High school boys ice hockey in Minnesota: Difference between revisions

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The Minnesota high school boys hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state. 156 high schools (approximately 256 schools and over 6,500 participants in total due to cooperative team arrangements) field sanctioned varsity teams competing in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). These teams are divided into two classes, AA and A. Each class is also divided into eight sections.

History

High school hockey players throughout Minnesota participate in a maximum of 25 contests, excluding the section tournaments and the Minnesota State Boys' High School Hockey Tournament. Teams currently play three 17-minute periods to comprise a game. A lengthened period time was recently adopted by the Minnesota State High School League.

Boys hockey concludes their season with a four day tournament in March that features sixteen teams competing for championships in both classes. From 1945 through 1991 the tournament consisted of a single class, eight team tournament instead of the present day two class (AA and A) tournament. Private schools were not allowed to play in the Tournament until the 1974-75 season. In 1992-93, the tournament was composed of Tier I and II teams. This two-year experiment sent the top teams from each of the eight sections to the Tier I portion of the tournament and the remaining teams conducted a playoff to determine who would be included in the Tier II tournament. In 1994, the dual class system was adopted and teams were placed into a class structure based on school enrollments. Attendance has been strong throughout the years with 22 tournaments eclipsing the 100,000+ barrier and in 2004 a record setting total of 120,114 (both classes). In the 2006 State Tournament, the average attendance per game in the championship brackets was 18,000 people.

Neal Broten, Herb Brooks, Phil Housley, Tom Preissing, Doug Zmolek, John Mayasich, Craig Norwich, Mike Antonovich, Henry Boucha, Steve Janaszak, John Pohl, Dave Spehar, Jeff Vivant, Mark Parrish, TJ Oshie, Blake Wheeler, TJ Dahl and Ben Hanowski are among the many notable players that participated in Minnesota high school hockey.

Since 1994, the MSHSL's process to determine section assignments for boys' hockey is based on school enrollments and activity classifications. The basic premise is to place the largest 64 schools into Class AA and the remaining high schools in Class A. Both Classes are then divided into 8 Sections each. Teams are placed into their section assignments with geographic location as a primary consideration. High schools initially placed in Class A have the option to play at the Class AA level.

Beginning with the 2007 state tournament, the top four teams in each class will be seeded. Coaches of the participating schools will vote to determine the seeded teams the Sunday before the state tournament. The four teams are then bracketed so that if the seeded teams advance, the top seed will play the fourth seed while the second and third seeds will play each other. The quarterfinal opponents of the seeded teams will be determined by a blind draw.

Historical timeline

1930s -- High school hockey played at approximately 25 schools in Minnesota.
1945 -- First MSHSL Boys State High School Hockey Tournament (the first of its kind in the United States) held at St. Paul Auditorium.
1969 -- The tournament moves to Met Center in Bloomington.
1976 -- The tournament moves to the St. Paul Civic Center.
1992 -- Tier I and Tier II structure adopted.
1994 -- Class AA and A structure adopted.
1999 -- The tournament moved to the Target Center in Minneapolis.
2001 -- The tournament moved to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, home of the Minnesota Wild NHL team.
2003 -- Period length changed from 15 to 17 minutes.
2007 -- Coaches seed top four teams in each class.^[1]
2008 -- March 7, 19,559 fans attended the 2008 State Boys’ Hockey Tournament Class AA semifinals at Xcel Energy Center, setting a new record for the largest crowd to ever attend a hockey game in the state of Minnesota. ^[2]

