2024-25 Section 5A
Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2024 8:52 pm
2024-25 Section 5A Preseason Preview
Section 5A got a major facelift three seasons ago when the MSHSL did their annual 6 year cycle major section realignments. One of the big changes was the addition of St Cloud Cathedral which at the time didn't seem like a big deal as the program was coming off its worst season in 20 years. However, a new coach was brought in to clean up the mess and 3 years later the Crusaders are not only at the top of 5A but the Defending State Champions as well. They appear to be the favorites again to win the section but both Monticello & Little Falls, the two other Class A blue blood programs in 5A, will have strong teams and look to get revenge for Section Final losses in the past two years. Also, don't count out Princeton, who returns all their top end scoring, and River Lakes, Pine City & Sauk Rapids are tough gritty teams that bring back good pieces and will be hard to play against. Section 5A appears to be deep this winter but the big question will be does anyone have the top end talent to compete with the Defending State Champs.
BHS 2024-25 Section 5A Preseason Ranking
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders
2- Monticello Moose
3- Little Falls Flyers
4- Princeton Tigers
5- River Lakes Stars
6- Pine City Dragons
7- Sauk Rapids Storm
8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs
9- Becker/Big Lake Eagles
1- St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders
Head Coach- Robbie Stocker 4th year, (58-31-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (26-4-1) Section 5A Champion and won the Class A Championship
Crusaders Outlook- Cathedral on paper appears to have enough really elite top end talent returning and some good depth to make a serious run at a repeat this year. The rebuild done by Coach Stocker has been remarkable and if he can get some important questions answered within this year's lineup there does appear to be more than enough left over for the Defending Champs to be serious contenders again this winter. They return 3 of their top 5 leading goal scorers at forward as Seniors John Hirschfeld & Joey Gillespie, who are both Mr Hockey Candidates, along with Senior Jaeger Wood contributed for a combined 48% of the teams total offense last year. Also, look for Junior Caleb Trant, a transfer who had to play JV last year, to be a big addition this year and a possible new running mate on the big top line. Add to them a lineup card that will feature Seniors Caden Johnson, Mason Layne & Junior Noah Klein, who have all gotten varsity minutes and bring plenty of experience. Add in the next wave talent in 9th graders Bo Schmidt & Talen Ruprecht ready to step in and there's plenty of depth to build with. On the blueline they return star elite defender Junior Griffin Sturm who ran the powerplay and played mega minutes while putting up nearly 30 points and 10 goals himself last year as the team's 4th leading scorer. They will need to build a new defensive core around him but look for Seniors Ian Bacik & Connor Stockman, both got varsity minutes last year, along with Junior Carter Bakeberg, a transfer who had to play JV last year, to step in to make the new core. They do have to answer a big question in the net. However, Junior Keaton LeGrande went (4-1-0, 2.37 GAA & .907 SV %) really stabilized things once he became the starter while Nick Hansen was hurt last year. He looks to be the full time starter now moving forward and based on the 5 games we saw out of him last winter the Crusaders will be solid in net. Looking at the top end of the Big Three and the solid depth pieces in place and having championship experience it's hard to bet against the Crusaders who will be looking to go back to back for the first time in program history this winter.
2- Monticello Moose
Head Coach- Eric Nelson 10th year, (155-88-10)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (21-6-1) Lost in Section 5A Championship Game
Moose Outlook- The Moose are team on the rise as they are coming of a very good 21 win season and while they did graduate 4 of their top 6 scorers which was 50% of their scoring and their goalie who played nearly every minute the last two years this group of Juniors and Sophomores took 3rd place in A Bantam State and while they are young they have plenty of pieces to be a serious contender in Class A this winter. Up front, they return Senior Landen Scherber who had nearly 60 points but his line mates both graduated and look for Juniors Liam O'Donnell & Ashton Stoll to make a big jump from last year's output to be contenders to join him on the big line this year. They also return Seniors Caleb Biard & Nathan Poeppel along with Junior Carter Lemke and Sophomore Bradon Zieglmeier who have varsity experience and will all be looked upon to have bigger seasons this year. Junior Jack Sager and Sophomores Collin Barta, Cohen Kass will be pushing for time as well coming up form the Bantams. On defense there is a lot to like as they return loads of talent and experience with Senior Aidan Widmark returning along with Juniors Levi Welle & Brady McGriff and star Sophomore Nicklas Nelson to build a great D-core around to break in a new goalie this year. As noted, in net it will be a battle between Senior Logan Blahnik and Sophomore Nolan Wurm, who is one of the top young goalies in all of Class A, for the starting spot. While on paper Monticello did graduate a ton of production from last season, look for this year’s team to actually be deeper and under the guidance of Coach Nelson they will grow and improve throughout the season and they will be a contender to get to state out of 5A and should hover around the Top 10 all year and the Moose should be right in the thick of it all year in Class A as always.
