This is perhaps the most frenzied week in Minnesota hockey. There are 16 coveted positions at stake to reach the boys hockey state tournament, and those 16 golden tickets — eight in Class 2A, eight in 1A — all will be handed out to section winners over the next 96 hours across the state.

The scramble begins Tuesday night, Feb. 24, and ends Friday night when the last section final horn sounds. In between: passion, overflowing crowds, lines outside of rinks, finals that match up longtime section rivals and much more.

Let’s take a look at each day, Tuesday through Friday, and shine a little light on the most compelling finals.

Tuesday, Feb. 24

The madness begins at the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena at the University of St. Thomas for the Class 2A, Section 3 final between No. 1-seeded Rosemount, one game away from its first 2A tournament appearance after beating Eastview in the semifinals, and St. Thomas Academy, 4-0 conquerors of rival Cretin-Derham Hall in the semifinals. Rosemount has proved it deserves the No. 1 seed in the section, having shut out three of its last four opponents. But can the Irish handle section finals pressure? St. Thomas Academy sure can. The Cadets have 15 prior appearances and five state titles on their resume. Those kinds of things matter. This is a compelling way to kick off three days of section finals. Game time is 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Ridder Arena, home to the Gophers women’s hockey team, will be home to a battle of rivals when Wayzata meets Edina. Wayzata pulled off the upset of the postseason to date when it ended Rogers’ 13-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinal Saturday. Goalie Ryan Pellinger held Rogers scoreless through two periods and stopped 44 of 46 shots on goal in the game. Next up for the Trojans is none other than Edina, which survived Holy Angels 3-2 in the section semifinals thanks to a Bode McConnell goal in overtime. With their 44 previous state tournament appearances and 15 state titles, the Hornets are the most decorated and polarizing team in the state. The teams have split a pair of games this season. Expect a vociferous gathering. Puck drops at 6 p.m.

Watch this game: The Edina-Wayzata section final will be streaming exclusively on Strib Varsity. Go here to see the livestream.

Other finals Wednesday:

• 2A, Section 8: Moorhead vs. Elk River/Zimmerman, at Alexandria, 7 p.m.

• 1A, Section 5: St. Cloud Cathedral vs. Monticello, at Elk River, 7 p.m.

• 1A, Section 7: Hibbing/Chisholm vs. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, 7 p.m.

• 1A, Section 1: Northfield vs. Dodge County, at Rochester Rec, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 26

For the third time in four years, Chanhassen and Minnetonka will square off with the Section 2, Class 2A title on the line. The Skippers used their victory in 2023 as a springboard to their 2A championship that season. Chanhassen did the same in 2024, making a run to the 2A title game before falling to Edina. Minnetonka and Chanhassen met in the section playoffs last year, a 5-2 Minnetonka victory, but the stakes weren’t nearly as high. Chanhassen is peaking, ripping off nine straight wins, never giving up more than a single goal in any of those games. The Storm have taken a page out of Minnetonka’s book. The Skippers are the best defensive team in 2A, giving up a paltry 1.3 goals per game. Expect goals to be at a premium in the final. Game time at Ridder Arena is 6 p.m.

Other finals Thursday:

• 2A, Section 1: Lakeville South vs. Farmington, at Rochester Rec, 7 p.m.

• 2A, Section 5: Andover vs. Centennial, at Furniture and Things Center, Elk River, 7 p.m.

• 1A, Section 6: Sartell vs. Northern Lakes, St. Cloud MAC, 7 p.m.

• 2A, Section 7: Grand Rapids vs. Rock Ridge, Amsoil Arena, 7 p.m.

• 1A, Section 8: Warroad vs. Detroit Lakes, at Englestad Arena, Thief River Falls, 7 p.m.

• 1A, Section 2: Championship game at St. Louis Park Rec Center, 7 p.m. (Semifinals are Tuesday night.)

• 1A, Section 4: Championship game at Aldrich Arena, 7 p.m. (Semifinals are Tuesday night.)

• 1A, Section 3: Luverne vs. Mankato West, Lund Center (St. Peter), 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 27

The final spot on the state tournament docket will be set Friday in the 2A Section 4 final. The final match-up is yet to be determined as the semifinals won’t be played until Wednesday when No. 1 seed Hill-Murray faces Gentry Academy, the No. 5 seed. The other semifinal pits No. 2 seed Stillwater against No. 3 White Bear Lake. Hockey fans on the metro’s eastside have strong attachments to their favorite program and turn out en masse for the championship games. Hope to see the final? Be sure to get to Aldrich Arena early as the line tends to build quickly. And it fills up; the fire marshals keep a close eye on attendance and have had to turn latecomers away. The championship game is set to begin at 7 p.m.

Tracking boys hockey sections

That’s ninety-six hours of some of the most intense, dramatic high school hockey in the nation coming at us this week. Hill-Murray and Breck won girls championships last week. This week, 16 teams earn the chance to play for trophies in St. Paul next week. To follow along:

• Our Strib Varsity Boys Hockey Hub has all the game schedules and updated stats.

• Scores will be updated either in real time each night or as soon as doable after each game.

• Strib Varsity will have reporters at section finals each night this week.

• Follow Strib Varsity on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok for bonus boys hockey content all this week and next.