Lakeville North, which went a perfect 25-0-0 in the regular season and is the top-ranked team in the state in Class 2A, was selected as the No. 1 seed in Section 1 on Sunday in a vote of the section's eight coaches.

The Panthers' closest games came early in the season, when they slipped past No. 3 seed Farmington 6-5 in the opener on Nov. 25 and outlasted No. 2-ranked Edina, the two-time defending state Class 2A champion, 3-1 on Dec. 4. Lakeville North has allowed two goals or fewer in all but two of its final 17 games. The Panthers, who have three Mr. Hockey finalists in twin brothers and forwards Jack and Nick Poehling and defenseman Jack Sadek, posted six shutouts in that span.

Lakeville South (14-10-1) was seeded No. 2. The Cougars lost to Lakeville North 4-1 and 8-2 in the regular season, but defeated No. 3 Farmington (17-7-1) by scores of 7-4 and 4-2.

Rochester Mayo (16-8-1) is the No. 4 seed.

Class 2A, Section 1 bracket

Trojans, Scarlets could be headed for rematch of last year's championship game

Despite suffering heavy losses to graduation, both No. 1 seed New Prague and No. 2 seed Mankato West managed to stay atop the Class 1A, Section 1 bracket in a vote of the section's 13 coaches on Sunday.

New Prague (17-8), the defending section champion, went unbeaten against section competition, including a 6-0 win over Mankato West (17-6-2) on Dec. 4, 3-2 win over No. 3 seed Northfield (14-9-2) on Nov. 29. Mankato West lost to New Prague in last year's section championship game.

Faribault (17-7-1) received the No. 4 seed.

Class 1A, Section 1 bracket

Pioneers, Bears get top two seeds while upset-minded Stillwater is No. 3

As has been the case often in recent years, No. 4-ranked Hill-Murray and No. 8 White Bear Lake got the No. 1 and 2 seeds in Class 2A, Section 4 on Sunday in a vote of the section's coaches.

Hill-Murray (18-7-0) beat White Bear Lake 2-1 on Jan. 31 in front of a capacity crowd at Vadnais Sports Center in Vadnais Heights. The rematch, if both teams should reach the section title game, would be held on Feb. 27 at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.

Stillwater (17-8-0), which upended both Hill-Murray and White Bear Lake by 2-1 scores en route to last year's section championship, received the No. 3 seed. 

Roseville (15-10-0) received the No. 4 seed.

Class 2A, Section 4 bracket

Bengals tote lengthy unbeaten streak into playoffs; Streaking Anoka gets No. 2 seed

Blaine, which has gone unbeaten in its last 14 games, received the top seed in Class 2A, Section 5 on Sunday in a vote of the section's eight coaches.

The Bengals (19-5-1) haven't lost since Jan. 2, a 2-1 setback to defending state Class 1A champion East Grand Forks.

No. 2 seed Anoka is coming off its best regular season in recent history. The Tornadoes (16-7-2) closed the regular season by going unbeaten in its last 10 games, including a 3-3 tie against Blaine on Jan. 24. Anoke beat Blaine 3-1 on Dec. 20 in the teams' other meeting.

Defending section champion Centennial (15-9-1) got the No. 3 seed and Maple Grove (12-13-0) is the No. 4 seed.

Class 2A, Section 5 bracket

Cretin-Derham Hall gets No. 2 seed, Eastview seeded third

St. Thomas Academy, ranked No. 3 in Class 2A the latest state coaches poll, received the No. 3 seed in Section 3 on Sunday in a vote of the section's 10 coaches. 

The Cadets (21-4-0) won 13 straight games to start the season but have lost two of their last five heading into the playoffs. St. Thomas Academy forwards Peter Tufto and Christiano Versich are among the 10 Mr. Hockey finalists.

Cretin-Derham Hall (14-6-5) received the No. 2 seed. The Raiders lost to St. Thomas Academy 5-2 on Jan. 27 in the teams' lone meeting.

Eastview (12-12-1) got the No. 3 seed and Rosemount (11-14-0) the No. 4 seed.

Class 2A, Section 3 bracket

No. 2-ranked Zephyrs could be on collision course with No. 2 seed St. Paul Academy

Mahtomedi, the state's No. 2-ranked Class 1A team that counts victories over Class 2A powerhouses St. Thomas Academy and Hill-Murray on its resume this season, received the No. 1 seed in Section 4 on Sunday in a vote of the section's coaches.

The Zephyrs (21-2-2) enter the postseason on an 11-game unbeaten streak. They defeated No. 2 seed St. Paul Academy 3-1 on Dec. 4 in the teams' only meeting. 

