Faceoff

Class A state hockey | EGF 3, Lourdes 2. FINAL SCORE

Posted by: Feldman

Good evening from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The scheduled 8 p.m. Class A state quarterfinal game between Lourdes and East Grand Forks looks more like an 8:45-8:50 start now. I'll have in-game updates on Twitter (@PBFeldy) and I'll post all of the scoring plays here as they happen. 

You'll also fine full line charts for both teams below. 

TV: Charter digital cable channel 386 or prep45.com in Rochester. 

FIRST PERIOD

1. EGF, Kolton Aubol 15 (Dixon Bowen 22) 8:51. Bowen springs Aubol on a 1-on-0 breakaway. Burkel makes the first save on Aubol's attempt, but the rebound bounces right back to Aubol who flips into the top of the goal.

2. EGF, Aubol 16 (Tommy Hajicek 24) 12:58. Aubol finishes a perfect 2-on-1 after Hajicek feeds him with a cross-crease pass. Burkel had no chance. 

Shots on goal: EGF 18, Lourdes 5.

SECOND PERIOD

3. EGF, Hajicek 21 (Taylor Brierley 15, Eddie Eades 19) 15:08 (dp, ea). With a delayed penalty coming against Lourdes, EGF gets the extra attacker on the ice. Brierley feeds Hajicek with a cross-ice pass and Hajicek rips a wrister past Burkel glove-side.

4. RL, Alex Funk 43 (Jason Samuelson 49) 6:10. After an EGF turnover in its own zone, Samuelson zips a pass to Funk in the right circle. Funk snaps a wrist shot high past Lindstrom to snap the shutout.

5. RL, Griff Slightam 9 (Samuelson 50, Funk 32). Slightam rips a hard wrist shot from the slot that Lindstrom was late on, pulling Lourdes within a goal.

Total shots on goal: EGF 33, Lourdes 12.

THIRD PERIOD

Total shots on goal: EGF 34, Lourdes 13.

* * * 

LINE CHARTS

LOURDES EAGLES (20-8-0)
FORWARDS
7 Jason Samuelson - 20 Alex Funk - 4 Ben Weir
10 Griffen Buck - 2 Montana Streit - 5 Cody Cossette
17 Kane Carstens - 15 Mason Carstens - 16 McKay Carstens
6 Lee Brandrup - 9 Tucker Chapman - 19 Luke Morrey
DEFENSEMEN
12 Karl Krecke - 21 Griff Slightam
11 Nathan Roth - 3 Dakota Streit
14 Lars Anderson - 18 Nick Roth
GOALIE
1 Jack Burkel
30 Andrew Ellingson 

EAST GRAND FORKS GREEN WAVE (22-3-3)
FORWARDS
14 Kolton Aubol - 17 Tommy Hajicek - 9 Dixon Bowen
18 Brandon Loven - 29 Grant Loven - 19 Tanner Tweten
21 Rayce Martin - 10 Nick Ranten - 7 Nick Korynta
4 Luke Bieto - 22 Dallas Dragich
DEFENSEMEN
6 Colton Poolman - 12 Tye Ausmus
16 Taylor Brierley - 27 Eddie Eades
26 Nathan Peabody - 15 Trevor Selk
28 Ryan Pecka
GOALIES
31 Tanner Lindstrom
30 Josh Weber
35 Garrett Lieberg 

Section 1A Final | Lourdes 6, Mankato West 1. FINAL SCORE

Posted by: Feldman

(NOTE: In order to see updates, you'll have to keep refreshing this page; it won't do it automatically, I don't believe.)

Welcome to the Rochester Rec Center for the Section 1A boys hockey championship game. Lots of storylines with this one.

I'll post goal summaries here and random notes during each period of tonight's game between No. 2 seed and No. 15-ranked Mankato West (22-5-0) and No. 1 seed and No. 7-ranked Rochester Lourdes (19-8-0). I'll also have updates on Twitter (@PBFeldy)

FIRST PERIOD

No scoring.

SECOND PERIOD

1. RL, Alex Funk 39 (Karl Krecke 15, Jason Samuelson 47) 5:38. Great pressure by Lourdes on a power play leads to Funk being left alone in the left circle. Rips a wrist shot short side. LOURDES 1, WEST 0

2. RL, Griff Slightam 8 (Funk 31) 7:24. Funk carries the puck around behind the net and feeds Slightam, who blasts one past Spiess. LOURDES 2, WEST 0

3. RL, Funk 40 (Samuelson 48, Krecke 16) 13:04. Samuelson lets a shot go from near the point, Funk with a great tip in front to re-direct it past Spiess.

THIRD PERIOD

4. RL, Funk 41 (unassisted) 1:03. Lourdes buzzes again on the opening shift of the period and Funk scores from close range to complete the hat trick.

5. RL, Funk 42 (Krecke 17) 9:02 (pp). Funk puts home a pass from Krecke for his fourth goal of the game, Krecke's third assist.

6. MW, Ryan Jutting 5 (Max Mettler 19) 11:07. Jutting puts West on the board on the first shot on goal against Andrew Ellingson, who replaced Jack Burkel with 6:42 to go.

7. RL, Luke Morrey 1 (Slightam 12) 12:10 (dp). With a delayed penalty coming against West, Lourdes gets the extra attacker on the ice and Morrey notches his first goal of the season. 

