Section 2A 2022-23
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2022 7:33 am
2022-23 Section 2A Preseason Preview
Section 2A has traditionally been the deepest and toughest sectional in Class A to come out of with the playoffs often looking like a mini-state tournament. However, the Section 2A winner hasn’t shown well once they get out of the gauntlet sectional as the 2A Champion has been playing at Mariucci the last 4 straight years. The last team to do well at State, Orono, just happens to be the preseason favorite this year. However, as it is every year challengers await to prove that prediction wrong as traditionally strong Delano and up and coming private Providence Academy and defending 2A Champion Minneapolis will look to make this Section as tough and deep as ever.
Section 2A Preseason Poll (11 Teams)
1- Orono
2- Delano
3- Providence Academy
4- Minneapolis
5- Southwest Christian
6- Breck
7- Hutchinson
8- Litchfield Dassel-Cokato
9- Mound Westonka
10- Waconia
11- Bloomington Kennedy
#1 Orono- The Spartans return a loaded team this year as they literally only lost one player to graduation last spring and they are a tough and battle-tested crew full of experience. They bring in a new coach who turned the girls program into a powerhouse in a few short years which should play well for the boys program this year. However, the reason this team will be a Top 10 team and legit State Tournament threat is the return of star goaltender Senior Brock Peyton who routinely stopped 40 to 50 shots a game last year for a young team that grew throughout the year and he is the type of goaltender that can carry this group a long ways come March. They return Seniors Bradley Walker & Avery Anderson along with Juniors Easton Sankey, John Engebretson & Joey Mugaas and many others all of whom have a wealth of Varsity experience under their belt coming into this winter. This Orono team will be physical and experienced in all areas and should be good enough to make a strong run this winter and be the favorite to represent the deepest Section 2A at state.
#2 Delano- The Tigers have built one of the better Class A programs over the last 10 years and while they were hit hard by graduation they still bring back some very nice pieces. Delano will have the good fortune to rely on returning starting goalie Senior Drew Dorsey to ease the transition of some new young players stepping in. They also return Senior Cole Schmidt & Junior Brayden Coppin on the blue line and they will rely heavily on Super Senior Will Brown to carry the load offensively as they will look to rebuild their offensive attack. Add in a group of A Bantams that went to State along with one of the better Class A JV teams in the state and this coaching staff and program has proven over the last decade that they will reload and be right in the thick of it all winter long again in Section 2A.
#3 Providence Academy- If you are looking for a program that could offer some new blood at State representing 2A, Providence Academy appears to be the best bet. If everyone returns the Lions will have one of best offensive juggernauts units in all of Class A Seniors Johnny Hendrickson, Andrew Owen & Andrew Vos along with Junior forwards Louie Wehmann, Sammy Lewis & Jac Larson all return up front. On defense they will need to find some more depth but they do return Senior Nick Damberg but loss of Junior Jack Anderson to Benilde is a big blow and the blueline could pose issues to the Lions. The other key will be the development of Starting Goalies Senior Nate Miest & Junior Evan Villagomez both shared time in the net and struggled with consistency.
#4 Minneapolis- After a historic season in the 612, MPLS lost a ton to graduation and their blueline took a hit this offseason when Senior defender Drew Pitts decided to leave for juniors. However, Senior Joel Hanson does return along with Junior Hank Davis to build on from the backend. Finding scoring could be an issue for them as they will look to Senior Will Pankratz & Junior John Bebler to build off solid seasons and provide experience. They will also need to find a goalie as they return no one with experience in the net. There are lots of questions but they should still be considered a contender in Section 2A. .
#5 Southwest Christian- The Stars were a team receiving top 20 confederation at the beginning of last year but they never were really able to get anything put together during the year and they ended up finishing below.500 and exiting early from the 2A playoffs. This season the expectations are not nearly as high as they were hit hard by graduation but they do return their two of their top scorers in Senior Caleb Bendell & Junior Jared Greiner up front to lead what should be a good offense. They also return Junior Jannes Kamp in net who has experience but they will have questions on the blueline and in the depth department that could keep them from truly contending in 2A.
