1A Final - #1 Northfield vs. #3 Dodge County

[ClassAGuy]

#1 seed Northfield Raiders (23-3-1) vs #3 seed Dodge County Wildcats (18-8-1)
February 25th, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT | @ Rochester Recreation Center

Northfield enters the 1A Final looking for the 4-peat as section champions. The Raiders have been the dominant team down south for a while now, as they have not lost to a Section 1A team since all the way back in 2022, and they have outscored section teams 45 to 6 this year. They have great team depth, which makes them a tough team for section competitors to match up with. However, they did not play Dodge County during the regular season, and this should be a good game.

Raiders Leaders- Sr. #9 Michael Steward (14-40-54 pts), and Sophs. #7 Miles Kennelly (27-25-52 pts) & #13 Philip Benjamin (11-14-25 pts) give Northfield a good top line that has been very productive in the biggest games and leads a deep offense. The Raiders also have a good blueline led by Sr. #4 Bridger Riley (9-32-41 pts) who is a 4-year starter and the all time leading point scorer for a defenseman and has also played the most games in program history.

Raiders Goalie- Sr. #30 Gavin Winter (15-3-1) 1.96 GAA .912 SV% has been their main guy in net this year as he stepped into the starter role, and he has played very well this season and has been very steady so far in the playoffs.

Raiders Lockdown Team Defense- The Raiders have only given up one goal in each game so far in their run through the Section 1A playoff run. That should not be surprising considering that Northfield had the 4th best team defense in Class A this winter, only giving up 1.89 goals a game, and they have only surrendered more than 3 goals three times this year. In fact, during their dominant stretch in 1A, they haven't given up more than 3 goals to a section team since 2022, as defense is a staple for them.

Raiders Special Teams- The Power Play is at 28.3% and Penalty Kill is at 82.8%

Dodge County enters the 1A Section Final for the 2nd time in the last three years. The Wildcats had a young team that grew up throughout the year, and they played great hockey down the stretch, going (10-2-1) in their last 13 games. They were able to defeat Waseca in a thrilling overtime 1A Semifinal game. Now they will be tasked with their toughest assignment of the year as they take on the mighty and powerful three-time defending 1A champion Raiders.

Wildcat Leaders- Sr. #3 Gabe Coshenet (26-32-58 pts), Soph. #10 Camryn Koch (19-25-44 pts) & 9th grader #21 Nolan Steele (18-16-44 pts) give Dodge County a strong top line of their own, and they’ve accounted for nearly 60% of the team's goals this year. On the blueline Sr. #40 Jeremiah Peterson-Gordon (4-4-8 pts) returned to the team around the holidays, after taking a year and a half off, and provided a spark, and he has some big goals, including the GWG in the 1A semi.

Wildcat Goalie- Jr. #31 Wes Wegner (12-6-1) 2.72 GAA .894 SV% has really improved and gained confidence as the year has gone along. It's no surprise that one of the big reasons for this team's hot late stretch is due to his great play in net.

Wildcats Productive Top Line- The Wildcats, as noted above, have a very productive top line. Coshenet, Koch & Steele are all great playmakers and have been their main scorers this year. They truly are the key to Dodge County’s success as the team is (2-8-1) in the 11 games where they were each held to 3 points or less. Shutting them down will be key for the Raiders, and getting them going will be big for the Wildcats and will have a big impact on their success, most likely in this one.

Wildcat Special Teams- The Power Play is at 21.1% and Penalty Kill is at 88.5 %

[ClassAGuy]

Dodge County up 3-1 after 2 periods!

[ClassAGuy]

Dodge wins 4-2 WOW