* * * 

STARTERS
WEST (22-5-0)
G 33 Jake Spiess (10-4-0, 2.35 GAA, .908 save pct)
D 15 Scott McKissick (3-30--33) -- 24 Max Mettler (4-18--22)
F 3 Nick Campbell (17-32--49) -- 9 Galt Goettl (21-28--49) -- 7 Derek Frentz (38-32--70)

LOURDES (19-8-0)
G 1 Jack Burkel (7-4-0, 3.10, .886)
D 12 Karl Krecke (8-14--22) -- 21 Griff Slightam (7-11--18)
F 4 Ben Weir (15-10--25) -- 20 Alex Funk (38-30--68) -- 7 Jason Samuelson (26-46--72) 

 

* * * 

PRE-GAME NOTES

* Lourdes is going for a fifth consecutive section championship and fifth consecutive state tournament trip, something a Rochester team has never accomplished

* Lourdes is playing in its sixth consecutive Section 1A championship game. The last team to beat the Eagles in a section final? Mankato West in 2008. That was the Ricky Litchfield-Corey Leivermann team that put up ridiculous point totals.

* This is West's first appearance in the section final since they won it in 2008.

* Lourdes has at least three players who will play in their fourth section title game tonight: D Karl Krecke, F Jason Samuelson and F Alex Funk. Lourdes D Griff Slightam is playing in his third section final as just a sophomore.

* Samuelson and Funk continue to set themselves miles apart from everyone else on Lourdes' all-time scoring list. Sean Corfits, a '92 Lourdes grad, entered this season with the all-time points lead (172), but Funk and Samuelson have left him and everyone else in their ice shavings. Samuelson has 217 career points, while Funk has 208. 

* Both teams have a 70-point scorer. West's Derek Frentz has 38-32--70 this season, while Lourdes' Samuelson has 26-46--72. Funk (38-30--68) is close.

* West has two more players on the verge of topping 50 points: junior forwards Nick Campbell (17-32--49) and Galt Goettl (21-28--49).

* If Saturday's section semifinals are any indication, odds are this game will hinge on special teams and who can stay out of the box. As I noted in my preview to the game in Tuesday's Post-Bulletin, there were a total of 15 goals scored in Saturday's two section semifinal games. Eight of those goals were scored on special teams (seven power-play goals, one short-handed). 

* * *

AROUND THE STATE

There are four other section championship games being played tonight. I'll try to provide updates on those games here and on Twitter (@PBFeldy) as much as possible. Those other section finals tonight are:

Section 3A: No. 4 seed Marshall vs. No. 6 seed Hutchinson (at Gustavus Adolphus College)
Section 7A: No. 1 Duluth Denfeld vs. No. 2 Duluth Marshall (at Amsoil Arena, Duluth)
Section 2AA: No. 1 Edina vs. No. 3 Burnsville (Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, 6 p.m.)
Section 6AA: No. 1 Benilde-St. Margaret's vs. No. 3 Wayzata (Mariucci Arena, 8 p.m.) 

In Section 5AA, there are a pair of semifinal games being played tonight at the State Fair Coliseum:
* No. 1 seed Blaine vs. No. 4 Champlin Park (6 p.m.)
* No. 2 Centennial vs. No. 3 Maple Grove (8 p.m.) 

Boys Hockey | Mayo closing in on Big Nine title

Posted by: Feldman

The 2012-13 Rochester Mayo boys hockey team has a chance to make its mark on the school record book, in a couple of ways, on Thursday night at Graham Arena I against Mankato West.

A Mayo victory would give it at least a share of the Big Nine Conference championship, marking the first time since 2001-02 the Spartans could claim that honor. 

Mayo (12-0-0 Big Nine, 17-4-0 overall) leads West (13-2-0, 17-4-0) by just two points in the conference standings (Mayo has 28 points, West 26), but the Spartans have more points remaining to play for, so a conference title is not lost if they lost to the Scarlets. FYI, Mayo won the first meeting between these teams, 2-1, at Mankato, on Dec. 6.

A Mayo win on Thursday all but guarantees it an outright Big Nine title. The Spartans would only need to tie one of their remaining three games -- against Faribault, Century or Winona -- to win the Big Nine outright. It's a goal the Spartans have had marked on their calendars since the end of last season, when late-season loss to Century gave the Panthers the conference crown by one point over Mayo.

Players such as goalie Case Hansen and forwards Adam Alcott, Ryan Martin and Max Whitney, have all told me at various points this season how big of a goal it is for Mayo to not only win the conference, but to not have to share it.

It's been 11 years since Mayo last won the conference title, which seems crazy, considering some of the talented teams they've had since then.

That 2001-02 title team finished the season with 17 victories. No Mayo team has won more since then. A win on Thursday would give the '12-'13 Spartans 18 victories, the most since 1999-2000, when Mayo went 24-4-0 and placed sixth in the state tournament.

I've had several people ask why Mayo hasn't received any votes or made any waves in the state Class AA rankings. I don't vote on the poll, but, first, any team south of the Twin Cities really has to earn its way into the poll (or even the receiving votes part of the poll). Also, Mayo's four losses came against Eastview, Lakeville North, Hibbing and Virginia. North and Virginia are not ranked; Eastview is No. 18 in Class AA and Hibbing is No. 17 in Class A. 