3- Little Falls Flyers
Head Coach- Joey Hanowski 4th year, (56-24-2)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (17-10-0) Lost in Section 5A Semifinals
Flyers Outlook- The Flyers once again came up just short in 5A as they lost a heartbreaking triple overtime classic in the Section Semifinals last year. Little Falls has been a perennial Top 15 Class A team and this year looks no different as they will bring back the majority of their main pieces from last season and they will be a tough team again this winter for anyone to play against. Up front, they return 3 of their 4 leading scorers in Seniors Luke Avery, Ryan Oothodt & Joey Welinski who combined scored 55 % of the team's goals last year. They also return Senior Lucas Jendro, Junior Beau Majerle & Sophomore Mason Oothoudt who contributed to the varsity offense last year to give them a good base of returning production. On defense the late season conversion of Junior Remi Chisholm was a game changer for them as they really solidified the blueline but he can also be a productive forward as well. They also return Sophomore Kyler Schmidgall and Seniors Derrick Young & Alex Thoma to give them a good base on the back end as well. They could add depth at both forward and defense, and get depth from Sophomores Griffin Kosek, Dawson Carr & John Becker who come up from the youth program. The reason though to love this team as a Class A contender is because they bring back one of Class A’s top goalies in Junior Izaak Kalis and he has been magnificent with already two years of experience in net and a year older he will make the Flyers a challenge to score on and they should have another very good year and could be sleeper team to crash the party at State come March.
4- Princeton Tigers
Head Coach- Andy Fondrick 3rd Year, (25-26-2)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (12-13-2) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Tigers Outlook- Princeton seems like on paper a team poised to have a monster year this winter. They showed glimpses of being a dangerous team last year like when they upset Top 15 Thief River Falls and tied Monticello. However, they were far too inconsistent and faded down the stretch and went from a 4 seed to a 6 seed in the last two weeks of the season which ultimately led to another first round exit in the playoffs. This season though they look to have many pieces in place to have a big year as they return a very senior heavy group and also have over 80% of their scoring back. At forward Seniors Lane Olson, who had 35 goals last year, and Brody Kok, who had double digit goals of his own, are back as the team's leading scorers from last year. They will have scoring depth as well as Seniors Connor Stokke, Levi Senne & Isaac Emmerich along with Sophomores Isaac Nelson & Brayden Seppala are all back with varsity experience and will only improve on last year's point production. On defense Seniors Dominic Patnode, the team's 4th leading scorer, and Cullen Drews are both back and have good experience to lead the back end and look for Sophomore Carter Nelson from the youth program to step in and provide immediate impact. In net Seniors Kole Roth & Liam Dufner both return with good varsity experience though they will look for them to be more consistent a year older. Everything is in place for Princeton to have a big year and be the surprise team in Section 5A this year.
5- River Lakes Stars
Head Coach- Zach Johnson 6th year, (55-57-6)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (15-10-2) Lost in Section 5A Semifinals
Stars Outlook- River Lakes is coming off a very nice season where they peaked down the stretch and made it to the Section Semifinals before being knocked out by the eventual State Champs. This season they should be strong again as while they did graduate a big senior class they return a good core of their high end scorers from last year's 15 win team. Offensively Senior Blake Schultz, the team's leading scorer last year with nearly 30 goals, and Junior Parker Welz, who had nearly 20 goals of his own, are both back to lead the offense again this winter. They also have Juniors Griffin Mayhew, Eric Paulson & Jalken Mackedanz back after getting good varsity experience as Sophomores last year. On defense Senior Jace Griffin is back as their top returning defenseman and they will need to build a new core around him and they should have depth with Juniors Kaleb Cremers, Gabe Hoekstra & Isaac Blaschko. In net they will need someone new to step up but look for Senior Daniel Mooney to get a chance at the starting role after playing limited minutes the last year. River Lakes has enough top end talent returning that if they find depth within their lineup as the season progresses they should have another strong year this winter.
