St. Cloud Cathedral

vs. Monticello

7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15

St. Cloud Cathedral and Monticello each took Class 1A juggernaut Hermantown to overtime in the state tournament a season ago, and both are poised to take the top seeds in their respective sections this season.

However, a victory over a quality tournament contender could stoke confidence for either team entering the postseason.

St. Cloud Cathedral may be in need of a boost. The No. 6-1A Crusaders (17-6, 2-0) were riding high after defeating No. 19-1A Luverne (5-4 on Jan. 26), No. 18-1A Breck (5-3 on Feb. 1) and No. 3-1A Orono (5-3 on Feb. 8) during a six-game winning streak, a run that was snapped with a 4-2 home loss to No. 2-1A Mahtomedi last Saturday. 

Nate Warner (21-26-47) leads St. Cloud Cathedral this season, and he tallied a goal and an assist in last year’s 4-2 regular-season victory over the Moose.

After a four-game slump, No. 11-1A Monticello (16-5-2, 9-2-0) picked up 4-1 victories over Princeton and Chisago Lakes last week. Goaltender Tyler Klatt stopped 41 of 43 shots in the Moose's last two games, and he’ll look to maintain a deft presence in net against the Crusaders.