Teams

School	Team	Colors	Championships
Academy Of Holy Angels	Stars	Royal Blue & Vegas Gold	2002 (AA), 2005 (AA)
Albert Lea	Tigers	Cherry & Blue
Alexandria	Cardinals	Red & Black
Andover	Huskies	Black & Gold
Anoka	Tornadoes	Maroon & White	2003 (AA)
Apple Valley	Eagles	Brown, Gold & White	1996 (AA)
Austin	Packers	Scarlet & White
Bagley/Fosston	Flyers	Maroon & Gold
Becker/Big Lake	Eagles	Blue & White
Bemidji	Lumberjacks	Navy Blue & White
Benilde-St. Margaret's	Red Knights	Red & White	1999 (A), 2001 (A)
Blaine	Bengals	Navy Blue & Columbia Blue	2000 (AA)
Blake	Bears	Royal Blue, Kelly Green & White
Bloomington Jefferson	Jaguars	Columbia Blue & Silver	1981, 1989, 1992 (I), 1993 (I), 1994 (AA)
Bloomington Kennedy	Eagles	Navy Blue & Gold	1987
Brainerd	Warriors	Blue & White
Breck	Mustangs	Navy Blue & Gold	2000 (A), 2004 (A)
Buffalo	Bison	Purple & White
Burnsville	Blaze	Black & Gold	1985, 1986
Cambridge-Isanti	Bluejackets	Royal Blue & White
Centennial	Cougars	Scarlet & White	2004 (AA)
Champlin Park	Rebels	Navy Blue, Silver & White
Chaska	Hawks	Purple & Gold
Chisago Lakes	Wildcats	Forest Green, Gold & Black
Cloquet/Esko/Carlton	Lumberjacks	Purple & White
Coon Rapids	Cardinals	Red & White
Cretin-Derham Hall	Raiders	Purple & Gold	2006 (AA)
Crookston	Pirates	Navy Blue & Gold
Delano/Rockford	Tigers	Orange & Black
Detroit Lakes	Lakers	Red & White
Dodge County	Wildcats	Royal Blue & Black
Duluth Central	Trojans	Red & White
Duluth Denfeld	Hunters	Maroon & Gold
Duluth East	Greyhounds	Red & Grey	1960, 1995 (AA), 1998 (AA)
Duluth Marshall	Hilltoppers	Black & Gold
Eagan	Wildcats	Royal Blue, Kelly Green, Silver & White
East Grand Forks	Green Wave	Green, Red & White
Eastview	Lightning	Black, Blue, Silver & White
Eden Prairie	Eagles	Red & Black
Edina	Hornets	Green & White	1969, 1971, 1974^[1], 1978^[1], 1979^[1], 1982, 1984, 1988, 1997 (AA)
Elk River/Zimmerman	Elks	Red, Black & White	2001 (AA)
Ely/Babbitt-Embarras/Tower-Soudan	Timberwolves	Red & White
Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East	Golden Bears	Gold & Black	1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1993 (II), 1998 (A)
Fairmont	Cardinals	Cardinal & White
Faribault	Falcons	Green & White
Farmington	Tigers	Orange & Black
Fergus Falls	Otters	Maroon & Gold
Forest Lake	Rangers	Maroon & Gold
Grand Rapids	Thunderhawks	Orange & Black	1975, 1976, 1980
Greenway	Raiders	Kelly Green & White	1967, 1968, 1992 (II)
Hastings	Radiers	Royal Blue & Gold
Henry Sibley	Warriors	Red & Gold
Hermantown	Hawks	Navy Blue & Old Gold	2007 (A)
Hibbing/Chisholm	Bluejackets	Navy Blue & White	1952, 1973
Hill-Murray	Pioneers	Green, Black & White	1983, 1991, 2008 (AA)
Holy Family Catholic	Fire	Forest Green & White
Hopkins	Royals	Royal Blue & Silver
Hutchinson	Tigers	Black & Yellow
International Falls	Broncos	Purple & Gold	1957, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1995 (A)
Irondale	Knights	Maroon & Gold
Kittson Central	Wolfpack	Orange, Gold, Black & White
La Crescent	Lancers	Green & White
Lake Of The Woods	Bears	Maroon & Gold
Lakeville North	Panthers	Red & White
Lakeville South	Cougars	Cardinal & Gold
Le Sueur-Henderson/St. Peter	Bulldogs	Blue, Silver & White
Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato	Dragons	Green, Black & White
Little Falls	Flyers	Purple & White
Luverne	Cardinals	Red & White
Mahtomedi	Zephyrs	Navy & Gold
Mankato East	Cougars	Black & Gold
Mankato West	Scarlets	Red & White
Maple Grove	Crimson	Crimson & Gold
Marshall	Tigers	Orange & Black
Meadow Creek Christian	Saints	Blue & White