So, how did the Spartans get to this position? In exactly the way the coaching staff pictured before the season:

* Looking at the team from the goal out, Hansen has been outstanding in net. He has played nearly every minute, posting a 17-4-0 record, an impressive 1.88 goals-against average and a very good .915 save percentage. He has recorded three shutouts and has held five other opponents to just one goal. There have been times when he hasn't had to make a lot of saves. Mayo's defensemen and forwards have been very good about keeping shots to the outside and not allowing quality scoring chances, specificially second or third chances. And Hansen has made some saves that have left opponents shaking their heads. That's a pretty good recipe for success.

* Defensively, Mayo knew what it had in big, physical d-men such as Will Holtan and Tommy Fjelsted. Let's just say, if I was entering the Mayo zone with the puck, I would stop short of trying to skate through or past those two. They've also been good on the offensive end; Fjelsted is the team's fourth-leading scorer, Holtan its fifth-leading scorer. Mayo also converted Justyn Sweet to defense and he has made a difficult transition nicely. James Johnston hasn't shown up on the scoresheet much, but he's been a valuable part of Mayo's blue-line group.

* Offensively, the depth the Mayo coaches thought they could have prior to the season has panned out. The Spartans can skate three quality lines -- the second line, with Nolan Edwards, Matt Rogers and Tommy Hanson doesn't always get as much attention as the other two, but the trio has combined for 44 points and have improved with every game. The top line of Adam Alcott, Ryan Martin and Max Whitney has done its job. They are the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 scorers on the team, combining for 35 goals, 49 assists and 84 points. Mayo's third line -- sophomores Nick Newman, Ethan Moore and Logan Haskins -- has produced 25 points (including nine goals from Haskins), but more importantly, it has give Mayo depth that most teams in the conference can't match. The Spartans can roll three lines, and put any of the three on the ice in just about any situation. That depth creates a lot of matchup problems for opposing teams.

If Mayo does clinch the conference title, outright or shared, it will mark the 19th time in the last 21 seasons that a Rochester team has won or shared the championship. The two years where it didn't happen are recent: 2008 (Mankato West) and 2011 (Albert Lea).

High School Hockey | Mayo vs. JM, Take 106, set for Saturday

Posted by: Feldman

It was a year ago at this time when I took a look back at the long rivalry between Rochester John Marshall and Rochester Mayo. Here's a link to that story from our archives; it was one of my favorite stories I've done in the eight years I've been here. Here's the story that ran on the front of the Sports section that day, with a look at where the rivalry stands today. They may not play in front of sold-out arenas anymore, but the battles for bragging rights are no less intense.

Thinking back on it now, no one I interviewed would flat-out say "yeah, we hated Mayo's guts" or "we wanted to beat JM by eight every time out," but I could sense it in just about everyone I talked to on both sides. There was definitely a lot of respect both ways, but there's no doubt the JM-Mayo matchup is one that every player on both teams would circle on the calendar as soon as the schedule came out.

The rivals will meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Graham Arena I. It will be the 106th matchup in a series that is remarkably close:

• JM holds a slim 53-51-1 lead after 105 games. Mayo has won four in a row against JM to pull close.

• Perhaps the most amazing stat in this long, storied rivalry is that Mayo has never held the series lead. And the last time the series was tied was at the end of the 1968-69 season, when the series stood at 3-3-0.

• If Mayo wins tonight, it will be just one game down in the all-time series for the first time since the end of the 2001-02 season, when a 14-game winning streak in the series pulled it within 40-39-1.

A few bulletpoints on tonight's game:

• Mayo is 7-0-0 in the Big Nine (the only remaining unbeaten team in the conference) and 12-4-0 overall. JM is 4-5-0, 5-11-0, but the Rockets have won two in a row and have been boosted by the return of three of their top players to the lineup after missing half the season because of MSHSL rules violations.

• In the series, 38 games have been decided by one goal. I wouldn't be shocked if Saturday's game turns out to be a one-goal game. Don't think so? Check out the scores of the last seven games between these teams:

Dec. 30, 2010 — JM 2, Mayo 1, OT (Kiwanis Festival 7th place game)
Jan. 15, 2011 — Mayo 2, JM 1 (Meeting No. 100)
Dec. 10, 2011 — JM 4, Mayo 3
Dec. 30, 2011 — Mayo 3, JM 2 (Kiwanis Festival 7th-place game)
Jan. 21, 2012 — Mayo 4, JM 1
Feb. 23, 2012 — Mayo 3, JM 2 (Section 1AA quarterfinal)
Dec. 8, 2012 — Mayo 2, JM 0

That's five one-goal games and a two-goal game in the last seven matchups.

I'm sure Saturday's game will again hinge on the play of the goaltenders — Mayo's Case Hansen and JM's Jacob Garvey.

Don't discount the addition of Gavin Sandwick, Hunter Heightland and Alex Lovett back into the Rockets lineup. With those three guys in the lineup, JM can now have its second- and third-line guys playing on the second and third lines, rather than playing up a line. The Rockets are certainly more well-equipped to watch Mayo's depth.

Watch Mayo's third line, too. Sophomores Ethan Moore, Nick Newman and Logan Haskins are getting comfortable in the varsity game and have started producing points. In fact, the Spartans have been getting scoring from all three lines. So, Saturday's game could come down to Mayo's forward depth vs. JM's forward depth.

