Section 4A Top Players

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In the last two seasons, the Class A State Champion has came from Section 4A. Mahtomedi defeated Hermantown in overtime in 2020 to claim their first title and another first time winner in Gentry Academy won it all last season. With Gentry Academy moving up to Class AA, the Zephyrs will once again be the favorites to win the section. However, there are some surprise teams in Chisago Lakes and Simley who are having nice seasons. In the end, Mahtomedi has one of the toughest Class A schedules in the state and pending a major upset, the Zephyrs should prevail. Coming up, I will feature the Top 5 Players in this section and provide our predictions at the end.

There is no question that Ben Dardis Ben Dardis 5'10" | Goalie Mahtomedi | 2022 State MN is the top goaltender in the Class of 2022 and possibly in all of Minnesota high school hockey. The sure to be Frank Brimsek finalist carries a GAA of 2.31 and SV% of .936 with one game remaining in the regular season. When it comes to Mahtomedi’s chances to win another title, they will rely heavily on Dardis’ performance between the pipes throughout the playoffs. In three of their games, Ben stopped at least 50 shots in 3 games, so I would assume he is ready to go.

David Wolsfeld David Wolsfeld 5'9" | Forward Mahtomedi | 2023 State MN has emerged as a leader on this Mahtomedi team. He leads the team in points as an 11th grader with 39 in 24 games and has shown up to play in many of the marquee matchups. As of February 18, Wolsfeld is on a 16 game point streak dating back to late December. Admittingly, David is probably a little low in our player rankings and expect him to move up once we release our update version.

Just like his brother, Grant Dardis Grant Dardis 5'8" | Defense Mahtomedi | 2022 State MN is another defensive weapon on Mahtomedi. With 19 points on the season, Dardis isn’t a player that is going to light up the scoresheet all the time. His shutdown defensive style of play is very valuable for this team. Also, if you do happen to get past Grant, there is another Dardis waiting for you in the crease. The Zephyrs rely on good defense and will need to continue to play strong, shutdown defense throughout the playoffs.

Chisago Lakes will finish the regular season with at least 19 victories and is a team you do not want to overlook. Ryan Schmidt Ryan Schmidt 5'8" | Forward Chisago Lakes | 2022 State MN is having a breakout senior season and leads the team in points with a stat line of 32 goals and 34 assists. Schmidt has a point in every game this season and is a player to watch out for. Sure, his team’s schedule may not compare to Mahtomedi’s, but they truly do have some quality wins mixed in there. The Wildcats are definitely not a team you want to overlook going into the section playoffs.

Just like Chisago Lakes, Simley is a team that has been a surprise this season with a record of 17-8-1. Senior Casey Seidl Casey Seidl 5'9" | Forward Simley | 2022 State MN is having a nice season as the leader point getter on this team. He has 24 goals and 18 assists for a total of 42 points. When Simley and Mahtomedi met in the regular season, the Zephyrs won in a tight battle, 2-1. The problem for Simley this season is that they’ve been pretty inconsistent. They have played many quality games, but also lost some games that were a bit questionable. Overall, with that close score vs Mahtomedi, it will defiantly make things interesting in the section playoffs.

Section Predictions:

Carter: Mahtomedi

Blake: Mahtomedi

Like we mentioned in the opening paragraph, Mahtomedi is the clear favorite in this section and we both pick them to prevail.

Section 4A Top Players

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