Minneapolis East	Samurais	Red & White
Minneapolis West	Mustangs	Green & White	1970^[2]
Minnehaha Academy	Redhawks	Red & White
Minnetonka	Skippers	Royal Blue & White
Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake	Stars	Red, Black & Gold
Moorhead	Spuds	Orange & Black
Moose Lake Area	Rebels	Red, Blue & Gray
Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson	Mustangs	Royal Blue & White
Morris/Benson Area	Storm	Black, Blue & Silver
Mound-Westonka	White Hawks	Red & White
Mounds View	Mustangs	Green & White
New Prague	Trojans	Cardinal & Black
New Ulm	Eagles	Purple & White
North Branch	Vikings	Red & White
North Metro	Stars	Green & Gold
North St. Paul	Polars	Red & White
Northern Lakes	Lightning	Black & Red
Northfield	Raiders	Maroon & Gold
Orono	Spartans	Navy Blue & Scarlet
Osseo	Orioles	Orange & Black
Owatonna	Huskies	Royal Blue & Silver
Park-Cottage Grove	Wolfpack	Forest Green & White
Park Rapids	Panthers	Orange & Black
Pine City/Rush City	Dragons	Kelly Green & White
Prairie Centre Area	North Stars	Black, Maroon & Gold
Princeton	Tigers	Black, Orange & White
Prior Lake	Lakers	Navy Blue & Gold
Proctor	Rails	Dark Green & White
Providence Academy	Lions	Navy Blue & Old Gold
Red Lake Falls	Eagles	Purple & Gold
Red Wing	Wingers	Purple & White	1997 (A)
Redwood Valley	Cardinals	Red & White
Richfield	Spartans	Cardinal & White
River Lakes	Stars	Red, Black & White
Robbinsdale Armstrong	Falcons	Red, Blue & White
Robbinsdale Cooper	Hawks	Orange & Blue
Rochester Century	Panthers	Navy Blue & Silver
Rochester John Marshall	Rockets	Red & Black	1977
Rochester Lourdes	Eagles	Purple & Gold
Rochester Mayo	Spartans	Green & Gold
Rogers	Royals	Royal Blue, Black & White
Roseau	Rams	Green & White	1946, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1990, 1999 (AA), 2007 (AA)
Rosemount	Irish	Navy Blue & Gold
Roseville	Raiders	Black & Silver
Sartell-St. Stephen	Sabres	Royal Blue & White
Sauk Rapids-Rice	Storm	Green & Gold
Shakopee	Sabers	Red, Black & White
Silver Bay	Mariners	Blue & White
Simley	Spartans	Columbia Blue, Scarlet & White
Sleepy Eye	Indians	Orange & Black
South St. Paul	Packers	Maroon & White
Spring Lake Park	Panthers	Royal Blue, Scarlet & White
St. Bernard's/St. Agnes	Bulldogs	Royal Blue & Gold
St. Cloud Apollo	Eagles	Red, Blue & White
St. Cloud Cathedral	Crusaders	Royal Blue & Gold
St. Cloud Tech	Tigers	Orange & Black
St. Francis	Fighting Saints	Navy Blue & White
St. Louis Park	Orioles	Orange, Black & White
St. Michael-Albertville	Knights	Blue & Gold
St. Paul Academy	Spartans	Vegas Gold & Navy Blue
St. Paul Como Park	Cougars	Black & Gold
St. Paul Johnson	Governors	Maroon & White	1947, 1953, 1955, 1963
St. Thomas Academy	Cadets	Royal Blue & White	2006 (A), 2008 (A)
Stillwater	Ponies	Red & Black
Tartan	Titans	Air Force Blue & Silver
Thief River Falls	Prowlers	Royal Blue & Gold	1954, 1956
Totino-Grace	Eagles	Blue & Gold	2002 (A)
Two Harbors	Agates	Maroon & White
Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl	Blue Devils	Royal Blue & White
Waconia	Wildcats	Purple & Gold
Wadena-Deer Creek	Wolverines	Royal Blue & Gold
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley	Wolves	Royal Blue & Silver
Warroad	Warriors	Black & Gold	1994 (A), 1996 (A), 2003 (A), 2005 (A)
Waseca	Bluejays	Blue & Gold
Wayzata	Trojans	Royal Blue & Gold
White Bear Lake	Bears	Orange, Black & White
Willmar	Cardinals	Cardinal & White
Windom Area	Eagles	Blue & Gold
Winona	Winhawks	Black & Orange
Woodbury	Royals	Royal Blue & White
Worthington	Trojans	Black & Red