6- Pine City Dragons
Head Coach- Seth Sauter 5th year, (43-56-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (12-14-0) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Dragons Outlook- Pine City had a very nice finish to their season last year as they played their best hockey down the stretch and came up just short in the 4 vs 5 Quarterfinal game against River Lakes. While they did graduate some key pieces over the offseason they still bring back a very nice core to try and build a tough nosed team around. The Dragons are always trying to be tough to play against and this group appears to be no different this year. At forward Junior McCall Leger, the leading scorer as both a 9th & 10th grader, is back to lead the attack and should be even better as an upperclassman now. Adding to him are Senior Blake Painovich and Juniors Milo Rydberg, Ethan Aagaard, Weston Clementson & Bohdan Valvoda all are back with experience and should add to the scoring depth. Defensively they return Senior Logan Kirby and Juniors Brady Berglund & Luciano Schisano who are all back with good experience and should be even better a year older. In net it looks to be a competition between Senior Aaron Rootkie & Junior Milo Babolik both who got some action in net last year to build off that experience. Pine City is another team looking at the roster, and what they bring back, that should be very tough again this year and will look to breakthrough and get beyond the playoff quarterfinal round this winter.
7- Sauk Rapids Storm
Head Coach- Brady DeGagne 5th Year, (30-59-6)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (9-14-3) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Storm Outlook- Sauk Rapids had a year of up and down inconsistent play and results which has been a little bit of the trend for the Storm in recent years. They generally have a potent lineup up front with some high end scoring forwards but keeping the puck out of their own net tends to be the issue and those trends continued last year. Looking ahead to this season there is a feeling of optimism as they return Juniors Elijah Fitch & Bryden Prelvit, who both had double digit goals, and Seniors Vince Murn, who had 30 points, and Hunter Behling to lead what should again be a productive offense. On defense they return Seniors Jackson Dhein & Jonah Thell along with Juniors Chase Hiltner & Brandon Goebel who all have some varsity experience to build a better blueline around. They will be looking for more consistent goaltending as they turn to Senior Reed Omvig & Junior Landon Jennings who both got limited time in net last winter and their development will be critical to how much improvement they can have as a team this winter as if they keep the puck out of the net this group will score in bunches.
8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs
Head Coach- Cam Wilken 1st year, (0-0-0)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (14-11-1) Lost in Section 5A Play In Round
Mustangs Outlook- Mora/Milaca had a very nice season last year as they were able to win 14 games and were very competitive all season after a rough year the prior season. However, like many small community programs the ups and downs of the teams are drastic as each year brings graduation of what could be a big senior class which was the case for the Mustangs this offseason. Up front they do return Sophomore Jacob Szucs who is coming off a nice 20 plus point season as a 9th grader. They also bring back Seniors Chase Radermacher & Gavin Stromberg to try and build some new depth around. Defensively they bring back Senior Charlie Kritzeck, who was the teams 2nd leading scorer last season, and Junior Mitchell Haase is back as well after heaving double digit points of his own to build their defensive unit around. They do return experience in net as Sophomore Dane Price returns after playing nearly every minute as a freshman last year and he should be even better this year after a solid first season as a youngster ast winter. While they did graduate a big senior class Mora/Milaca will look to build around what is coming back to have another competitive year this upcoming season.
9- Becker/Big Lake Eagles
Head Coach- Zach Barzee 6th year, (36-85-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (16-10-0) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Eagles Outlook- Becker/Big Lake had their most successful year in program history last year as their 16 wins were the most for any team in a single season and they also picked up their first ever playoff win in their 20 plus year history. This year though looks like it is going to be a rough one as they graduated the majority of their teams offense and it looks like on paper at least to be a rebuilding year. On offense they do return Junior Tate Spilde who had 20 goals last year and Juniors Lucas Hancock, Carter Tatges & Tanner Felton both return with some varsity experience. Defensively they do return Juniors Hayden Kipka & Ethan Grafnitz and Senior Gunnar Hanson are back with experience on the blueline for what will be a young team so their leadership in their own end will be needed. In net they graduated both of their goalies and Senior Thomas Zerwas looks to be the main option after seeing a few minutes of varsity action last year. Overall, it looks like a rebuild this year after having a record setting season last winter which really isn't too unexpected.