#6 Breck- The Mustangs do return a very large Junior class who saw action as Sophomores last winter and took their lumps at times. Top scorer Junior Nate Miller will be one of the top forwards in Section 2A and he will have help as Senior Luke Kern will look to have another good year. There is depth to this offense as many of the Juniors saw action as young Sophomores last year also look for Sophomore Ben Amoto to add to the scoring power. However, The question marks for Breck are on the blueline and in the net they lost tremendous talent to graduation in both those areas and how well they have replaced them will determine how high this Mustang team can rise throughout the winter.
#7 Hutchinson- The Tigers are another team that could be interesting in 2A this winter. They will be led by their Super Sophomores Emmett Reiter and Toren Miller return from impressive freshman campaigns. They also return depth as 14 letter winners return. The big question mark will be in the net. Yes, they return three goalies who saw action last winter but none had GGA below 3 and or SV% above .900 how improved they are in the net will determine alot for what could be a surprise team in 2A.
#8 Litchfield Dassel Cokato- The Dragons were hit extremely hard by graduation as they graduated 12 seniors including their six leading scorers and many of their top defenseman from last winter. They do return Senior Travis Halonen who played every minute in net for them last year and they will look to rely on him as they build a new group in front of him.
#9 Mound Westonka- The White Hawks had a rough offseason they graduated 5 of their top scorers then their leading returning scorer transferred out and in August their Head Coach left for a new job at STMA. What's left is a young team that will be going through some serious transition. They will have Senior Mason Evenson to build around returning to the net but there are plenty of questions everywhere else they will need to answer.
#10 Waconia- The Wildcats are hoping to improve on their 5 win season last year and they should be much more competitive this winter. They do return leading scorer Senior Brett Siddons and they have 12 letter winners overall coming back with experience. However, the goaltending department must improve as both returners had an above 5 GAA and low .800 SV%; those numbers must improve for Waconia to make a serious jump.
#11 Bloomington Kennedy- The Eagles were a team that struggled most of last winter and they were hit hard by graduation. However, they do return Senior Clayton Deutsch up front who had over 20 points and Junior Dominick Walton in net who was the starter from last year. They will look to build around them to have a competitive team this winter.
Section 2A has traditionally been the deepest and toughest sectional in Class A to come out of with the playoffs often looking like a mini-state tournament. However, the Section 2A winner hasn’t shown well once they get out of the gauntlet sectional as the 2A Champion has been playing at Mariucci the last 4 straight years. The last team to do well at State, Orono, just happens to be the preseason favorite this year. However, as it is every year challengers await to prove that prediction wrong as traditionally strong Delano and up and coming private Providence Academy and defending 2A Champion Minneapolis will look to make this Section as tough and deep as ever.
Section 2A Preseason Poll (11 Teams)
1- Orono
2- Delano
3- Providence Academy
4- Minneapolis
5- Southwest Christian
6- Breck
7- Hutchinson
8- Litchfield Dassel-Cokato
9- Mound Westonka
10- Waconia
11- Bloomington Kennedy
#1 Orono- The Spartans return a loaded team this year as they literally only lost one player to graduation last spring and they are a tough and battle-tested crew full of experience. They bring in a new coach who turned the girls program into a powerhouse in a few short years which should play well for the boys program this year. However, the reason this team will be a Top 10 team and legit State Tournament threat is the return of star goaltender Senior Brock Peyton who routinely stopped 40 to 50 shots a game last year for a young team that grew throughout the year and he is the type of goaltender that can carry this group a long ways come March. They return Seniors Bradley Walker & Avery Anderson along with Juniors Easton Sankey, John Engebretson & Joey Mugaas and many others all of whom have a wealth of Varsity experience under their belt coming into this winter. This Orono team will be physical and experienced in all areas and should be good enough to make a strong run this winter and be the favorite to represent the deepest Section 2A at state.
#2 Delano- The Tigers have built one of the better Class A programs over the last 10 years and while they were hit hard by graduation they still bring back some very nice pieces. Delano will have the good fortune to rely on returning starting goalie Senior Drew Dorsey to ease the transition of some new young players stepping in. They also return Senior Cole Schmidt & Junior Brayden Coppin on the blue line and they will rely heavily on Super Senior Will Brown to carry the load offensively as they will look to rebuild their offensive attack. Add in a group of A Bantams that went to State along with one of the better Class A JV teams in the state and this coaching staff and program has proven over the last decade that they will reload and be right in the thick of it all winter long again in Section 2A.
