Maple Grove vs. Centennial
7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 5

Two of Class 2A's top-15-ranked teams, as well as Section 5 favorites, meet in this Northwest Suburban Conference North Division showdown.

Maple Grove won two of three games at last weekend’s Sports Authority Holiday Classic, closing December on a strong note. Now the No. 13-2A Crimson (8-3, 1-1) will turn their focus to the first meeting with Centennial, an important matchup as both squads chase Elk River at the top of the division standings.

Sam Huff has been nothing short of outstanding for Maple Grove this season. The senior forward has 11 goals and 13 assists and leads an offense averaging 4.0 goals per game.

Centennial won two of three at the Schwan Cup Gold Division tournament a week ago, picking up wins over No. 12-2A Minnetonka and No. 4-2A Eden Prairie. The No. 8-2A Cougars (7-2, 1-1) are averaging two goals more than they’re allowing (4.33 to 1.33), and five different skaters have at least four goals.

Junior Carter Wagner leads the team with eight goals while Lucas McGregor (6-8-14) has a team high in points.