Game No. 106 is set for 7:30 p.m. at Graham Arena.

• • •

Before we end this, though, when I wrote the piece about the history of the rivalry last year, I did a series of 10 blog posts looking back at every game played between these teams. Here are those posts:

• The beginning of the rivalry: Games 1-10

• The names Strobel, Lecy appear: Games 11-20

• Games 21-30

• Games 31-40 feature a good goaltending battle in a playoff game and a game televised in Rochester

• Podein, Zmolek enter the picture: Games 41-50

• Games 51-60 feature Mayo's biggest victory in the rivalry and a John Marshall player bouncing back from two broken legs

• Games 61-70 can be found here

• Games 71-80 include one of the best games ever played in the series, a double-OT thriller in a section final

• Games 81-91 are here

• Recaps of games 92-102, which led into the article I wrote, can be found here

This Week in High School Hockey | Jan. 15

Posted by: Feldman

First, if you weren't at the Mayo-Century game on Saturday night, and you haven't seen the video of Mayo sophomore Logan Haskins' second goal of the game (it's pinged around Twitter for two days), here it is. I highly recommend watching if you haven't yet.

DODGE COUNTY WILDCATS
Last week: 1-0-1; beat New Ulm, 5-3; tied Richfield, 3-3.
Season: 5-10-2 overall.
What happened: The Wildcats lost to New Ulm by four goals on Dec. 27. Last Tuesday, the Wildcats turned it around and beat the Eagles by two. While this New Ulm team isn't as strong as some of its state-tournament teams of recent seasons, this was still a nice 'W' for Dodge County. If nothing else, it should provide some confidence for the young players on the team. In the 3-3 tie against Richfield on Saturday, the 'Cats discovered they have a little depth at goalie, as Joe Biwer made his first varsity start and stopped 36 shots.
This week: Thursday, vs. St. Paul Highland Park (7:30 p.m.).

RED WING WINGERS
Last week: 0-2-0; Lost at Chanhassen, 4-2; lost at Holy Angels, 7-1.
Season: 0-12-1 overall, 0-3-1 Missota Conference.
What happened: The Wingers struggles on both ends of the ice continued as conference play got into full swing. Red Wing has allowed 19 goals, while scoring just five, in its past three games. The Wingers' best shot at a win might come next Tuesday, when it plays host to Shakopee.
This week: Tonight, at New Prague (7:15 p.m.); Thursday, vs. Chaska (7 p.m.).

ROCHESTER CENTURY PANTHERS
Last week: 0-2-0; lost at Albert Lea, 2-1; lost to Rochester Mayo, 7-1.
Season: 2-12-0 overall; 1-6-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: While Century was outshot, 34-20, at Albert Lea, it was in the game until the final buzzer. Eric Rohleder made 32 saves to keep the Panthers in the game, as he has done a number of times this season. Century played a solid first 16 minutes against Mayo, but the Spartans scored twice in the final 45 seconds of the first period for a 3-0 lead, then Mayo's depth took over as it controlled the remainder of the game. ... The good news last week for Century was the return of sophomore defenseman Riese Zmolek, who was back in game action nearly three weeks ahead of schedule. Zmolek had missed the entire season to that point after suffering a broken ankle last fall.
This week: Tonight, vs. Owatonna (7:30 p.m., Rec Center); Thursday, at Benilde-St. Margaret's (7 p.m., St. Louis Park Rec Center).

ROCHESTER JM ROCKETS
Last week: 0-3-0; lost at Owatonna, 6-2; lost to Eastview, 3-1; lost to Austin, 3-2.
Season: 3-11-0 overall; 2-5-0 Big Nine.
What happened: JM led Owatonna after one period, 2-1, and trailed 3-2 after two, but the Huskies scored three in the third period to pull away. The Huskies scored all three of their third-period goals in a span of 69 seconds, in the final five minutes of the game. ... JM responded with one of its best games of the season, falling to Eastview in a close game. Eastview won the Kiwanis Festival in Rochester two weeks ago, putting up seven goals on Mayo in the title game. JM goalies Jacob Garvey and Patric Sadecki combined to limit the Lightning to three goals on 41 shots.
This week: Tonight, at Faribault (7:30 p.m.); Thursday, at Albert Lea (7:30 p.m.); Saturday, at Rochester Mayo (7:30 p.m., at Graham Arena I).

No. 7 ROCHESTER LOURDES EAGLES
Last week: 3-0-0; beat Mankato West, 3-2; won at New Ulm, 7-3; beat Delano/Rockford, 6-5, OT.
Season: 10-4-0 overall.
What happened: Lourdes scored a big win -- in terms of seeding for the Section 1A tournament -- when it beat West last Tuesday. The win likely locked up the No. 1 seed in the section playoffs for the Eagles, barring a disastrous stretch to close the regular season. The victory against Delano/Rockford was a big one, mentally. Lourdes hadn't fared so well in its past couple outings against ranked teams, so to beat one -- on a goal in the final 30 seconds of OT -- is a big boost. The Eagles still need to improve in the defensive zone; they've played six games in January and have allowed a total of 24 goals in those games.
This week: Saturday, at Duluth Marshall (3 p.m.).

