The placement of three-time defending Class 1A state champion St. Thomas Academy was the hot topic when the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) released its 2013-14 section alignments Saturday, March 9. But the Cadets weren't the only team on the move.
Four-time Class 1A runner-up Hermantown also has a new playoff home, albeit one with which the Hawks are plenty familiar. Hermantown joins much of the Iron Range Conference and several of its Lake Superior Conference rivals in Section 7A, including Duluth Marshall and Duluth Denfeld.
Hermantown's shift north was just part of the big break up in Section 5A, which saw three of its top seeds from this past year move into new sections. St. Cloud Cathedral, which qualified for state in 2008 and 2009 out of 5A, is a new member of Section 6A along with Sauk Rapids-Rice, giving a distinct central Minnesota feel to that region. Rogers, also a strong Section 5A program the past few years, opted up to Section 5AA.
"For Central Minnesota, this will be good," said Cathedral coach Eric Johnson, who said the student body already heavily supports home games against neighbors Sartell-St. Stephen, St. Cloud Apollo and Little Falls, all of whom are now in Section 6A with the Crusaders.
"This should help hockey grow," Johnson continued. "It's a big deal in this area and will add a bit more to the rivalries."
Meanwhile, St. Thomas Academy earned a spot in Section 3AA along, where the Cadets will do battle with longtime rival Cretin-Derham Hall.
"You know whenever you wish to be in a section that you think you could do well in, it never works out," St. Thomas Academy co-coach Greg Vannelli said after learning his team was moving into Section 3AA. "You just take it the way it goes. Look at this year, Eagan lost and they were favored. You’ve got to be careful what you wish for. Just get the job done wherever you are."
Minnehaha Academy and New Ulm were both listed as moving up to Class 2A in the original MSHSL realignments, but text message exchanges with Redhawks' coach Pat Griswold and Eagles' coach Erik Setterholm indicated both would petition to remain in Class 1A.
The full 2013-14 boys' hockey section realignment is listed below.
-- Tim Kolehmainen, Breakdown Sports USA
SECTION | TEAMS (Bolded teams are new to section) | CHANGES |
---|---|---|
1A | Albert Lea Austin Faribault La Crescent Mankato East Mankato West New Prague Northfield Red Wing Rochester Lourdes Waseca |
LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter realigned to Class 2A, Section 2. |
2A | Blake Bloomington Kennedy Breck Chaska Delano Minnehaha Academy* Mound-Westonka Orono Richfield St. Louis Park Waconia |
Bloomington Kennedy joins from Class 2A, Section 2. Providence Academy realigned to Section 5. |
3A | Fairmont Hutchinson Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato Luverne Marshall Morris/Benson Area New Ulm* Redwood Valley Willmar Windom Area Worthington |
Willmar and Morris/Benson Area join from Section 6. |
4A | Achiever Academy Henry Sibley Mahtomedi Simley South St. Paul St. Paul Academy & Summit St. Paul Como Park St. Paul Highland Park St. Paul Johnson Totino-Grace |
St. Paul Como Park and St. Paul Johnson join from Class 2A, Section 4. Chisago Lakes and Spring Lake Park realigned to Section 5. St. Thomas Academy opts up Class 2A, Section 3. |
5A | Chisago Lakes Area Legacy Christian Academy Moose Lake Area Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson North Branch Pine City/Rush City Princeton Proctor Providence Academy Spring Lake Park |
Spring Lake Park and Chisago Lakes join from Section 4. Providence Academy joins from Section 2. Hermantown realigned to Section 7. St. Cloud Cathedral and Sauk Rapids-Rice realigned to Section 6. Rogers opts up to Class 2A, Section 5. |
6A | Alexandria Breckenridge/Wahpaton Fergus Falls Little Falls Prairie Centre Area Sartell-St. Stephen Sauk Rapids-Rice St. Cloud Apollo St. Cloud Cathedral Wadena-Deer Creek |
St. Cloud Cathedral and Sauk Rapids-Rice join from Section 5. Morris/Benson Area and Willmar realigned to Section 3. |
7A | Duluth Denfeld Duluth Marshall Ely Eveleth-Gilbert Greenway Hermantown Hibbing/Chisholm International Falls North Shore Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl |
Hermantown from Section 5. |
8A | Bagley/Fosston Crookston Detroit Lakes East Grand Forks Kittson Central Lake of the Woods Park Rapids Red Lake Falls Thief River Falls Warroad |
No change. |
*According to Minnehaha coach Pat Griswold, the Red Hawks were incorrectly realigned to Class 2A but will be competing in Class 1A for the 2013-2014 season. It is unsure which section Minnehaha Academy will participate in at this time.
*According to New Ulm coach Erik Setterholm, the Eagles will petition to remain in Section 3A next year after being placed in Section 2AA by the MSHSL in the initial realignment. The Eagles received no players from Springfield and Minnesota Valley Lutheran schools last year and may drop those co-ops to remain below the enrollment threshold.
SECTION | TEAMS (Bolded teams are new to section) | CHANGES |
---|---|---|
1AA | Dodge County Farmington Lakeville North Lakeville South Owatonna Rochester Century Rochester John Marshall Rochester Mayo Winona |
No change. |
2AA | Academy of Holy Angels Bloomington Jefferson Burnsville Chanhassen Edina Le Sueur-Henderson/St-Peter Prior Lake Shakopee |
Le Sueur-Henderson/St. Peter joins from Class 1A, Section 1. Bloomington Kennedy realigned to Class 1A, Section 2. |
3AA | Apple Valley Cretin-Derham Hall Eagan East Ridge Eastview Hastings Park Rosemount St. Thomas Academy Woodbury |
St. Thomas Academy opts up from Class 1A, Section 4. |
4AA | Hill-Murray Irondale Mounds View North Roseville Stillwater Tartan White Bear Lake |
Irondale joins from Section 5. St. Paul Como Park and St. Paul Johnson realigned to Class 1A, Section 4. |
5AA | Anoka Blaine Centennial Champlin Park Coon Rapids Maple Grove Osseo Rogers |
Rogers joins from Class 1A, Section 5. Irondale realigned to Section 4. |
6AA | Benilde-St. Margaret's Eden Prairie Holy Family Catholic Hopkins Minneapolis Minnetonka Robbinsdale Armstrong Robbinsdale Cooper Wayzata |
No change. |
7AA | Andover Cambridge-Isanti Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Duluth East Elk River/Zimmerman Forest Lake Grand Rapids St. Francis St. Michael-Albertville |
No change. |
8AA | Becker/Big Lake Bemidji Brainerd Buffalo Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake Moorhead Northern Lakes River Lakes Roseau St. Cloud Tech |
No change. |