Breck at St. Cloud Cathedral
7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15

Two of the premier private schools powers in Class 1A meet in what could be a state tournament game preview, as No. 5 Breck (9-6-0) visits No. 9 St. Cloud Cathedral (10-5-0). The teams have similar records but are on different paths.

Since beginning the season with three straight losses, Cathedral is 10-2-0 in its last dozen games with losses to No. 1-1A Hermantown and No. 7-1A Alexandria. The Crusaders were good defensively in that stretch, allowing one or fewer goals eight times. That run has been on the shoulders of goaltender Zach Fritz (8-5-0, 2.91, .896) and a strong defense. Logan Neu (15-13-28) has also come up big offensively, with goals in five straight games, including a three-goal, three-assist outburst against Sauk Rapids-Rice on Dec. 30.

Meanwhile, Breck has split its last six games, going 3-3-0 with low-scoring losses to Centennial (1-0), St. Paul Academy (3-1) and Moorhead (3-2 in overtime). The Mustangs have been short-circuited on offense at times, scoring two or fewer goals in seven of their 15 games, but have allowed just 1.67 goals per game defensively. Tyler Scott (11-8-19) and Chase Ellingson (10-9-19) lead Breck in scoring.