Offseason breakdown No. 7: St. Paul Academy

With most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. The next team we’re breaking down is St. Paul Academy

How last season went

The Spartans finished off the 2019-20 regular season right in the middle as they posted a 12-12-1 record. There were a few bumps like a streak of seven losses in nine contests. One win that was a highlight came against Mankato West.

Heading into the Section 4A tournament, the Spartans appeared as a heavy underdog to make a run as the No. 7 seed. St. Paul Academy opened the tournament with a win in play-in round. Then, the Spartans pulled off one of the more stunning upsets of the 2020 boys’ hockey playoffs as they bested No. 2 seed St. Paul Johnson.

In the semifinals, St. Paul Academy met another Cinderella type in South St. Paul. The Packers got to continue their hellacious run while the Spartans’ season came to a close.

Who’s back and who’s gone

It’s a mixed bag when looking at St. Paul Academy rosters. There are some big names graduating from the program, including Jake Hosszu and Duncan Fleming. They finished the year as the first and third, respectively, leading scorers. Thomas Kuriscak also graduates after manning the net most of the season while accumulating a 3.08 goals against average and .882 save percentage.

Two key skaters are poised to return in Michael Bagnoli and John Becker. The pair combined for 17 goals and 33 assists.

What to expect next season

It seems like the section tournament run should be a nice springboard for the returning Spartans. They should now have the confidence to know they can compete with the top teams in their section. However, many teams in their section are on the rise, not to mention the fact defending Class 1A champion Mahtomedi still resides in Section 4A.