Minnesota’s Comprehensive Goalie Guide: The Mariucci Conference
My goalie centric journey across the state continues today with the Mariucci Conference, a division that hosts one of the best Class A teams the state has to offer. There are wide open spots for the taking, locked down positions…
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Continue ReadingMy goalie centric journey across the state continues today with the Mariucci Conference, a division that hosts one of the best Class A teams the state has to offer. There are wide open spots for the taking, locked down positions that are held by talented returners, and even some fringe starters who will need to fight for their position any given week. Let’s take a look.
Warroad: Open Contest
Believe it or not, the 29-1-1 Warriors have no concrete answer at goalie entering their 2023-2024 season. They were spoiled with senior Hampton Slukynsky, who started 30 games for the Warriors. During this time, he had nine shutouts, a 28-1-1 record, and a save percentage of .941, good for fourth best in the state. However, having a player this good is a double edged sword, as Warroad now has no goaltender with significant varsity experience. Rising senior Ben Norris Ben Norris 5'11" | Forward Benilde-St. Margaret's | 2024 State MN played one game against Crookston, but he only had to deal with six shots in 51 minutes. While he did save all six, this hardly counts as a full game’s worth of experience. With Slukynsky gone, it will be up to either Norris or one of his position mates to step up and take over the net.
East Grand Forks: Chase Mero
An overall winning goalie with some flashes of greatness, Chase Mero will more likely than not be the starter going into the 2023-2024 season for East Grand Forks. As a junior this past season, Mero had a 15-10 record with four shutouts and a .888 save percentage. These solid numbers and ability to lead his team to victory should land him the spot next year, although fellow rising senior Lucas Wavra will be waiting in the crosshairs for his own opportunity. For now, I got Mero as the guy, but as the season progresses, it could become anyone’s position for the taking.
Roseau: Atreyu Jones
This one could very well be a tight matchup between two competitive goalies, but my pick as to who emerges as the starter is Atreyu Jones. His 11-5-1 record paired with a higher save percentage and less goals allowed per game simply overshadow fellow competitor Connor Woidtke’s stats, though not by much. Furthermore, Jones has more experience taking on tougher teams, as many of his “rest days” were against weaker opponents, games where Woidtke would step in. Naturally, this inflated the latter’s numbers a wee bit, and I would need to see these two against equally skilled opponents in order to give this evaluation a fairer shake. That being said, Jones has been the guy for Roseau, and unless he falters this coming season, it is his job to lose.
Moorhead: Kai Weigel Kai Weigel 5'9" | Goalie Moorhead | 2024 State MN
One of the few clear cut, workhorse goalies on this list, Kai Weigel Kai Weigel 5'9" | Goalie Moorhead | 2024 State MN anchored Moorhead’s net all of last season, putting up some impressive numbers along the way. In a full 30 game season, Weigel played a whopping 1,500 minutes in net, had a .930 save percentage, five shutouts, and posted a 19-11 record. The teams he were playing were far from slouches, either. Against defending 2A State Champion Minnetonka, Weigel saved 43 shots, allowed only two goals, and posted an astounding .956 save percentage in the contest. Although his team ended up falling to the Skippers, his stellar performance in net kept them in the fight until the final horn sounded. Weigel has one more year with Moorhead, and they would be hard pressed to find anyone that matches him in skill or experience. Expect another big year out of this guy.
Bemidji: Metcalf v. Schaefer
When the competition is too close to call, I simply throw a versus in the title and explain why I feel that way. At the beginning of this coming season, I expect both Tate Metcalf ad Alex Schaefer to get equal time in the net until one can prove themselves over the other. Their stats were borderline identical, as both athletes posted save percentages in the high .800’s to go with a handful of shutouts each and middling win loss records. While neither goalie could edge out the other last season, they both have plenty of room to improve. Metcalf was only a sophomore last year in the net, and Schaefer a junior. They will both have another go at it this winter, and time will tell who comes out on top.
Thief River Falls: Connor Roff
The lone goalie who got minutes for Thief River Falls last year, Connor Roff will have another year in the net to improve upon his already solid skillset and hopefully lead his team to more victories in 2023-2024. In 27 games last year, Roff’s record was a dismal 10-16-1, but his .896 save percentage and four shutouts were great numbers considering he faced north of 30 shots per game. After a solid junior campaign, Roff will enter his senior year with a Thief River Falls squad that is returning nine of their top 10 scorers from 2022-2023, including a handful of high scoring defensemen. As this squad grows and gains experience together, they are only bound to get better.
Crookston: Open Contest
After a 5-19-1 season for Crookston, they needed to bring back as many key pieces as possible to build off of. Unfortunately for them, they lost one of the backbones of their program in now graduated Jaren Bailey. The guy has been the Pirates’ starting goaltender since his freshman year, and racked up over 1,600 saves throughout his four year varsity tenure in net. Bailey will certainly be missed by this Crookston squad, but onward and upward is the only way to go. They’ll need to find another guy who can anchor the pipes, one that can hopefully emulate Bailey’s leadership and grit. The search is on for the Pirates, who will look to turn this ship around and win some more games in 2023-2024.