Delano at Orono
7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16

While Breck is considered the favorite in Class 1A, Section 2 again this winter, No. 12 Delano (11-3-0) and No. 14 Orono (7-6-1) should not be written off. Last year, the Spartans upset Breck in overtime in the section final to earn a state tournament berth.

While Orono has been grinding through the winter with a record just over .500, the Spartans are limiting teams to just 1.93 goals per game. That’s not a surprise, as senior goaltender Jon Flakne (6-6-1, 2.06, .927) was expected to be the team’s anchor after being a key contributor to last year’s upset victory in the section tournament. His play has been especially important as the Spartans have struggled to score goals, averaging just 2.21 goals per game. Will Dittrich (5-5-10) is the top goal scorer and Will LeNeave (3-8-11) leads in points.

This is the first of two meetings between the teams, which will also meet on Feb. 10 at Delano. The Tigers have won three straight, including an impressive 5-3 victory at Holy Family Catholic on Jan. 6 and a 5-3 win at Rochester Lourdes on Jan. 10. Super sophomore Ben Meyers (8-17-25) continues to lead the Tigers in scoring, proving to be a big-time player.