The Minnesota State High School League boys hockey state tournament continues today with the quarterfinal round for the state’s largest schools by enrollment.

Read what happened in the Class 1A quarterfinals Wednesday.

Follow live scoring of each game on Strib Varsity. Here is the complete bracket for 2A, and here is the bracket for 1A.

Thursday’s schedule

11 a.m. [8] Gentry Academy (17-9-2) vs. [1] Minnetonka (24-2-2)

1 p.m. [5] Grand Rapids (15-12-1) vs. [4] Rosemount (23-4-1)

6 p.m. [7] Lakeville South (14-11-3) vs. [2] Moorhead (24-3-1)

8 p.m. [6] Andover (11-14-3) vs. [3] Edina (21-6-1)

Start of third period: Minnetonka 4, Gentry Academy 0

Minnetonka showed complete ownership in the second period. As good as the Skippers were in the first period, they were even better in the second. Minnetonka had a 16-2 advantage in shots on goal in the period, giving them a 31-5 edge for the game. That speed of Gentry Academy I mentioned earlier? Fans at Grand Casino Arena didn’t get the chance to see it because the Stars rarely had possession of the puck.

— Jim Paulsen

Minnetonka coach’s journey

If you haven’t already, read columnist Pat Reusse’s column on Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy’s coaching journey.

Goldsworthy has been the coach at his high school alma mater since the fall of 2017, after being the coach at his college alma mater, St. Olaf, for 19 seasons, the 2015-16 season being his last. He played one season of minor league hockey and, then, at age 23, he was hired by the Oles as their head coach.

Goldsworthy was also a strong contributor to the Minnetonka team that made the school’s second appearance in a state hockey tournament in 1990.

Second period: Minnetonka 4, Gentry Academy 0

Another Skippers goal. Cooper Rannow smacked home a long rebound in front of the net for his 10th goal of the season.

Watching Minnetonka is a master class on defensive hockey. The Skippers are always in the right position, they cut off passing lanes, make contact with the body when necessary and are disruptive with their sticks. And if a mistake is made, a teammate is there to cover.

— Jim Paulsen

Second period: Minnetonka 3, Gentry Academy 0

Cash Hardie scored his second goal of the game when he skated out of the corner and in front of the net to bump the Minnetonka lead to 3-0. The Skippers are in complete control of this one right now.

— Jim Paulsen

Second period: Minnetonka 2, Gentry Academy 0

Liam Schultz sniped a laser of a wrister from the left circle that beat Gentry Academy goalie Gavin Grose to the short side, giving Minnetonka a 2-0 lead. The assists went to Cash Hardie, who scored their first goal, and Max Aronson.

— Jim Paulsen

End of first period: Minnetonka 1, Gentry Academy 0

The Skippers had the better performance of the first period, outshooting Gentry 15-3. Cash Hardie’s goal seemed like only a matter of time. The Skippers defense just doesn’t give much room in front of the net. Gentry Academy has flashed some serious speed, but it’s been sporadic.

— Jim Paulsen

First period: Minnetonka 1, Gentry Academy 0

The Skippers’ offensive pressure finally paid off when sophomore Cash Hardie banged home a pass in front from Max Aronson at 10:03. It was Hardie’s 18th goal of the season.

— Jim Paulsen

First period: Minnetonka 0, Gentry Academy 0

The ice is starting to tilt in Minnetonka’s favor. The Skippers are putting on offensive pressure and have had a few point-blank shots stopped by Gentry Academy goalie Gavin Grose.

— Jim Paulsen

MN hockey a pipeline for the next generation of Olympians

Seven of Team USA’s 2026 gold medalists, four women and three men, played in the Minnesota state high school hockey tournaments before taking their talents to the world’s largest stage.

Here’s how they fared back in the day.

Pregame: Gentry Academy vs. Minnetonka

With Minnetonka, everything starts with defense. The Skippers are deep on the blue line, led by two Reed Larson Award finalists, senior Danny Browning, a fundamentally sound 200-foot player who cleans up the backend and excels at moving the puck out of his zone, and hard-hitting 6-foot-4 senior Tate Hardacre. The Skippers defense is backstopped by goalie Chase Jerdee, a 6-5 Frank Brimsek Award finalist.

The defense gets the pub, but Minnetonka has plenty of offense. Five players have 28 or more points, led by junior forward Max Aronson and sophomore forward Cash Hardie, who are tied for a team-leading 31 points. Senior forward Ethan Sturgis sets the tone. He’s skilled and willing to play the body.

Some people didn’t expect Gentry Academy to get this far this season with such a young team, but they’ve jelled faster than expected. The players showed off their talents in the Class 2A, Section 4 tournament, dominating Hill-Murray 4-2 in the semifinals and White Bear Lake 3-0 in the final. Watch out for talented sophomore forward Jaxon Cook and his team-leading 33 goals.

We’re already getting fans filling in the upper level of Grand Casino Arena. There were none up there on Day 1. I expect a much larger crowd for the first day of the Class 2A tournament.

— Jim Paulsen

Honorary captain

David La Vaque, the face of Star Tribune’s high school hockey coverage for more than a decade, has been the honorary captain of the Northern Lakes boys hockey team this season.

On Wednesday, he visited the team before its Class 1A quarterfinal game against Warroad.

A high school sports reporter for the Star Tribune since 2010, La Vaque also is the co-author of “Tourney Time,” a book about the history of Minnesota’s boys hockey state tournament.

“I didn’t know Dave was gonna come down. And at the same time, it was really great to see him come down,” Northern Lakes coach Thomas Klein said Wednesday. “And then come into the locker room. The guys gave him a round of applause. They’ve known all season that he was our honorary captain.”

Sadly, a progressive illness has kept La Vaque from sportswriting; his last coverage moment was last year’s boys state tourney.

“Not that we’re looking for perspective here, but the truth of the matter is, the challenges he’s going through makes all of this pale in comparison,” Klein said. “But it was really great to see him here. You could tell in his eyes. I’ve seen him enough since last March that I know he really enjoyed this. That was really great. The guys were glad to see him. It was a real special moment for sure.”

Upgrades possible for Grand Casino Arena?

The St. Paul arena used for Minnesota’s high school hockey state tournaments could look different in years to come if funding is approved for upgrades.

The city of St. Paul and the Minnesota Wild are gearing up for another shot at state funding for a proposed $600 million remodel of Grand Casino Arena and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

The city and team are seeking $125 million from the state to renovate the NHL arena and $75 million for the 94-year-old auditorium.