White Bear Lake and Cretin-Derham Hall enter this week undefeated in Suburban East Conference play. The only blemish on their league records comes from a 1-1 tie in their first meeting on Dec. 9, which could make Saturday’s game crucial in deciding the league title.
After losses to No. 4-2A Edina and Rochester Century ended White Bear Lakes' unbeaten streak, the Bears (11-2-2, 8-0-1) returned to dominance last week with victories against Stillwater (3-0 on Jan. 9), Park of Cottage Grove (9-1 on Jan. 11) and Woodbury (13-0 on Jan. 13). Chase Hamstad (12-19-31) tallied 12 points in the three games and leads No. 7-2A White Bear Lake in both goals and assists.
The No. 6-2A Raiders (12-2-1, 7-0-1) are riding an eight-game winning streak since falling to the Hornets 5-2 on Dec. 19. Sophomore Matthew Gleason (16-11-27) has notched a goal or assist in every game during the run.
Gleason and Hamstad were held in check during the first meeting, and both will need to emerge or contribute in different ways to give their teams an edge in the rematch.