#3 Providence Academy- If you are looking for a program that could offer some new blood at State representing 2A, Providence Academy appears to be the best bet. If everyone returns the Lions will have one of best offensive juggernauts units in all of Class A Seniors Johnny Hendrickson, Andrew Owen & Andrew Vos along with Junior forwards Louie Wehmann, Sammy Lewis & Jac Larson all return up front. On defense they will need to find some more depth but they do return Senior Nick Damberg but loss of Junior Jack Anderson to Benilde is a big blow and the blueline could pose issues to the Lions. The other key will be the development of Starting Goalies Senior Nate Miest & Junior Evan Villagomez both shared time in the net and struggled with consistency.
#4 Minneapolis- After a historic season in the 612, MPLS lost a ton to graduation and their blueline took a hit this offseason when Senior defender Drew Pitts decided to leave for juniors. However, Senior Joel Hanson does return along with Junior Hank Davis to build on from the backend. Finding scoring could be an issue for them as they will look to Senior Will Pankratz & Junior John Bebler to build off solid seasons and provide experience. They will also need to find a goalie as they return no one with experience in the net. There are lots of questions but they should still be considered a contender in Section 2A. .
#5 Southwest Christian- The Stars were a team receiving top 20 confederation at the beginning of last year but they never were really able to get anything put together during the year and they ended up finishing below.500 and exiting early from the 2A playoffs. This season the expectations are not nearly as high as they were hit hard by graduation but they do return their two of their top scorers in Senior Caleb Bendell & Junior Jared Greiner up front to lead what should be a good offense. They also return Junior Jannes Kamp in net who has experience but they will have questions on the blueline and in the depth department that could keep them from truly contending in 2A.
#6 Breck- The Mustangs do return a very large Junior class who saw action as Sophomores last winter and took their lumps at times. Top scorer Junior Nate Miller will be one of the top forwards in Section 2A and he will have help as Senior Luke Kern will look to have another good year. There is depth to this offense as many of the Juniors saw action as young Sophomores last year also look for Sophomore Ben Amoto to add to the scoring power. However, The question marks for Breck are on the blueline and in the net they lost tremendous talent to graduation in both those areas and how well they have replaced them will determine how high this Mustang team can rise throughout the winter.
#7 Hutchinson- The Tigers are another team that could be interesting in 2A this winter. They will be led by their Super Sophomores Emmett Reiter and Toren Miller return from impressive freshman campaigns. They also return depth as 14 letter winners return. The big question mark will be in the net. Yes, they return three goalies who saw action last winter but none had GGA below 3 and or SV% above .900 how improved they are in the net will determine alot for what could be a surprise team in 2A.
#8 Litchfield Dassel Cokato- The Dragons were hit extremely hard by graduation as they graduated 12 seniors including their six leading scorers and many of their top defenseman from last winter. They do return Senior Travis Halonen who played every minute in net for them last year and they will look to rely on him as they build a new group in front of him.
#9 Mound Westonka- The White Hawks had a rough offseason they graduated 5 of their top scorers then their leading returning scorer transferred out and in August their Head Coach left for a new job at STMA. What's left is a young team that will be going through some serious transition. They will have Senior Mason Evenson to build around returning to the net but there are plenty of questions everywhere else they will need to answer.
#10 Waconia- The Wildcats are hoping to improve on their 5 win season last year and they should be much more competitive this winter. They do return leading scorer Senior Brett Siddons and they have 12 letter winners overall coming back with experience. However, the goaltending department must improve as both returners had an above 5 GAA and low .800 SV%; those numbers must improve for Waconia to make a serious jump.
#11 Bloomington Kennedy- The Eagles were a team that struggled most of last winter and they were hit hard by graduation. However, they do return Senior Clayton Deutsch up front who had over 20 points and Junior Dominick Walton in net who was the starter from last year. They will look to build around them to have a competitive team this winter.