Slate Preview: 4/24 - 4/26
Another full week of games and this is probably the most exciting week to date!
MONDAY
Maple Grove v Blaine: A lot of eyes will be on this matchup as this will have conference implications as well as Blaine’s first crack at a top 10 win. Having strength at Face Off and Goalie should allow Blaine to stay in this game. However, I think Maple Grove is a more complete team. As long as MG doesn’t waste possessions I think they should win, but Blaine will do everything they can to slow the game down and win a low scoring game
Elk River v Totino - Grace: The elks are off to a good start and want to keep the momentum going to prove they are a contender in Section 8. Totino grace lost by 8 to Armstrong last week, but… they scored 12 on the Falcons which was interesting. If they can clean up the defensive side, maybe, there is something there. I think this game will be competitive
TUESDAY
Prior Lake v Shakopee: One of the first great games in the “early window” pits conference foes against one another in a top 5 matchup. #3 Prior Lake has yet to play a game in a weird scheduling year which we have talked about ad-nauseum. Shakopee enters this game with 4 contests under their belt. I expect Shakopee to be a bit sharper in this one but I don't think this is a lay up for the Sabres either. The Sabres have yet to beat the Lakers and while this is shaping up for a perfect set-up for them to do so, I think some people are sleeping on the Lakers because they haven’t been in action. Yes, they lost a lot to graduation, but, they also returned a their entire defense and 3/6 offensive starters. I’ll be interested to see if Shakopee pulls Bachelor up to the midfield to cover Mickett to try and eliminate best with best. Tocko will need to create more this year than he did last year - I am unsure if he has that skill set. He might, but, just hasn’t had to be that guy until this year. Shakopee’s toward brothers will look to keep the chemistry going and will be a handful for the Lakers D. I think Prior Lake’s LSM CJ Sheffield will have an big impact on this game… I want to say this game will open up in transition, but, I could see both teams trying to protect their defense and own the ball. Should be a blast to watch!
Lakeville North v Rosemount: Lakeville came out the gate firing last week and opened a lot of eyes to their explosiveness on offense. Rosemount is a team I think matches up well with LVN because they are strong on D and will be patient on offense. Completely fine possessing the ball and playing a low scoring game. This will tell us a lot about LVN - they should win every face-off, but, if they aren’t efficient, Rosemount could get a lead in this game and play a submission type game of ball control. Plenty of offense on Rosemount to beat Lakeville’s D, so, this should be a tale of two styles going at it. I think I am going to take Rosemount in this one, even though many are probably on the Panther bandwagon for good reason.
Hill Murray v Chisago Lakes: As discussed in our section check-in, Chisago Lakes really has a hard time "proving it” with their schedule. They dominate all of the outer-metro teams they play. This game could be an eye opener either way for them. I literally have no idea in this one but I am leaning Chisago Lakes. But, Hill-Murray is so much more battle tested it may shock CL out of the gate. There is talent on both sides… I am very curious how this one plays out, I think it could be a competitive game. Coin Flip for me!
Jefferson v BSM: Last year, Jefferson hung their hat on only giving up 6 goals to Benilde, but, it was in a 3-6 losing effort. So, moral victories aside, Jefferson was close but no cigar as they say. The Jags certainly look tough again on the defensive side keeping their opposition to under 5 goals per game and have played a tough schedule, so, can they hold BSM to 6 or less? I don’t know, Stillwater held them to 8 behind a great goaltending performance. I just don’t see how Jefferson puts up more than 3 goals in this game though as they have struggled to get past the 5 goal mark in 3 of 4 games and this will be by far the toughest defense they will have faced. I’d love to see an upset, but, right now Red Knights look to be a bit too much to handle.
Mahtomedi v Chanhassen: This traditionally has been a competitive/exciting matchup for a classic east vs west clash! Chanhassen breezed through game 1 with a 12-6 victory over a solid CDH team. Mahtomedi battled Centennial in the snow and ‘escaped’ with an 8-7 victory. I say escaped because game reports are telling me that Mahtomedi was not helping themselves with the turnovers and careless play and almost gave the game to centennial. They will need to clean that up against Chanhassen. Not saying Centennial is a bad team, but, I think Chanhassen is on another level, too many possessions for that offense and it will not be pretty. Mahtomedi should be able to win at the X, but Chan’s Joey Schmidt had an unbelievable first game at CDH going 18/19. Will be interesting to watch that battle at the Face-Off. I think this game will be close, but, Chan wins.
Eden Prairie v Edina: A long time Lake Conference matchup of two teams that maybe were “down” a bit last year but have high hopes this year. Both teams are 1-0. The Eagles breezed past Hopkins in their first game and the Hornets had a HUGE upset win against the Irish of Rosemount. Both seem to be young teams on the rise and I think this could be a great game. Winner of this game gets a bump closer to the top 10, and if it’s a close battle, I think eyes need to stay on both teams.
WEDNESDAY
Maple Grove v Elk River: The Elks just fell to Totino-Grace by a wider margin than I was expecting. I am trying to figure out if Totino-Grace is much improved this year or if the Elks struggled in that game. Nonetheless, Maple Grove will be another tough test for Elk River as the Crimson have proven they are for real this season. I expect MG to win, but, it would go a long way for the Elks if they can make a game of it - I think that would give them some confidence on being able to run with some of the better teams in the state.
Buffalo v Orono: Orono seems like they aren’t too far away. They had a 3-1 lead at halftime to BSM. They played Minnetonka to a 3-3 second half. So, there is something there for the Spartans to at least give some of the better teams half of a game. Unfortunately, lacrosse games are 48 minutes, so, they will need to find the magic of a half and bring it to the whole game. Buffalo has had a surprising rough start and hasn’t been able to score against better defenses. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game was closer than maybe we originally thought it would be before the season began.
Eastridge v Stillwater: Eastridge is a team, for me, that doesn’t seem too far away. There are some pieces there but they are still pretty young with 8th and 9th graders in the starting lineup. They were up 4-1 to Woodbury at halftime and then lost 8-4. Just like Orono, they will need to piece together a full 48 minutes to upset Stillwater, but, keeping this game close would be a nice building block for the Raptors.
CDH v Woodbury: The Royals of Woodbury are off to a fantastic, and dare I say, surprising start. I think many thought the losses on offense would prove to be too much, but, they have leaned on their defense and some new scoring production to find ways to win low scoring, close, games. CDH seems like they have the pieces to be a good team and this is a great opportunity for them to show they can compete in the section. Section 3 is already a wild card with a lot of teams poised for potential upsets… a CDH win here just adds to the chaos. A dominant Woodbury performance and they probably find themselves as the #1 seed come section time.