Section 5A got a major facelift three seasons ago when the MSHSL did their annual 6 year cycle major section realignments. One of the big changes was the addition of St Cloud Cathedral which at the time didn't seem like a big deal as the program was coming off its worst season in 20 years. However, a new coach was brought in to clean up the mess and 3 years later the Crusaders are not only at the top of 5A but the Defending State Champions as well. They appear to be the favorites again to win the section but both Monticello & Little Falls, the two other Class A blue blood programs in 5A, will have strong teams and look to get revenge for Section Final losses in the past two years. Also, don't count out Princeton, who returns all their top end scoring, and River Lakes, Pine City & Sauk Rapids are tough gritty teams that bring back good pieces and will be hard to play against. Section 5A appears to be deep this winter but the big question will be does anyone have the top end talent to compete with the Defending State Champs.
BHS 2024-25 Section 5A Preseason Ranking
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders
2- Monticello Moose
3- Little Falls Flyers
4- Princeton Tigers
5- River Lakes Stars
6- Pine City Dragons
7- Sauk Rapids Storm
8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs
9- Becker/Big Lake Eagles
1- St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders
Head Coach- Robbie Stocker 4th year, (58-31-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (26-4-1) Section 5A Champion and won the Class A Championship
Crusaders Outlook- Cathedral on paper appears to have enough really elite top end talent returning and some good depth to make a serious run at a repeat this year. The rebuild done by Coach Stocker has been remarkable and if he can get some important questions answered within this year's lineup there does appear to be more than enough left over for the Defending Champs to be serious contenders again this winter. They return 3 of their top 5 leading goal scorers at forward as Seniors John Hirschfeld & Joey Gillespie, who are both Mr Hockey Candidates, along with Senior Jaeger Wood contributed for a combined 48% of the teams total offense last year. Also, look for Junior Caleb Trant, a transfer who had to play JV last year, to be a big addition this year and a possible new running mate on the big top line. Add to them a lineup card that will feature Seniors Caden Johnson, Mason Layne & Junior Noah Klein, who have all gotten varsity minutes and bring plenty of experience. Add in the next wave talent in 9th graders Bo Schmidt & Talen Ruprecht ready to step in and there's plenty of depth to build with. On the blueline they return star elite defender Junior Griffin Sturm who ran the powerplay and played mega minutes while putting up nearly 30 points and 10 goals himself last year as the team's 4th leading scorer. They will need to build a new defensive core around him but look for Seniors Ian Bacik & Connor Stockman, both got varsity minutes last year, along with Junior Carter Bakeberg, a transfer who had to play JV last year, to step in to make the new core. They do have to answer a big question in the net. However, Junior Keaton LeGrande went (4-1-0, 2.37 GAA & .907 SV %) really stabilized things once he became the starter while Nick Hansen was hurt last year. He looks to be the full time starter now moving forward and based on the 5 games we saw out of him last winter the Crusaders will be solid in net. Looking at the top end of the Big Three and the solid depth pieces in place and having championship experience it's hard to bet against the Crusaders who will be looking to go back to back for the first time in program history this winter.
2- Monticello Moose
Head Coach- Eric Nelson 10th year, (155-88-10)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (21-6-1) Lost in Section 5A Championship Game
Moose Outlook- The Moose are team on the rise as they are coming of a very good 21 win season and while they did graduate 4 of their top 6 scorers which was 50% of their scoring and their goalie who played nearly every minute the last two years this group of Juniors and Sophomores took 3rd place in A Bantam State and while they are young they have plenty of pieces to be a serious contender in Class A this winter. Up front, they return Senior Landen Scherber who had nearly 60 points but his line mates both graduated and look for Juniors Liam O'Donnell & Ashton Stoll to make a big jump from last year's output to be contenders to join him on the big line this year. They also return Seniors Caleb Biard & Nathan Poeppel along with Junior Carter Lemke and Sophomore Bradon Zieglmeier who have varsity experience and will all be looked upon to have bigger seasons this year. Junior Jack Sager and Sophomores Collin Barta, Cohen Kass will be pushing for time as well coming up form the Bantams. On defense there is a lot to like as they return loads of talent and experience with Senior Aidan Widmark returning along with Juniors Levi Welle & Brady McGriff and star Sophomore Nicklas Nelson to build a great D-core around to break in a new goalie this year. As noted, in net it will be a battle between Senior Logan Blahnik and Sophomore Nolan Wurm, who is one of the top young goalies in all of Class A, for the starting spot. While on paper Monticello did graduate a ton of production from last season, look for this year’s team to actually be deeper and under the guidance of Coach Nelson they will grow and improve throughout the season and they will be a contender to get to state out of 5A and should hover around the Top 10 all year and the Moose should be right in the thick of it all year in Class A as always.
