Minnesota Top 25

Here’s how the teams ranked in the cross-class Top 25 at the end of the regular season have fared in their section playoffs:

1. Hill-Murray (2A, 23-3-1)

After a 5-1 Section 4 championship win over Woodbury, the defending Class 2A state champs will try to go back-to-back and repeat their feat from 2014 and 2015. Freshman forward Hannah Rychley led the Pioneers with two goals and two assists against the Royals.

2. Centennial/Spring Lake Park

Centennial/Spring Lake Park punched its ticket back to state with a 4-1 win over Maple Grove, led by two goals from sophomore defender Annabelle Buccicone.

3. Holy Family (2A, 22-3)

If “barnburner” was a literal term, Bloomington Ice Garden’s new renovations should have been worried Friday night. The Fire won a double-overtime thriller over Minnetonka 5-4, thanks to the clincher from senior forward Chloe King (Franklin Pierce).

4. Minnetonka (2A, 19-2-5)

Late heroics from junior goaltender Ty Jabs and sophomore forward Kennedy Hochbaum helped the Skippers erase four different Holy Family leads, but Minnetonka couldn’t find the winner in overtime.

5. Edina (2A, 18-4-3)

The Hornets grinded out a 1-0 Section 6 championship win over Benilde-St. Margaret’s to book their state-leading 12th consecutive trip to the Class 2A state tournament. Senior forward Cate McCoy (Dartmouth) scored the lone goal and junior goaltender Soren Peacock stopped 23 shots.

6. Breck (1A, 25-1-1)

The last time Breck was at state, it was lifting a Class 1A trophy in 2020. Now, after a retool and rebuild, the young Mustangs are back at the big dance thanks to a 3-0 Section 5 win over Westonka/Southwest Christian.

Sophomore defender Alexis Ulrich tallied a goal and two assists in the victory, while freshman goalie Clara Milinkovich made 20 saves for her eighth shutout of the year.

7. Warroad (1A, 20-5-1)

Winners of three of the last four Class 1A titles, Warroad will look to avenge last year’s title game loss. The Warriors booked their 11th consecutive trip to state by pulling away in the final frame of their 5-0 win over East Grand Forks in Section 8.

8. Woodbury (2A, 26-1-1)

The Royals saw their undefeated season come to an end at the hands of Hill-Murray, the top seed in Section 4. Junior goaltender Alyssa Polaski made 36 saves in Woodbury’s 5-1 defeat.

9. Bemidji (2A, 20-5-1)

The Lumberjacks, who have reached state for the first time since 2007, avenged a late regular-season loss to Moorhead with a 4-3 win in the Section 8 championship. Two goals and an assist from junior forward Bailey Rupp (Minnesota Duluth) put Bemidji up 3-0 by the end of the first period.

10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2A, 15-9-1)

The Red Knights fell to Edina in the Section 6 playoffs for the seventh consecutive year, despite the efforts of junior goaltender Emma Matack (25 saves).

11. Maple Grove (2A, 17-9)

Junior Harper Wieneke (Assumption) got the Crimson on the board late in their 4-1 loss to Centennial/Spring Lake Park in the Section 5 title game.

12. Dodge County (1A, 20-6-1)

In Section 1, the Wildcats nearly saw their hopes of defending their first Class 1A state title dashed at the hands of Albert Lea, but they scored three unanswered goals to rally and return to state for the third year in a row.

13. Wayzata (2A, 19-7-1)

Trying to wriggle their way out of a tough Section 6, the Trojans pushed Benilde-St. Margaret’s into overtime in the section semifinals. Junior defender Noelle Noble (Bemidji State) tied the game at 2-2 with under five minutes to play before Wayzata conceded in overtime.

14. Moorhead (2A, 14-10-3)

The Spuds kept things interesting late in their Section 8 title game against Bemidji, scoring two power-play goals with under two minutes to play to cut their deficit to 4-3. However, the defending section champ’s comeback came up short.

15. Proctor/Hermantown (1A, 18-6-2)

The Mirage will make their sixth consecutive trip to state — the second-longest streak in Class 1A. In a 5-1 win over North Shore, junior forward Avery Milbridge scored twice late to seal the victory.

16. Farmington (2A, 22-4-1)

The Tigers, in earning back-to-back trips to state, made sure both Section 1 championship games were come-from-behind thrillers. They countered Northfield freshman forward Olive Cook’s pair of first-period goals with three goals of their own, including the third-period winner from sophomore defender Norah Kratz.

17. Andover (2A, 17-10-1)

The No. 2-seeded Huskies outlasted No. 4 Grand Rapids/Greenway in Section 7, as junior defender Taylor Schreifels (Sacred Heart) scored the game’s only goal with 24 seconds to play. The Huskies will be appearing in their ninth straight Class 2A state tournament.

18. River Cities (2A, 16-11-0)

River Cities ran into Maple Grove in the Class 2A, Section 5 semifinals and were bested 4-1 by the Crimson. Despite an even 30 shots for each team, Crimson junior goaltender Bella Prosser made it tough for the Blades to find the back of the net.

19. Westonka/Southwest Christian (1A, 16-9-3)

The Whitehawks dispatched defending section champ Orono in the section semis but were shutout by Breck in the championship game.

20. Grand Rapids/Greenway (2A, 18-6-4)

The Lightning fell just short of giving Class 2A, Section 8 its first new champion in nine seasons with a 1-0 loss to Andover. Senior goalie Claire Tobeck kept the Lightning’s hopes alive with 28 saves.

21. Blake (1A, 21-6)

The Bears, another former Class 1A champ, are returning to state for the first time since their last title in 2017. Blake senior forward Ella Anderson buried the overtime winner to beat Holy Angels 3-2.

22. Marshall (1A, 22-5)

Luverne avenged three regular-season losses to Marshall with a 3-2 win over the defending Class 1A, Section 3 champ in the section final. Senior forward Ella Apel scored the game winner with less than seven minutes to play.

23. Mankato East (1A, 24-2-1)

The high-scoring Cougars will play at state for the third time in five years after beating Minnesota River 3-1 in the Section 2 championship game. Senior forward Brielle Newton and sophomore forward Laina Peterson clinched the win with third-period goals.

24. Apple Valley (2A, 17-11)

The Eagles were the top seed in Class 2A, Section 3 and were aiming for their first trip to state since 2003. The No. 3 seed, Lakeville North, walked away with a 1-0 double-overtime win in the section final, however, thanks to an extra-late winner from senior forward Sidney Petterssen (Augsburg).

25. Albert Lea (1A, 16-11)

The Tigers got the jump on Dodge County with junior forward Morgan Goskeson scoring her 46th and 47th goals of the season, but they couldn’t hold off the defending Class 1A champs in their 3-2 loss in the section final.