Cardinals, it's also an experienced bunch–especially in net.

Senior Dane Callaway is in his third and final season as the Hawks netminder and already has a state title to his name.

With the Cardinals scoring 24 goals in their three section games, it sets up an interesting matchup between their forward and the Hawks robust backend.

It was a tremendous season for Alexandria, but the talent gap seems to be too wide for there to be an upset.

Hermantown 5-1 over Alexandria

No. 5-seed Orono (20-8-0) vs. No. 4-seed Mahtomedi (17-11)

Orono and Mahtomedi will close out Wednesday in maybe the most evenly matched game in the entirety of the state tournament. The Zephyrs took care of the Spartans 5-2 back in December, but a lot has changed since then.

Mahtomedi is led by its top line of Jake Hodd-Chlebeck, Gene Wegleitner and Jimmy Egan, who will have their hands full against Orono goaltender Peyton Anderson. Anderson was one of the main reasons the Spartans got out of their section as he allowed just two goals throughout the section tournament.

Orono’s high-output offense is led by sophomore Jackson Knight, who leads the team in goals with 20. He's complemented by fellow sophomore Rory Kvern and senior Joey Mugaas.

This is all the makings of an overtime thriller, but look for the Zephyrs to find that game-winning goal.

Mahtomedi 4-3 (OT) over Orono

No. 2-seed Warroad (23-5) vs New Ulm (23-5)

The state tournament opener features two teams from opposite parts of the state of Minnesota. Representing the South, the New Ulm Eagles reached its first state tournament since 2019 after taking down the Marshall Tigers in the section finals.

The Eagles are led by senior Austin Uecker, who amassed an impressive 79 points throughout the season to help New Ulm eclipse the 20-win mark.

On the complete opposite side of the state, its Warroad making its third straight appearance at the state tournament. Mr. Hockey finalist Carson Pilgrim returns to the tournament after nearly willing his team to the title the previous season.

He’s complemented by fellow linemates Tavin James and Murray Marvin-Cordes, who will look to help the Warriors finish the job this time around.

With Warroad's wealth of tournament experience and overall talent, look for this to be one of the more lopsided first round games.

Warroad 8-0 over New Ulm

No. 3-seed St. Cloud Cathedral (23-4-1) vs Northfield (22-4-2)

There is no doubt the Crusaders got the short end of the stick in the random draw, as they match up against far and away the best unseeded team in the Northfield Raiders.

The two teams met back in late January where the Crusaders held on to win 4-2.

For St. Cloud Cathedral, its led by senior goaltender Nick Hanson, who is 16-0-1 between the pipes this season for the Crusaders. On the offensive side of the puck, the first line of John Hirschfeld, Andrew Dwinnell and Joey Gillespie may just be the best line in the entire class.

The Raiders possess a potent first line themselves as Jake Gieger, Cayden Monson and Kam Kaiser will look to become the first team to solve the puzzle that is Nick Hanson.

The Raiders have the talent to keep it close, but the goaltending of St. Cloud Cathedral will be the difference in this one.

St. Cloud Cathedral 5-3 over Northfield

Semifinals

No. 1-seed Hermantown (18-8-2) vs. No. 4-seed Mahtomedi (17-11)

Two gold standards of Class 1A meet in the semifinals with both looking to add to what already is a crowded trophy room. This will be the second time these teams collide, as back in December Hermantown made easy work of the Zephyrs, cruising to a 5-1 victory. While this game should be tighter, the result will most likely be the same.

The Zephyrs lost too much from their state championship team a year ago, and their quest to repeat will end at the hands of the Hawks.

Hermantown 4-1 over Mahtomedi

No. 3-seed St. Cloud Cathedral (23-4-1) vs No. 2-seed Warroad (23-5)

These two teams met back in November where the Warriors outlasted the Crusaders in a 3-2 overtime victory. With that result being all the way back in November–parlayed with the absences of Crusader goaltender Nick Hanson–it's tough to put a lot of stock in that game when assessing this one.

This matchup will feature two of the best lines in the state of Minnesota. With the addition of the television timeout in the state tournament, expect both lines to see an uptick in their usage throughout the game.

With both times constructed similarly on offense, it will likely come down to goaltending. While Warroad goaltender Ben Norris has had a spectacular season, I still give the edge to Hanson and the Crusaders.

Expect this one to be the best semifinal game of the entire state tournament, regardless of classification.

St Cloud Cathedral 4-3 over Warroad

State Championship

No. 1-seed Hermantown (18-8-2) vs. No. 3-seed St. Cloud Cathedral (23-4-1)

Hermantown has played just about every top team in the state, and St. Cloud Cathedral is no exception. The Hawks took down the Crusaders 3-1 back in January, but once again, that was without St. Cloud Cathedral goaltender Nick Hanson. With the Hawks strong backend, and the Crusaders buzz saw of a first line, this will make for a fascinating stylistic matchup.

If you've seen SBLives Power 25, you’d know I've had St. Cloud Cathedral as the top Class 1A team since the start of the new year, meaning I have to put my money where my mouth is.

Look for this to be nearly a dead-even game, but I think someone from the top line of the Crusaders will ultimately find themselves a late goal, and later a state championship trophy.

St. Cloud Cathedral 3-2 over Hermantown

CLASS 2A

Quarterfinals

No. 1-seed Edina (23-4-1) vs. Elk River/Zimmerman (18-9-1)

The Hornets were the last ones standing in the gauntlet that is Section 6AA, thus earning them the top overall seed in the entire state tournament. Their reward: a surging Elk River/Zimmerman squad making its first state tournament appearance in 19 years.