^ From 1972 to 1981, the Edina School District operated two high schools (see Edina High School History), Edina East and Edina West, each with their own respective sports teams. The State Hockey Championship was won by Edina East in 1974, 1978 and 1979.
^ The 1970 championship was won by Minneapolis Southwest who is now part of the Minneapolis West co-op along with North, Henry and Washburn.

References

Welcome to the Minnesota State High School League.
Minnesota State High School League 2004-2005 Annual Report.
John Rosengren's book Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win (2003, Sourcebooks, Inc., ISBN 1-4022-0046-3) follows the 2000-2001 Bloomington-Jefferson Jaguars' season.
Dohrmann, George (2004-03-22), "High School Heaven", Sports Illustrated

External links

[1] Coaches seed top four teams in each class

[2] [.http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/activitypage.asp?actnum=410]

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 Boys hockey concludes their season with a four day tournament in March that features sixteen teams competing for championships in both classes. From 1945 through 1991 the tournament consisted of a single class, eight team tournament instead of the present day two class (AA and A) tournament. Private schools were not allowed to play in the Tournament until the 1974-75 season. In 1992-93, the tournament was composed of Tier I and II teams. This two-year experiment sent the top teams from each of the eight sections to the Tier I portion of the tournament and the remaining teams conducted a playoff to determine who would be included in the Tier II tournament. In 1994, the dual class system was adopted and teams were placed into a class structure based on school enrollments. Attendance has been strong throughout the years with 22 tournaments eclipsing the 100,000+ barrier and in 2004 a record setting total of 120,114 (both classes). In the 2006 State Tournament, the average attendance per game in the championship brackets was 18,000 people.
-[[Neal Broten]], [[Herb Brooks]], [[Phil Housley]], [[Tom Preissing]], [[Doug Zmolek]], [[John Mayasich]], [[Craig Norwich]], [[Mike Antonovich]], [[Henry Boucha]], [[Steve Janaszak]], [[John Pohl]], Dave Spehar, Jeff Vivant, [[Mark Parrish]], [[TJ Dahl]] and [[Ben Hanowski]] are among the many notable players that participated in Minnesota high school hockey.
+[[Neal Broten]], [[Herb Brooks]], [[Phil Housley]], [[Tom Preissing]], [[Doug Zmolek]], [[John Mayasich]], [[Craig Norwich]], [[Mike Antonovich]], [[Henry Boucha]], [[Steve Janaszak]], [[John Pohl]], Dave Spehar, Jeff Vivant, [[Mark Parrish]], [[TJ Oshie]], [[Blake Wheeler]], [[TJ Dahl]] and [[Ben Hanowski]] are among the many notable players that participated in Minnesota high school hockey.
 Since 1994, the MSHSL's process to determine section assignments for boys' hockey is based on school enrollments and activity classifications. The basic premise is to place the largest 64 schools into Class AA and the remaining high schools in Class A. Both Classes are then divided into 8 Sections each. Teams are placed into their section assignments with geographic location as a primary consideration. High schools initially placed in Class A have the option to play at the Class AA level.