ROCHESTER MAYO SPARTANS
Last week: 2-0-0; won at South St. Paul, 3-2, OT; won at Rochester Century, 7-1.
Season: 11-4-0 overall; 6-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: The win at SSP was a big one for the Spartans, who had lost a pair of one-goal games against hot goalies the weekend before (against Hibbing and Virginia). The victory against Century showed off Mayo's depth. They received at least one goal from their top three lines, scored two power-play goals and a short-handed goal. The Spartans have nothing but conference games remaining on their schedule. They control their own destiny in the chase for the Big Nine title, but there are still 10 games remaining.
This week: Tonight, vs. Winona (7:30 p.m., Graham I); Saturday, vs. John Marshall (7:30 p.m., Graham I).

This Week in High School Hockey | Dec. 17

Posted by: Feldman

A look back at last week in high school hockey for our area teams and a look ahead to this week's games:

No. 7 ROCHESTER LOURDES
Last week: 2-0-0. Beat Northfield, 4-1; won at Red Wing, 8-2.
Season: 5-1-0 overall.
What happened: Its pretty simple; in the five games the Eagles have won, its top line of Jason Samuelson, Alex Funk and Ben Weir has just been better than any line the opposing team could put on the ice. They've totaled 38 points through six games. Samuelson and Funk both finished last season with 70 points; Samuelson is on pace to get 66 in the regular season, while Funk is on pace for 62. Both wins last week were big in terms of positioning for the Section 1A playoffs. In that regard, Lourdes' biggest game remaining may be against Mankato West on Jan. 8 at Graham Arena. The Scarlets look like the only team that could take the top seed away from Lourdes.
This week: Thursday, at No. 20-AA Holy Family Catholic (7 p.m.). This is another good test for the Eagles going into the holiday break and pre-Kiwanis Festival, where they won't see the level of competition they regularly see during the regular season. Holy Family is just 4-3-0, but its losses are to No. 11-AA Elk River and the two No. 1-ranked teams in the state, Edina (AA) and St. Thomas Academy (A). Holy Family is also coming off an impressive 5-1 win against No. 3-A Totino-Grace.

ROCHESTER MAYO
Last week: 2-0-0. Beat Owatonna, 2-0; won at Farmington, 4-3.
Season: 5-1-0 overall; 4-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: Mayo's win against Owatonna was big in terms of the conference standings; its win against Farmington was even bigger. If Mayo holds serve against Big Nine/Section 1AA opponents Owatonna, Winona, Century and JM the rest of the way, the win over Farmington will likely give the Spartans the No. 3 seed in the section playoffs. I know the coaches don't want the players thinking that far ahead, but that's just the reality of it. Winning, while coming from behind, on the road against Farmington, was a nice win for the Spartans.
This week: Tuesday, at Red Wing (7 p.m.); Thursday, at Albert Lea (7:30 p.m.). Red Wing is struggling, off to an 0-8-0 start, but this isn't a game where Mayo can relax. Wingers goalie Preston Blaney is solid, so Mayo needs to capitalize on its scoring chances. Albert Lea is never an easy place to play, and the Tigers always are up emotionally when Mayo comes to town. The friendly rivalry between the head coaches -- former U of M linemates Lorne Grosso and Roy Nystrom -- carries over to an intensity on the ice, too. It'll be a good game to carry Mayo into the break.

DODGE COUNTY
Last week: 1-1-0. Lost to Chaska, 5-3; won at St. Paul Highland Park, 4-1.
Season: 2-6-0 overall.
What happened: The Wildcats overmatched Highland Park on Saturday for their second win of the season. They limited Highland Park to just 18 shots on goal, and sophomore G Mitch Sobotta held up his end with a 17-save performance. The loss to Chaska continued a trend of close defeats for the Wildcats this season. They're just 2-6-0, but they've lost four times by one goal and once by two goals.
This week: Tuesday, at St. Paul Como Park (8 p.m.); Thursday, vs. Austin (7:30 p.m., Dodge Co. Ice Arena). These games give D.C. a chance to gain some confidence and momentum heading into the break, before next week's Kiwanis Festival in Rochester. Como Park is 6-2-0, a solid team that has put up some goals (48 in 8 games). D.C. already owns a victory against Austin this season, though it was the Wildcats poorest defensive effort of the season.

RED WING
Last week: 0-3-0. Lost to Tartan 4-3; lost at Winona, 4-3 (OT); lost to Rochester Lourdes, 8-2.
Season: 0-8-0 overall
What happened: The loss to Winona had to be the most frustrating of the week. Red Wing led, 3-1, going into the third period, but gave up two goals in the third, then lost in OT. The Wingers have now lost five times by two goals or less. They're close; they just need to find the late-game confidence that they can win.
This week: Tuesday, vs. Rochester Mayo (7 p.m.); Thursday, at Holy Angels (7:30 p.m.). The Wingers certainly don't want to go into the break with an 0-10 mark, but things won't be any easier for them this week than they have in recent weeks. Mayo has lost just once and Holy Angels is always at or near the top of the Missota Conference. If the Wingers can play two more close games, that should be enough to give them a little more confidence entering the second half of the season.