It's not the first time these teams have collided this season, as earlier in December the Hornets shutout the Elks 4-0, outshooting them 50-9 in the process. For the Elks to have a chance in this one, junior goaltender Gavin Greniuk will have to have the game of his life in order to stop the buzz saw that is the Hornet’s offensive attack.

The Elks have upset one powerhouse in their playoff run thus far, but they lack the horses to take down the best of the best in Class 2A.

Edina 5-1 over Elk River/Zimmerman

No. 5-seed Grand Rapids (17-11) vs. No. 4-seed White Bear Lake (20-7-1)

For the sake of White Bear Lake fans, let's just get this stat out of the way: White Bear Lake has lost 19 straight quarterfinal games at the state tournament.

However, if there's ever going to be a year they break that streak, this is the one. The Bears and Thunderhawks met earlier in the season, where the Bears posted a 2-0 shutout at Yanmar Arena. The Bears will also have the best player on the ice in Mr. Hockey Candidate Nolan Roed, who is in the midst of a five-game stretch where he has amassed at least two points in each game.

For the Thunderhawks, it seems the three-goalie carousel has come to an end with Carter Casey getting the nod in all three section playoff games.

On the attacking side, they are led by the sibling duo of Jacob and Nathan Garski, who are nearly identical in total points.

Everything on paper this season tells me White Bear Lake should win this game, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Grand Rapids 2-1 over White Bear Lake

No. 2-seed Chanhassen (23-5) vs. Rochester Century/John Marshall (22-4-2)

This is Rochester Century/John Marshall’s first state tournament appearance in over a decade, and its Chanhassen's first appearance overall. The Panthers got to this point on the backs of a three-goal second period to upset the long-standing Section 1AA king Lakeville South 4-1.

Chanhassen also took down the king of its section, with the Storm holding on to shock then-undefeated Minnetonka 2-1 Thursday at Braemar Arena. In order for the Panthers to keep this one close, their goaltender Kyle Lappi will have to play his A-plus game to stop the first-line tandem that is Jack Christ and Gavin Uhlenkamp.

On the offensive side of the puck, they’ll have to find a way to sneak a few past Brimsek award finalist Kam Hendrickson, who is fresh off a 44-save game against the Minnetonka Skippers.

This was a tremendous program-building season for the Panthers, but their championship aspirations will end at the hands of the Storm.

Chanhassen 6-0 Over Rochester Century/John Marshall

No. 3-seed Centennial (19-7-2) vs. Cretin-Derham Hall (17-10-1)

Cretin-Derham Hall seems to know when to turn things on, as after a rocky regular season, the Raiders blitzed through section play taking down the five, three and one seed to get back to a third straight state tournament.

The Raiders have been riding the hot hand–or glove–of junior goaltender Owen Nelson in section play as he gave up just three goals in three games to get the Raiders to this point.

Nelson and the Raiders will have their hands full in the quarterfinals as they match up against a red-hot Centennial squad coming off an impressive 5-2 win over top-seed Maple Grove in the section championship. The Cougars are led by Harper Searles on offense–who in my opinion was a Mr. Hockey snub–and Easton Cody between the pipes.

Cody is coming off an impressive section playoffs where he stopped 83 of the 86 shots he saw. If the Cougars end up making a deep run in this tournament, it's most likely going to be because of Cody’s play.

This feels like a game that will be tightly contested for three periods, but when in doubt, I’ll take the team with the best player on the ice, and that team is Centennial.

Centennial 3-2 (OT) over Cretin-Derham Hall

Semifinals

No. 1-seed Edina (23-4-1) vs. No. 5-seed Grand Rapids (17-11)

Two teams that have done a lot of winning this past decade should make for an interesting semifinal matchup. We’ve seen this matchup before, as back in December the Thunderhawks made the trip down to the metro and were beaten decisively by the Hornets 6-2. With that being said, neither of these squads is the same team they were back then.

Since their December meeting, the Thunderhawks have rattled off multiple top-10 wins. The recipe for those wins has been the same: score first and anchor down on the defensive end.

The latter will be easier said than done against the Hornets, though, as they are averaging more than four and a half goals per game.

Expect this one to be closer than the regular season matchup, but the end result will be the same–an Edina victory.

Edina 4-1 over Grand Rapids

No. 2-seed Chanhassen (23-5) vs No. 3-seed Centennial (19-7-2)

The second semifinal matchup features two teams that can light up a scoreboard. Both teams are nearly identical in points per game, with Chanhassen averaging 4.82 goals per game, and Centennial comes in a couple of ticks higher at 4.86 goals per game.

If the Cougars want to give themselves a shot at pulling off the upset, they'll likely have to force the Storm into a high-scoring, barnburner-type game. The problem for the Cougars: Kam Hendrickson is between the pipes for the Storm.

Look for this to be the more competitive game of the two semifinals.

Chanhassen 3-1 Over Centennial

State Championship

No. 2-seed Chanhassen (23-5) vs. No. 1-seed Edina (23-4-1)

Whether it's the plethora of Division 1 talent on both sides or the tremendous goaltenders that both teams possess, this game has a little bit of everything. There's no doubt that Edina is the deeper team in this game. Much of the shine goes to the top line of Jackson Nevers, Bobby Cowan and Mason West, but the Hornets can and will likely roll three lines.

While the Storm may not have the depth the Hornets have, they can utilize one thing–TV timeouts. Look for forwards Gavin Uhlencamp and Jack Christ to see some extra time thanks to the extra stoppages. If the Storm can get off to a fast start like they did against Minnetonka, they’ll be in an excellent position to pull off the upset.

After the win over the Skippers, the Storm just seem like a team of destiny. Look for Uhlenkamp to solidify himself as this year's Mr. Hockey in a thrilling championship game.

Chanhassen 3-2 over Edina

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Published Mar 4, 2024

CARTER DOONER