Lakeville North at Hill-Murray
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 23

Tuesday night’s battle between Lakeville North and HIll-Murray should be just as exciting as our Top Game — although it may be much lower scoring.

No. 1-2A Lakeville North (7-0-0) has been recognized as an offensive juggernaut since its run to the state Class 2A championship game last year. And with good reason, as the Poehling brothers’ top line — Nick Poehling (9-6-15), Jack Poehling (7-6-13) and Ryan Poehling (2-7-9) — plays with flair and offensive zone understanding. The Panthers are allowing 1.57 goals per game, including just one in a 3-1 victory over No. 2-2A Edina on Dec. 4 (a far cry from the eight goal the Hornets scored in last year’s state Class 2A championship game). That kind of defensive effort is reason why the Lakeville North is still unbeaten and a true title threat.

No. 5-2A Hill-Murray (6-1-0) has also been known for a tight defensive unit under coach Bill Lechner. This year, the Pioneers have allowed more than three goals just once (a 4-3 loss at Blaine Dec. 16) and are coming off a shutout of Maple Grove.

Senior defenseman Jacob Olson (4-6-10) recently switched his college commitment from Michigan Tech to Harvard, and he’s considered by many to be on the short list of Mr. Hockey candidates. He’s also one of four defensemen in this game to be en route to a Division I college. The others: Hill-Murray's Mikey Anderson (Minnesota-Duluth) and Lakeville North’s Jack McNeely (Nebraska-Omaha) and Jack Sadek (Minnesota).