outlook2003AA1

2002-2003 CLASS AA SECTION OUTLOOK

Section 1AA
Lakeville (13-15-1) is the defending Section 1AA champion, but the Panthers lost almost everyone from last year. Lakeville lost their top seven scorers, six from the offense. Senior forwards Tony Clemons, Matt McDonald, and Aaron Larson return along with junior Aaron Weber. Junior defenseman Adam Davis is the only returnee who scored in double digit points last year (2-9-11) and the Panthers graduated three goalies.
Rochester Century (18-7-0) has finished runner-up in the Section for the past two years. The Panthers also lost many value seniors, their four top scorers and the #1 goaltender, but there may be enough returnees to make a run at a third consecutive Section championship game. Senior forwards Nate Bower and Chris Collins are the top returning scorers. Century should be strong on the blue line with seniors Craig Johnson, Mike Reveland, Mike Frischmann, and junior Kyle Mairose. Sophomore Alex Kangas started three games early in the season last year and may be manning the nets this year.
Rochester John Marshall (5-17-1) hasn't been to the State Tournament since 1996, but they have some good looking juniors. Jake Hovick, Robbie Amundson, Brad Wiitanen, and Paul Girard were the top four scorers for the Rockets last year as sophomores. Senior goalies Mike McGarry and Joel Skinner bring plenty of experience having split the past two years in net. On defense, senior Matt Hawkinson and junior Jake Bosben are back.
Rochester Mayo (17-7-0) had a team last year where 70% of the scoring came from five players, four of whom were seniors. Only leading scorer senior Scott Thauwald returns, but Thauwald is one of the best forwards in the state. Thauwald had 36 goals, 36 assists, and 72 points last year. Capable forwards Josh Brady and Tom Senne, both seniors, return with junior Andy Roberts. The defense is led by senior Andy Braun and junior John Cicora, but the Spartans will have an inexperienced goalie.
Owatonna (13-13-0) might be an early season favorite to make it to the Section Final. The Huskies return two lines which should give them an offensive advantage over many teams in Section 1AA. Seniors Vince Anderson, Jeff Harriman, James and Joel Gaulrapp, and Alex Oldefeldt along with sophomore Sean Murphy are all back. The defense will be young, led by junior Justin Olson, and senior Matt DeVriendt was last year's backup goalie.
Austin (16-9-0) lost four of their top five scorers from last year. #4 scorer senior defenseman Eric Hansen (17-19-36), the #2 scoring defenseman in the state last year, returns with senior forwards Brad Wiechmann and Willie Granholm plus junior Kevin Madson. The Packers will also have a new goalie.
Faribault (5-18-0) returns senior forward Adam Hauptli, a solid scorer for the past two years, and junior Josh Dalluge.
Winona (5-20-0) probably won't be much better this year, but watch for three sophomores Adam Kowalczyk, Jake Savat, and Mark Meisel who all played last year as freshmen.

Section 2AA
Roseville (28-2-1) is the defending champion. The Raiders lost alot, especially on defense, but they look great on offense with some top scorers returning. On defense, gone are four defensemen, including Nick Klaren and Tom Koeck, along with goalie Tom Anderson. The Raiders lost leading scorer Mark VanGuilder as well as solid scorers Jeff Fearing, Dan Carlson, and Neal Schneider; however, Roseville returns their second, third, and fourth leading scorers in senior forwards Mike Sertich, Andrew Carroll, and Collin Cody. Also returning are good scorers in seniors Blake Twardowski, Kellen Chamblee, and Tucker Babbington. Seniors Brandon Svendsen and Pat Eagles give the Raiders eight returning senior forwards and almost three returning lines of all seniors. The biggest obstacle will be replacing the defense.
Cretin-Derham Hall (25-4-0) lost mostly on defense and returns alot of scoring punch. The Raiders lost a top goalie in Matt Weyandt as well as defenseman Brian Kilburg. Kilburg added alot of scoring ability. Mike Vannelli also graduated, but he was suspended after game 16 last year the CDH continued to do well without him. Kilburg picked up the offensive slack on defense after Vannelli was suspended and had an outstanding year. On defense, the Raiders return senior Luke Salscheider, one of the top defensemen in the state, along with seniors Ben Johnson and Seth Thompson. Sophomore Cameron Voss may get the call in goal. On offense, CDH lost Cullum Buetow-Staples, their third leading scorer, but return their top scorer along with their fourth, fifth, and sixth top scorers. Senior forward Matt Bohlig, the Raiders top scorer, will lead the offense with seniors Mike Osborne and Brandon Vossberg. Sophomore forward Matt Hickey played great as a freshman last year.
Hastings (11-15-1) looks a little thin, but returns some good scorers. Seniors Jesse Polk and Marcus Ploeger were the top two scorers for the Raiders last year. Hastings lost Nick Harris, their best player, who ended up the third leading scorer but would have led the team in scoring if he had not missing seven games with a shoulder separation. Seniors John Majeski and Peter Coonrod bring experience to the blue line and senior Peter Hoffman has been a starter in goal since his sophomore year.
Woodbury (7-19-1) has a couple of the top juniors in the state in forwards Tim Schlattman and Ryan Radke.
Park-Cottage Grove (10-16-1) returns a few players worth watching, senior foward Phil Carter, junior forwards Josh Sampson and Jake Wedebrand, and senior defenseman Joe Schneider.
St. Paul Como Park (15-10-1) returns their top two scorers in senior forward Jon Kramer and sophomore forward Mike Kramer.
St. Paul Arlington/Central/Highland Park/Humboldt (4-18-1) has three players from last year that are worth a look. Junior forwards Joel Rousu, Ben Stoltz, and Brendan Young-Dixon were the Hawks top three scorers last year as sophomores.