Prep Hockey’s End of Season Report Card (Part 3)
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Northfield (23-6-2): B+ A team that never seemed to be off on the attack, Northfield had an excellent season which culminated in a state tournament berth and a close game against Orono in the Consolation final. The Raiders had great…
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Continue ReadingNorthfield (23-6-2): B+
A team that never seemed to be off on the attack, Northfield had an excellent season which culminated in a state tournament berth and a close game against Orono in the Consolation final. The Raiders had great athletes across the board, but the most notable were Kamden Kaiser Kamden Kaiser 6'0" | Forward Northfield | 2024 State MN , Cayden Monson Cayden Monson 6'0" | Forward Northfield | 2024 State MN and Jake Geiger Jake Geiger 5'9" | Forward Northfield | 2024 State MN . The trio of seniors combined for 181 points this year, and accounted for the majority of the points for Northfield. On the defensive end, freshman Ben Geiger was brilliant in his debut year on varsity, and senior Ty Frank Ty Frank 6'0" | Defense Northfield | 2024 State MN finished an excellent varsity career with 21 points. Trey Shimota and Max Frank both handled goaltending duties, accumulating an excellent combined record, six shutouts and a save percentage well over .900. The Raiders had a deep roster this year, and as a result, put together an excellent season that sent the seniors off with a state tournament berth.
Grand Rapids (18-13): B+
After a 14-11 record and a two game losing streak to end its regular season, expectations were low for Grand Rapids when it came to postseason play. Fortunately for the Thunderhawks, they did not listen to any of the noise, and breezed through the section tournament, toppling Cambridge-Isanti, Rock Ridge and Andover by a combined score of 18-4. Just like that, Grand Rapids was in the state tournament, and although state saw them finish in fourth place, this team put together a season that will go down in history for the program. Led by the Garski brothers, Nathan and Jacob, as well as Bauer Murphy Bauer Murphy 5'11" | Defense Grand Rapids | 2024 State MN , the Thunderhawks were brilliant in the postseason, even toppling a powerful White Bear Lake program 2-1. Despite Grand Rapids’ eventual elimination to Edina (who ended up state champion), the Thunderhawks had an excellent year, one that should be celebrated as such.
Elk River/Zimmerman (19-11-1): B+
Between an ironman goalie, a slew of options on the attack and a knack for finishing out games, (as evidenced by a 3-1-1 record in overtime), Elk River/Zimmerman was a fun team to watch this season. After starting the season out with a dismal 3-5 record, the Elks were not looking promising, but then they made up some ground, picking up a pair of wins versus St. Michael and Brainerd to push their record back up to .500. From there, it was an up-and-down year until the calender moved to Febuary. For whatever reason, the Elks thrived during this month, and ended up riding an eight game win streak up until the state tournament, where they would eventually fall to Edina. Seniors Kole Mears, Braden Hansberger and Cooper Anderson ended their careers in style, finishing first, second and third on the team in scoring, respectively. The Elks earned a state tournament berth thanks to seniors like these, and all things considered, this was a team to remember.
White Bear Lake (20-9-1): B+
The Bears might not have made it to the final day of the state tournament like other teams on this list, but this team still had an excellent year that was bolstered by a pair of stars on opposite ends of the ice. Forward Nolan Roed Nolan Roed 5'11" | Forward White Bear Lake | 2024 State MN and goalie Leo Gabriel each anchored opposite sides of the blue line, racking up some impressive stats in the process. Roed, a St. Cloud commit, rounded out his prep career with excellent scoring numbers. The senior finished with 58 points on 33 goals and 25 assists, impressive stats through only 30 games played. While Roed led the charge on the attack, it was Gabriel who kept things under wraps in the net. He finished with an 18-9-1 record, .922 save percentage and eight shutouts on the season, and better yet, he still has another year at the prep level. Between these two stars and a impressive supporting cast like Will Distad, Jack Stanius and Tanner Olsen, the Bears were outstanding, earning a solid grade to end their 2023-2024 season.