ROCHESTER CENTURY
Last week: 0-2-0. Lost at John Marshall, 4-2; lost at Owatonna, 3-2.
Season: 1-6-0 overall; 1-3-0 Big Nine.
What happened: Both losses were particularly frustrating for the Panthers, but for different reasons. JM scored in the first two minutes of each period in its victory. Against Owatonna, Century led 2-0 after one period, but the Huskies scored twice in the second period and once in the third to complete a come-from-behind win. I still think Century will be OK come tournament time. Lots of young guys are getting ice time and getting comfortable with one another and the systems. If the Panthers were getting consistently blown out, I might feel different, but they're hanging with teams, just not finishing. That will come.
This week: Thursday, vs. Winona (7:30 p.m.); Saturday, at Mankato West (2 p.m.). We're not even to Christmas and Century's season series against West will be finished. The Panthers lost to the Scarlets, 6-1, on Dec. 8. Coach Josh Klingfus wasn't pleased with his team's overall effort in that game, so I'm guessing the Panthers will bring a better intensity on Saturday. Winona is off to a 5-2-0 start, though it hasn't played a particularly difficult schedule. This is a game the Panthers could really use to gain some confidence and put another checkmark in the Win column. These teams meet again at the end of January, but a win against the Winhawks could be big when it's time to seed for the section playoffs.

ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL
Last week: 2-1-0. Beat Century, 4-2; beat Mankato East, 5-2; lost to Mankato West, 3-1.
Season: 3-3-0 overall, 2-2-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: JM found its scoring touch against Century and East, as seven players had at least one point against East. Jacob Garvey was his usual stellar self in goal. The senior netminder stopped a total of 88 shots in the three games, including 45 against West to keep the Rockets in that game.
This week: Tuesday, at South St. Paul (7:30 p.m.); Thursday, at Faribault (7:30 p.m.). Both of these games are winnable for the Rockets, and if they can get some scoring from their second line, they'll have a good chance of entering the break with a plus-.500 record. South St. Paul is 2-3-0, Faribault is 2-6-0. JM and Faribault meet again on Jan. 31, but a Rockets win Thursday would help them in the conference standings and give them a boost as they prepare for next week's Kiwanis Festival.

* * * * *

AROUND THE STATE
Some games to watch across the State of Hockey this week:

*Windom at Luverne (Tuesday): This seems like an odd one to spotlight, but both of these teams look capable of dethroning New Ulm in Section 3A this season. Windom is 5-0-0, Luverne is 5-1-0. Luverne is led by sophomore D Toby Sengvongxay, who was invited to the USA Hockey National 15-under camp this past summer. He has 11 goals and five assists already this season.

*Lakeville South at Lakeville North (Thursday): This one holds interest for fans in southern Minnesota, from the standpoint of knowing which of these teams will be the No. 1 seed in the Section 1AA playoffs and which team will be the No. 2 seed. They meet once more this season, on Feb. 2. That game will be the one that ultimately determines the top seed in the section.

*Eden Prairie at Edina (Saturday): Which cake-eater is your favorite? This game pits No. 9 EP at No. 1 Edina in the first of at least three meetings between Lake Conference rivals this season. This game is the finale of the Edina Holiday Classic and will feature six Division I recruits, three from each team.

High School Hockey Rewind | Week 1

Posted by: Feldman

The first week-plus of the boys high school hockey season is in the books and it was a mixed bag for Rochester and area teams. Rochester teams Mayo and John Marshall went 1-1, Century went 0-2 and Lourdes went 0-1. As for the area teams, Dodge County is 1-3, Red Wing is 0-3.

That's a combined 3-11 among the six teams in our circulation area, but those records aren't all as bad as they may seem.

ROCHESTER CENTURY
Last week: 0-2-0. Lost to Farmington, 6-0; lost to Tartan, 4-0.
Season: 0-2-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: Yes, Century was outscored 10-0 in two games. Yes, Century was outshot 44-13 and 52-15 in those two losses. Reason to panic? Definitely not. The Panthers have 23 games left in the regular season. This is a team that will get better as the season goes on. They're running a lot of young guys and first-year varsity players out there and they've played two pretty good teams. The loss to Farmington was not nearly as lopsided as the score indicates. Farmington led just 1-0 entering the third, then scored five times in the third, including four times in the last 6:35 (the last three of those on a five-minute major penalty against Century). And one really bright spot: Senior goalie Eric Rohleder is playing well. He made 38 saves in the opener and 48 against Tartan. That's a good start for a guy who had seen minimal varsity experience coming into the season.

ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL
Last week: 1-1-0. Lost to Farmington, 4-3. Won at St. Paul Johnson, 6-2.
Season: 1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: I really believe this JM team can challenge for a Big Nine title. Why? It has two quality scoring lines and four veterans on the blue line (two, as has been noted multiple times here and in print, are brand new to the position). The Farmington score was a bit of a surprise, and it could ultimately play a factor in the seedings for the Section 1AA tournament, but keep in mind that JM played its first two games without starting goalie Jacob Garvey. That said, Patric Sadecki played well in his first two varsity starts, making a total of 49 saves. His early-season playing experience will be a benefit as the season goes on. His nerves will be gone. He's played two full varsity games. ... JM doesn't play again until Saturday, when it opens Big Nine play at home against Mayo. The one thing I know coach Jay Ness wants to develop is some consistent scoring from the second line. The Rockets got a little of that against Johnson, but they'll need more than just Gavin Sandwick, Nick Paulson, Jared Bromberg and Sam Broman to score on a regular basis.