3- Little Falls Flyers
Head Coach- Joey Hanowski 4th year, (56-24-2)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (17-10-0) Lost in Section 5A Semifinals
Flyers Outlook- The Flyers once again came up just short in 5A as they lost a heartbreaking triple overtime classic in the Section Semifinals last year. Little Falls has been a perennial Top 15 Class A team and this year looks no different as they will bring back the majority of their main pieces from last season and they will be a tough team again this winter for anyone to play against. Up front, they return 3 of their 4 leading scorers in Seniors Luke Avery, Ryan Oothodt & Joey Welinski who combined scored 55 % of the team's goals last year. They also return Senior Lucas Jendro, Junior Beau Majerle & Sophomore Mason Oothoudt who contributed to the varsity offense last year to give them a good base of returning production. On defense the late season conversion of Junior Remi Chisholm was a game changer for them as they really solidified the blueline but he can also be a productive forward as well. They also return Sophomore Kyler Schmidgall and Seniors Derrick Young & Alex Thoma to give them a good base on the back end as well. They could add depth at both forward and defense, and get depth from Sophomores Griffin Kosek, Dawson Carr & John Becker who come up from the youth program. The reason though to love this team as a Class A contender is because they bring back one of Class A’s top goalies in Junior Izaak Kalis and he has been magnificent with already two years of experience in net and a year older he will make the Flyers a challenge to score on and they should have another very good year and could be sleeper team to crash the party at State come March.
4- Princeton Tigers
Head Coach- Andy Fondrick 3rd Year, (25-26-2)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (12-13-2) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Tigers Outlook- Princeton seems like on paper a team poised to have a monster year this winter. They showed glimpses of being a dangerous team last year like when they upset Top 15 Thief River Falls and tied Monticello. However, they were far too inconsistent and faded down the stretch and went from a 4 seed to a 6 seed in the last two weeks of the season which ultimately led to another first round exit in the playoffs. This season though they look to have many pieces in place to have a big year as they return a very senior heavy group and also have over 80% of their scoring back. At forward Seniors Lane Olson, who had 35 goals last year, and Brody Kok, who had double digit goals of his own, are back as the team's leading scorers from last year. They will have scoring depth as well as Seniors Connor Stokke, Levi Senne & Isaac Emmerich along with Sophomores Isaac Nelson & Brayden Seppala are all back with varsity experience and will only improve on last year's point production. On defense Seniors Dominic Patnode, the team's 4th leading scorer, and Cullen Drews are both back and have good experience to lead the back end and look for Sophomore Carter Nelson from the youth program to step in and provide immediate impact. In net Seniors Kole Roth & Liam Dufner both return with good varsity experience though they will look for them to be more consistent a year older. Everything is in place for Princeton to have a big year and be the surprise team in Section 5A this year.
5- River Lakes Stars
Head Coach- Zach Johnson 6th year, (55-57-6)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (15-10-2) Lost in Section 5A Semifinals
Stars Outlook- River Lakes is coming off a very nice season where they peaked down the stretch and made it to the Section Semifinals before being knocked out by the eventual State Champs. This season they should be strong again as while they did graduate a big senior class they return a good core of their high end scorers from last year's 15 win team. Offensively Senior Blake Schultz, the team's leading scorer last year with nearly 30 goals, and Junior Parker Welz, who had nearly 20 goals of his own, are both back to lead the offense again this winter. They also have Juniors Griffin Mayhew, Eric Paulson & Jalken Mackedanz back after getting good varsity experience as Sophomores last year. On defense Senior Jace Griffin is back as their top returning defenseman and they will need to build a new core around him and they should have depth with Juniors Kaleb Cremers, Gabe Hoekstra & Isaac Blaschko. In net they will need someone new to step up but look for Senior Daniel Mooney to get a chance at the starting role after playing limited minutes the last year. River Lakes has enough top end talent returning that if they find depth within their lineup as the season progresses they should have another strong year this winter.
