It’s been a while since the state tournament ended and most of the excitement has died down. But I wanted to take a moment to look back at the state tournament one last time. Each year, the tournaments wrap up…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inIt’s been a while since the state tournament ended and most of the excitement has died down. But I wanted to take a moment to look back at the state tournament one last time.
Each year, the tournaments wrap up with the unveiling the All-Tournament teams. These teams spotlight the stars of the Class 1A and 2A tournaments. I decided to take a crack at putting together an All-Tournament team. Each class has what I determined as the five best skaters and the best goaltender. Here’s what I cam up with.
Class 2A
Charlie Strobel, Hill-Murray: Strobel became the star of this year’s tournament as he tallied 4 goals and 2 assists while leading the Pioneers to the Class 2A title. That performance put him on the map for many hockey fans and maybe set him up for future success as he recently committed to play for the Minnesota Gophers.
Ben Steeves, Eden Prairie: It was a memorable first state tournament trip for the future Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog. Despite falling short in the final, Steeves had a tournament to remember has he poured in four goals in two assists. Be sure to remember his Bobby Orr-style goal in the quarterfinals against Lakeville South.
Will Svendaal, Blake: The Bears’ ended abruptly as they lost in the semifinals, but Svendaal was a big factor in the Blake run. While scoring one goal, the Bear defenseman dished out six assists in two championship-round games.
Luke Kron, Andover: It surely wasn’t the state tournament debut that the Huskies were hoping for. Despite that, the senior forward finished off on a high note. In three state tournament games, Kron finished with a pair of goals to go along with a pair of assists.
Luke Gramer, Moorhead: As the one northern school in the field, things weren’t great for the Spuds. However, Gramer gave a few rays of positivity as the senior defenseman tallied a goal in the quarterfinals against Moorhead.
Tommy Aitken, St. Thomas Academy: Aitken helped the Cadets steal the show in the quarterfinals. He was a key backstop in the win over Andover and finished the championship round with 62 saves.
Class 1A
Colin Hagstrom, Mahtomedi: The Zephrys had been snakebitten in recent years. However, that is no longer the case as he scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give Mahtomedi the Class 1A title.
Blake Biondi, Hermantown: After the disappointment of coming up short last year, Biondi did everything he could in his final push in St. Paul. He tallied 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists).
Grant Slukynsky, Warroad: Slukynsky grabbed the attention of many as he tallied a hat trick in the first period of the quarterfinals for Warroad. He finished off the tournament with four goals and assists.
Nate Warner, St. Cloud Cathedral: Though the Crusaders did not complete their run of winning a second consecutive 1A title, Warner still came through for his team. In two championship round games, Warner tallied three goals and two assists.
Jeffrey Henrikson, Monticello: Henrikson and his Moose teammates made their triumphant return to the state tournament. While playing in the 1A tournament, Henrikson put his skills on display for all to see as he scored a goal and dished out four assists while playing in St. Paul
Ben Dardis, Mahtomedi: Dardis backstopped the Zephyrs’ run to the state championship. He stopped 87 of 92 shots in three games.