Holy Family Catholic at St. Thomas Academy
4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12

St. Thomas Academy hosts Holy Family Catholic in another interesting nonconference showdown between two of the metro’s top private schools, the kind of matchup these teams thrive upon.

The No. 17-2A Fire, who play in the Wright County Conference, truly need these kinds of contests because the opportunities to be challenged during the league schedule are not many.

Holy Family Catholic is off to a solid 4-2 start with losses to No. 5-2A Edina and No. 2-1A Breck in tightly contested bouts. Despite those defeats, the Fire have picked up quality wins along the way, shutting out both Maple Grove and Lakeville South and topping No. 14-2A Minnetonka (2-1) and No. 17-1A New Prague (8-1) this past weekend.

Holy Family Catholic senior forward Will Garin, a Connecticut recruit, has been tremendous early this season, tallying eight goals and 12 points in five games. Twice this season, Garin has notched a hat trick.

The No. 12-2A Cadets (2-1-1) are coming off a 5-2 home loss to Minnetonka. Talented senior forward Billy Jerry leads St. Thomas Academy in scoring, producing three goals in four games. Jerry put up 21 goals and 43 points as a junior and is the top returning goal scorer from last year's state tournament-qualifying team.