6- Pine City Dragons
Head Coach- Seth Sauter 5th year, (43-56-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (12-14-0) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Dragons Outlook- Pine City had a very nice finish to their season last year as they played their best hockey down the stretch and came up just short in the 4 vs 5 Quarterfinal game against River Lakes. While they did graduate some key pieces over the offseason they still bring back a very nice core to try and build a tough nosed team around. The Dragons are always trying to be tough to play against and this group appears to be no different this year. At forward Junior McCall Leger, the leading scorer as both a 9th & 10th grader, is back to lead the attack and should be even better as an upperclassman now. Adding to him are Senior Blake Painovich and Juniors Milo Rydberg, Ethan Aagaard, Weston Clementson & Bohdan Valvoda all are back with experience and should add to the scoring depth. Defensively they return Senior Logan Kirby and Juniors Brady Berglund & Luciano Schisano who are all back with good experience and should be even better a year older. In net it looks to be a competition between Senior Aaron Rootkie & Junior Milo Babolik both who got some action in net last year to build off that experience. Pine City is another team looking at the roster, and what they bring back, that should be very tough again this year and will look to breakthrough and get beyond the playoff quarterfinal round this winter.
7- Sauk Rapids Storm
Head Coach- Brady DeGagne 5th Year, (30-59-6)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (9-14-3) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Storm Outlook- Sauk Rapids had a year of up and down inconsistent play and results which has been a little bit of the trend for the Storm in recent years. They generally have a potent lineup up front with some high end scoring forwards but keeping the puck out of their own net tends to be the issue and those trends continued last year. Looking ahead to this season there is a feeling of optimism as they return Juniors Elijah Fitch & Bryden Prelvit, who both had double digit goals, and Seniors Vince Murn, who had 30 points, and Hunter Behling to lead what should again be a productive offense. On defense they return Seniors Jackson Dhein & Jonah Thell along with Juniors Chase Hiltner & Brandon Goebel who all have some varsity experience to build a better blueline around. They will be looking for more consistent goaltending as they turn to Senior Reed Omvig & Junior Landon Jennings who both got limited time in net last winter and their development will be critical to how much improvement they can have as a team this winter as if they keep the puck out of the net this group will score in bunches.
8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs
Head Coach- Cam Wilken 1st year, (0-0-0)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (14-11-1) Lost in Section 5A Play In Round
Mustangs Outlook- Mora/Milaca had a very nice season last year as they were able to win 14 games and were very competitive all season after a rough year the prior season. However, like many small community programs the ups and downs of the teams are drastic as each year brings graduation of what could be a big senior class which was the case for the Mustangs this offseason. Up front they do return Sophomore Jacob Szucs who is coming off a nice 20 plus point season as a 9th grader. They also bring back Seniors Chase Radermacher & Gavin Stromberg to try and build some new depth around. Defensively they bring back Senior Charlie Kritzeck, who was the teams 2nd leading scorer last season, and Junior Mitchell Haase is back as well after heaving double digit points of his own to build their defensive unit around. They do return experience in net as Sophomore Dane Price returns after playing nearly every minute as a freshman last year and he should be even better this year after a solid first season as a youngster ast winter. While they did graduate a big senior class Mora/Milaca will look to build around what is coming back to have another competitive year this upcoming season.
9- Becker/Big Lake Eagles
Head Coach- Zach Barzee 6th year, (36-85-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (16-10-0) Lost in Section 5A Quarterfinals
Eagles Outlook- Becker/Big Lake had their most successful year in program history last year as their 16 wins were the most for any team in a single season and they also picked up their first ever playoff win in their 20 plus year history. This year though looks like it is going to be a rough one as they graduated the majority of their teams offense and it looks like on paper at least to be a rebuilding year. On offense they do return Junior Tate Spilde who had 20 goals last year and Juniors Lucas Hancock, Carter Tatges & Tanner Felton both return with some varsity experience. Defensively they do return Juniors Hayden Kipka & Ethan Grafnitz and Senior Gunnar Hanson are back with experience on the blueline for what will be a young team so their leadership in their own end will be needed. In net they graduated both of their goalies and Senior Thomas Zerwas looks to be the main option after seeing a few minutes of varsity action last year. Overall, it looks like a rebuild this year after having a record setting season last winter which really isn't too unexpected.