| 2/17/2003 CLASS AA SECTION OUTLOOK Section 1AA Rochester John Marshall (16-8-0) is the #1 seed but any one of the top six teams could be Section champs. Rochester John Marshall was one of the top two teams in the Big Nine Conference and is led by a trio of juniors, Rob Amundson, Jake Hovick, and Paul Girard. Austin (14-6-1) played better in the first half of the season and did beat Rochester John Marshall in January, but the Packers have lost three of their last four games. Senior forward Brad Wiechmann tops the offense and senior Eric Hansen leads the defense. Lakeville (10-13-2) is the defending champion and has a similar record and seed as last year when they won it. Rochester Century (15-8-1) has been in the Section finals for the past two years and could make it three in a row. The Panthers split with John Marshall and Austin during the regular season. Owatonna (12-11-1) has a solid team that split with John Marshall and had a loss and tie with Austin during the regular season. Rochester Mayo (9-15-1) is the #6 seed and played much better in the second half of the season when senior forward Vince Anderson started playing. The Spartans were 5-4-0 in their last nine games. Senior forward Scott Thauwald has been their top scorer all season long. Section 2AA Roseville (20-3-2) is the defending champion and favorite to repeat again this year. The Raiders have five solid forwards, all seniors, Mike Sertich, Andrew Carroll, Collin Cody, Brandon Svendsen, and Pat Eagles, as well as more depth at forward. Senior Neal Carlson and junior Justin Hanna lead the defense. Cretin-Derham Hall (18-8-0) lost to Roseville in the Section 2AA finals last year. Like Roseville, Cretin-Derham Hall is strong at forward with seniors Matt Bohlig, John Paul, Brandon Vossberg, and Mike Osborne along with sophomore Matt Hickey and junior Patrick Eibert. Senior Luke Salscheider is a top defenseman. Section 3AA White Bear Lake (18-6-1) leads the list of four good teams in Section 3AA. The Bears got the #1 seed but were seeded #1 last year before losing to Hill-Murray in the finals. White Bear Lake wins with solid defense and goaltending. North St. Paul (21-4-0) won the Classic Suburban Conference with their best team since the early 1980s. The top line of seniors Sean Garrity, Nate Dey, and Ryan Peterson are all big scorers. Centennial (20-4-1) has a good group of juniors with a few seniors mixed in. Junior forward Tom Gorowsky in one of the top scorers in the state. Hill-Murray (18-6-1) is the defending Section champ but ended up with the #4 seed while losing to White Bear Lake and splitting with North St. Paul during the season. The Pioneers are still capable of repeating with senior forward Garrett O. Regan leading the scorers. Section 4AA Elk River (19-5-1) is the defending champ and maybe a slight favorite even though the Elks are the #2 seed. Elk River has been one of the hottest teams in the state since Christmas being unbeaten in their last 15 games (14-0-1). Elk River lost to Anoka and Coon Rapids early in the season but avenged both of those losses later in the year. The Elks are led on offense by seniors Judah Birkeland and Matt Jackson. The defense is solid with eight shutouts and junior goalie Aaron Baumgartner has started most of the games in the second half of the season. Anoka (19-4-1) is the #1 seed and the Northwest Suburban Conference champion. The Tornadoes a solid throughout. All three lines can score with senior forward Ben Hendrick leading the way. The defense is one of the best in the state with 10 shutouts. Senior Tim Manthey and juniors Chase Evertz and Matt Sorteberg are top defenders and junior Kyle Olstad is their #1 goalie. Coon Rapids (19-4-1) has had a surprisingly good season. The Cardinals lost to Anoka twice during the season and split with Elk River which gave them the #3 seed. Robbinsdale Armstrong (14-10-1) is another team that has a good season despite losing their top three players to junior hockey. Senior forward Evan Kaufmann is a top notch forward. Next page |