No. 8-ranked ROCHESTER LOURDES
Last week: 0-1-0. Lost at No. 1-ranked St. Thomas Academy, 8-1.
Season: 0-1-0 overall.
What happened: What happend is, a Lourdes team that had about six or seven guys with just a few days of practice under their belts, ran into the top-ranked team in the state, and the defending Class A state champ. The Eagles know they have to be patient this year and they'll have some ups and downs early in the season. A half-dozen or so guys just returned to practice last week after making a run to the state football championship game. Thinking back to 2010, when Lourdes won the state football title (and had a handful of players miss the first two-plus weeks of hockey practice), it took until mid-January before they really began clicking on all cylinders. We'll have a better idea of where this team is at right now after the upcoming week, when it goes to New Prague (Tuesday), and plays host to Chanhassen (Thursday) and No. 5-ranked St. Cloud Cathedral (Saturday).

ROCHESTER MAYO
Last week: 1-1-0. Lost to Lakeville North, 3-0. Won at Faribault, 4-2.
Season: 1-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: The Spartans are one of the favorites to win the Big Nine and a big reason why is senior goalie Case Hansen. He was sharp last week, stopping 30 shots against North and 18 against Faribault. Mayo managed just 14 shots against North, but I know at least one of the Spartans' top forwards was feeling ill that day, plus they had four or five sophomores playing in their first varsity game. Plus, North is always one of the top teams in Section 1AA and has generally put up six, seven or more goals against the Rochester teams (North beat Mayo 12-1 last season). Mayo's win at Faribault was a bit disjointed without a lot of five-on-five time. Still, the Spartans will want to make more of a statement in their next three games, all against teams expected to be in the top half of the Big Nine: Thursday at Mankato West, Saturday at John Marshall and Dec. 11 against Owatonna.

DODGE COUNTY
Last week: 1-3-0. Lost to Faribault, 3-2; lost at Minnehaha Academy, 5-2; lost to Waseca, 4-3 (OT); won at Austin, 9-7.
Season: 1-3-0 overall.
What happened: The Wildcats are 1-3-0, but could just as easily have two or three wins. They led Faribault entering the third period, but gave up the game-winning goal with just 1:33 to go after taking a penalty 21 seconds earlier. Against Waseca, Dodge County had a 3-2 lead late in the third, after a seemingly momentum-changing short-handed goal by Stefan Rechtzigel with 7:13 to go. Waseca tied it 59 seconds later, then won 50 seconds into OT. The 'Cats offense broke out on Saturday, with seven players scoring at least once. Their defense wasn't as sharp as it had been, though, allowing seven goals and 37 shots on goal. ... Dodge County plays host to Winona on Tuesday in a game that could have a big impact on the seedings for the Section 1AA playoffs.

RED WING
Last week: 0-3-0. Lost at Buffalo, 5-1; lost at Hudson (Wis.), 5-3; lost at South St. Paul, 3-1.
Season: 0-3-0 overall; 0-0-0 Missota Conference.
What happened: No need to panic, Wingers fans. Just think back to two years ago, when Red Wing started 0-9-0. That team made it all the way to the Section 1A semifinals and pushed Rochester Lourdes in a 4-2 loss. So far, it looks like this year's team needs to figure out how to be a third-period team. The Wingers have been tied or trailing by just one goal entering the third period of all three games so far. Eight players have at least one point so far for the Wingers, so they know they don't have to rely on one or two guys to do all the scoring. ... The Wingers play four of their first five games on the road, including games this week at North St. Paul (Thursday) and Fergus Falls (Saturday).

High School Hockey | A trip around the Rochester rinks

Posted by: Feldman

Our annual boys hockey season preview is scheduled to come out in Saturday's paper, but the family Feldman is heading out of town for T'giving, so I made my trip around Rochester today and stopped at practices for all four Rochester teams.

Without getting too much into the info that will appear in Saturday's preview, here are some initial thoughts and notes after visiting with each coach and team. I'll go in the order of the practices I stopped at:

ROCHESTER MAYO

They won't say it, but reading between the lines, I sense a lot of optimism about where this season could lead for the Spartans. They've lost the Big Nine Conference championship by one point each of the last two seasons and they seem determined to not let that happen this season.

It starts with an established goalie — senior Case Hansen — and very good depth up front. Mayo's all-senior top line of Ryan Martin, Adam Alcott and Max Whitney has shown it is capable of scoring, and senior Tommy Hanson could be a big scorer this season, too. Mayo will have three lines — 10 forwards, really — that will rotate and all can provide some scoring.

We can't leave out top returning d-men Will Holtan and Tommy Fjelsted because I don't want to get checked by either of those guys. They'll provide toughness and offensive ability from the blue line. That's a good combination to have.

Watch out for: Mayo's all-sophomore line; it could will a key group for the Spartans by the end of the season.

Opener: Nov. 27, vs. Lakeville North, Graham Arena I

• • •

ROCHESTER LOURDES

Don't be surprised if the Eagles don't hit their stride until after the calendar hits January.

They're missing 10 guys right now, two out with injuries and eight who are on the Eagles' football team that will play for a state championship this Saturday. The good news: A lot of young guys and borderline JV/varsity players are getting a chance to impress the coaches and possibly earn a spot on the varsity roster.

Even if the Eagles had their full roster right now, they would need some time to figure out line combinations. Nothing's set in stone, including who will play on the top line with vets Jason Samuelson and Alex Funk. It could be Ben Weir, could be Griffen Buck, could be one of the three Carstens brothers, could be someone else.

