outlook2003A1

2002-2003 CLASS A SECTION OUTLOOK

Section 1A
Rochester Lourdes (28-2-1) had an awesome year last year except they didn't win the State Tournament, falling to Red Wing in the semifinals. The Eagles lose eight starters and head coach Jay Ness, but a solid nucleus returns that gives Lourdes, and new head coach Bob Haskins, a great shot at a fourth consecutive Section 1A championship. Returning junior Brandon Harrington was the #3 scorer on the team last year and is one of the top juniors in the state. Seniors Nick Forliti and John Brunkhorst are proven scorers and junior Christopher Kern adds potential. Junior Josh Duncan is the only returning defenseman; however, Duncan led the defensemen in scoring last year as a sophomore. Three-year starting goalie Dan Smith is gone, but senior and part-time starter Ben Alker is back.
New Ulm (20-5-0) lost 11 seniors including high scoring forwards Jamie Hoffman and Brent Clyne. The Eagles also graduated their two starting goaltenders. The offense should be solid with senior Chris Reinarts, the #3 scorer last year, returning along with senior Tyson Anderson and juniors Brett Burgau and Jay Geisthardt. Senior Kyle Marti and junior Adam Macho will anchor the defense, but the biggest hole remains in goal.
Marshall (21-7-0) will be tough again this year. The Tigers return big scorers in seniors Jeff Jacobs and Todd Clark along with juniors Scott Schroeder and Zack Sterzinger. Seniors Jared Ortmann and Ross Birath return on defense but the the Tigers have an opening in goal.
Albert Lea (14-11-0) surprised everyone by making it to the semifinals of the Section last year. Senior twins Matt and Josh Tubbs return; Matt in goal and Josh on defense. Back to lead the offense are seniors Adam Boelter and Egan Mattson, junior Casey Schumacher, and sophomore Tony Dugstad, who tallied 12 points as a freshman last year.
Northfield (14-8-2) was upset by Albert Lea in the quarterfinals last year. The Raiders return senior goalie Riley Gill with senior forward Tim Tichich and junior forward Bryan Flicek.
Mankato East (14-10-0) was the best team in Mankato last year, but they may not be this year. The Cougars have a good bunch of underclassmen worth watching including junior forwards Logan Wenzel, Ross Grant, and Brett Green along with sophomore forward Neil Viola.
Mankato West (6-16-1) returns five of their top six scorers in seniors Danny Umhoefer and Tayton Eggenberger along with juniors Graham Kuehner, Taylor Wallace, and Trevor McCormick.
Luverne (15-8-0) has had a good team for the past two seasons and should come back with a decent team this year. The Cardinals lost heavily, graduating their top four scorers plus their top defenseman and top goalie; however, Luverne returns a number of solid performers. Senior forwards Tony Smedsrud, Eric Lambert, and Andy Hess will provide the offense with seniors Tom Gluf and Chris Morgan heading up the defense. Senior goalie Cody Gehrke brings some experience having split duties in net last year.
Waseca (12-10-0) returns their top three scorers in seniors Ryan Hoehn and Jeremy Peterson along with junior Chris Bensen. Senior Andy Burnett is back in goal to give the Bluejays an edge.

Section 2A
The teams from the Rum River conference were very close last year. Princeton won the regular season conference title and went on to claim the Section 2A crown with a close 3-2 win over Pine City/Rush City. The Tigers (21-8-0) remain the favorites in the Section since they have more returnees than any of the other teams. Senior forward Joey Bacon tallied 49 points last year and is a real threat to top 80 points this year. Bacon will get help from seniors Kevin Englund, Adam Miron, Ryan Fuller, and Steve Braun. The Tigers top defenseman, senior Karl Larsen is also back, but Princeton will need a new goalie.
St. Cloud Cathedral (12-13-1) may have the best shot at unseating Princeton. The Crusaders have their top two scorers back and they're only juniors, Adam Koopmeiners and Nick Hengel. Another junior, Eric Dahl, is also a capable scorer. Sophomore Chris Mach and Lance Watrin have shown potential. Senior goalie Nate Schreifels will have to play well to give Cathedral a chance.
Sauk Rapids-Rice (15-11-1) has one of the top juniors in the state in forward Ryan Peckskamp, the leading scorer for the Storm last year. A very good trio of seniors is also back for Sauk Rapids-Rice in goalie Joe Dagenais, forward Chris Streit, and defenseman Matt Wocken.
Pine City/Rush City (14-13-1) finished runner-up in Section 2A last year, but lost 11 seniors. The Dragons will rebuild around junior forwards David Gross and Corey Brandt in addition to senior forward Beau Bergland.
Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson (13-13-0) will probably be around .500 again this year after losing 10 seniors from last year. Second leading scorer junior Shaun Corbett is back along with junior forwards Andrew Grabowski, Nate Horbacz, and John Horbacz. A third Horbacz, Mark, a sophomore, will also contribute on offense. Senior Ricky Ackerman is a solid defenseman and senior goalie Nick Hjelle split time in goal last year.
Duluth Denfeld (12-13-1) lost their top three scorers from last year. Senior forward Dane Bushy returns with junior defenseman Brandon Johnson. Johnson saw action as a freshman in 2000-2001 and played extremely well last year. Keep an eye on him this year.
Proctor (10-17-0) looks to improve on last year's record. The Rails return their top performer at each position. Leading scorer senior Ryan Walsh is back at forward with senior Matt Talarico and junior David Koivisto. Senior defenseman Travis Olson was the top scoring blueliner last year and senior goalie Jeff Quale started every game in goal in 2001-2002.
Sartell (10-15-1) plays in a tougher conference, the Central Lakes Conference, which could make them the surprise team come playoff time. The Sabres are still young with leading forwards junior Brian Bruss and sophomore Tyler Trudell. Both goalies return and rotate in net, sophomore Eric Anderson and junior Chris Legatt. Freshman Michael Sauer was maybe Sartell's best defenseman last year as an eighth grader. Look for alot of improvement from Sauer this year.
Moose Lake Area (5-21-0) can't help but improve, they return everybody from last year. Watch for senior forwards Mike Haglund and Aaron Borchardt along with junior forwards Mike Knezevich and Nate Ribich.