1A SF- #2 Waseca vs #3 Dodge County

[ClassAGuy]

#2 Seed Waseca (20-5-2) comes into this game taking down Red Wing in the 1A Quarterfinal Game, which allowed them to advance to the Section Semifinals for the second time in program history. The Bluejays took care of business vs the Wingers as Jrs. Griffin Storey & Avery Selvik led the charge, each having multiple goals in the win. They move on to face #3 seed Dodge County now in a rematch of a game they tied earlier this year, in a game they led 3-0 only to let the Wildcats rally on them. A big key to getting a win in this one will be keeping their foot on the gas, as they have had moments of letting the lead slip away. However, they have been very good at staying composed, and they enter this game on a 9-game winning streak. The difference here could be in the net as Jr. Josiah Schmidtke has been excellent during their late-season run, and he could be the difference for a Waseca group that is looking to take the next step and advance to their first-ever Section Final game.

#3 Seed Dodge County (17-8-1) comes into this game having taken care of Winona to win the 1A Quarterfinal game and a game where this young team showed little playoff jitters. The Wildcats, as they normally do, got a big effort from their top line of Sr. Gabe Coshenet, Soph. Camryn Koch & 9th grader Nolan Steele who have been game changers all year. They also got a jolt from Sr. Jeremiah Peterson-Gordon on the blueline, who rejoined the team midway through this year after not playing hockey the previous year due to being a standout football player. Now they head back to 1A semis after missing out last year, and they will get another shot at Waseca. As noted, the Wildcats dug a big hole in the first game but were able to come back and settle for a tie, which gives them confidence they are never out of it vs the Bluejays. Now they will look to pull the upset here, and the key will be goalie Jr. Wes Wegner, who had a shutout vs the Winhawks and has been excellent down the stretch in net to give this group all kinds of confidence they can get back to the Section Final game.