Lourdes will have a good battle for the top goalie job, too, as senior Andrew Ellingson and sophomore Jack Burkel — a transfer from Red Wing — will both get their chance early in the season to seize the job.

Watch out for: Eighth-grader Tucker Chapman, a forward and a transfer from Texas, who could stick on the varsity from the get-go and play significant minutes. ... The Eagles again have a stacked schedule, including games against both defending state champions (St. Thomas Academy and Benilde-St. Margaret's).

Opener: Dec. 1, at St. Thomas Academy, 7:30 p.m.

• • •

ROCHESTER CENTURY

The Panthers are in a different spot than they're accustomed to: They have a lot of young players and will use the regular season to build toward the playoffs. Their goal won't be to come storming out of the gate.

That said, the Panthers still have some skilled guys leading the way, particularly forwards Hayden Ashworth and Dalton Travis. Ashworth excelled as a sophomore last season, while Travis, now a senior, was arguably the team's best forward in the final weeks of the season.

Senior Matt Sturchio is the only defenseman back with a lot of varsity experience. Sophomore Riese Zmolek is in that category, too, but he likely won't be able to start skating until sometime in January after suffering a broken ankle nearly two months ago.

Watch out for: A good battle for the starting goalie job. Senior Eric Rohleder is the only goalie with varsity experience. He'll be pushed by sophomores Max Andrist, Joey Pundt and Carter Downs.

Opener: Nov. 29, vs. Farmington, 7:30 p.m., Rochester Rec Center

• • •

ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL

The Rockets lost a lot of exprience, particularly on the blue line. And that's where they'll be looking for help early on. In fact, at least two veteran forwards — Alex Lovett and Jared Bromberg — have volunteered to make the switch to the blue line. That will hurt JM's forward depth, but there's still enough returning talent up front that JM could be in the mix for the Big Nine title deep into the season, as it was a year ago.

Senior Jacob Garvey will be looked to to hold down the fort in goal. Junior Patric Sadecki will also get some chances.

Watch out for: The Rockets' top line of Gavin Sandwick, Nick Paulson and Sam Broman. Those three are together right now and have clicked well in scrimmages and practices. They'll be relied on for a lot of offense as JM looks to develop some other lines behind them.

Opener: Nov. 27, vs. Farmington, 7:30 p.m., Rec Center.

H.S. Hockey | Scrimmages at Graham Arena tonight

Posted by: Feldman

Sorry for the short notice, but if you're interested in getting a first look at Rochester's boys high school hockey teams (at least the three public school teams), tonight's a good chance to do so.

Century, JM and Mayo will once again play a series of varsity and JV scrimmages against one another, and St. Louis Park (coached by former JM and NHL standout Shjon Podein) will join them.

Podein led a rather remarkable turnaround at SLP last season, helping the Orioles go from two wins in 2010-11 to 18 wins last season. However, Podein learned late in the summer that three key players -- senior D Marshall Tema, sophomore F Josh Passolt and freshman F Alec Baer -- are not returning to SLP this year. Tema is playing in the NAHL, while Passolt transferred to Maple Grove and Baer transferred to Benilde-St. Margaret's.

Here's a more complete story on those players leaving the Orioles' program. Passolt and Baer were the team's second- and third-leading scorers last year.

Here's a schedule for tonight's scrimmages (notice the Rochester varsity teams will not scrimmage each other):

GRAHAM I
5:30-6:05: Mayo vs. SLP
6:20-6:55: Mayo vs. SLP
7:10-7:45: JM vs. SLP
8-8:35: SLP JV vs. JM JV
8:45-9:30: Century vs. SLP

GRAHAM IV
5:45-6:20: JM JV vs. Century JV
6:30-7:05: Mayo JV vs. JM JV
7:15-7:50: Mayo JV vs. SLP JV
8:05-8:40: Mayo JV vs. Century JV
8:55-9:30: SLP JV vs. Century JV 

High School Hockey | Funk, Samuelson among Elite League leaders

Posted by: Feldman

With two weeks remaining in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League regular season, a pair of Rochester Lourdes forwards are among the top 10 in scoring.

Seniors Jason Samuelson and Alex Funk (it's weird to call those two seniors, since we've been watching them since they were freshmen) have helped Team Southwest to a 10-2-3 record through 15 games, good for second place in the UMHEL.

Funk is third in the league in scoring, with 20 points (9-11--20) in 13 games played. He is second on Team Southeast, behind Edina's Bo Brauer, who has 21 points.

Samuelson is tied for seventh in the league in scoring, with 18 points (7-11--18) in 14 games played. He is fourth on the team, behind Brauer, Funk and Dan Labosky (19 points) of Benilde-St. Margaret's. Samuelson had four points in three games last weekend, while Funk -- who leads Team Southwest with three power-play goals and one short-handed goal -- had one point in two games. 

Team Southwest has six games remaining, beginning with a 9 a.m. game Saturday against Team Northeast at New Hope Ice Arena.

Boys high school hockey practice begins in 33 days! Teams can get going on Monday, Nov. 12.

Lourdes opens its season at St. Thomas Academy on Saturday, Dec. 1. The Eagles' first home game is Thursday, Dec. 6, against Chanhassen.