St. Paul Academy (21-4-0) has won six of its last seven games.

St. Paul Johnson (15-8-2) and South St. Paul (14-11-0) received the No. 3 and 4 seeds.

Class 1A, Section 4 bracket

Minnetonka is No. 2 seed in section that has three teams ranked in state's top 10

Eden Prairie, which closed the season with a 6-2-0 record that included wins over Class 2A, Section 6 foes Hopkins (twice), Benilde-St. Margaret's, Wayzata and Minnetonka, received the top seed for the upcoming playoffs on Sunday in a vote of the section's coaches.

The No. 5 state-ranked Eagles (16-9-0) are the defending section champion and state Class 2A champion in 2009 and 2011.

Minnetonka (12-11-2) got the No. 2 seed even though it is not ranked among the state's top 10. The Skippers closed the season on a 1-6-1 stretch, but did split their season series with Eden Prairie, Wayzata and Hopkins and won their long game against Benilde-St. Margaret's. Minnetonka lost its lone games against section rivals Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper and Holy Family Catholic.

Wayzata (11-11-3) got the No. 3 seed and Benilde-St. Margaret's (14-9-2) the No. 4 seed. Wayzata is ranked No. 9 and Benilde-St. Margaret's No. 10 in the state.

Holy Family Catholic (17-6-2), coming off a big 3-1 win over No. 3-ranked St. Thomas Academy in Saturday's regular season finale, got the No. 5 seed. Hopkins (12-11-2) got the No. 6 seed in what is arguably the state's deepest section.

Class 2A, Section 6 bracket

Hornets get bye into semifinals; Prior Lake is No. 2 seed, Burnsville No. 3

Edina, the two-time defending state Class 2A champion, received the top seed in Class 2A, Section 2 on Sunday in a vote of the section's seven coaches.

The Lake Conference champion Hornets (22-1-2), led by Mr. Hockey finalist Dylan Malmquist, receive a quarterfinal bye and will face the winner of No. 4 seed Bloomington Jefferson (13-10-2) and No. 5 Holy Angels (15-10-0) in the semifinals on Feb. 21.

Prior Lake (16-8-1) is the No. 2 seed and Burnsville (13-10-2) is the No. 3 seed. Prior Lake finished second and Burnsville in a tie for third in the South Suburban Conference championship.

Class 2A, Section 2 bracket

No. 4-ranked Mustangs could face No. 7 Delano, the No. 2 seed, in section final

Breck, ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 1A in the latest coaches poll, received the top seed in Class 1A, Section 4 on Sunday morning in a vote of the section's 11 coaches.

The Mustangs (18-7-0) won nine of 10 games to close the regular season and feature Stephen Headrick in goal, one of two finalists for the Frank Brimsek Award that goes to the state's top senior goaltender.

If the section playoffs go according to the seeds, Breck would face No. 2 Delano in the section title game. The Tigers (21-4-0) are ranked No. 7 in the state, have won 13 of their last 14 games and won the Wright County Conference championship.

Defending section champion Orono (15-9-1) got the No. 3 seed and Bloomington Kennedy (17-8-0) the No. 4 seed.

Class 1A, Section 2 bracket

Hawks could get rematch with No. 4 seed Hibbing in semifinals 

Hermantown, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, was seeded No. 1 in Class 1A, Section 7 on Friday morning in a vote of the section's coaches.

The Hawks (22-2-1) went undefeated against Class 1A competition in the regular season, with the two losses coming against Wayzata and Hopkins early in the season. Hermantown and another Class 2A opponent, Cloquet, skated to a 3-3 tie on Jan. 29.

Hermantown, state Class 1A runner-up each of the last five seasons, swept its two games against No. 2 seed Duluth Marshall and won its only meeting with No. 3 Duluth Denfeld. In what could be a Section 7A semifinal preview, Hermantown slipped past Hibbing 5-4 on Thursday night in Hibbing.

Class 1A, Section 7 bracket

Cardinals, the state's highest scoring team, picked ahead of Hutchinson, New Ulm

Luverne was tabbed as the top seed in Class 1A, Section 3 in a vote by the section’s coaches. The coaches met on Wednesday night, and the bracket was released on Thursday.

The Cardinals, the state’s highest-scoring team at 8.54 goals per game, posted a 13-1 record against section opponents, losing only to New Ulm 5-2 on Jan. 30.

Luverne (20-4-0) received a first-round bye and opens the postseason with a quarterfinal game at Blue Mound Ice Arena on Thursday, Feb. 19. The Cardinals appeared in their first state tournament after winning the section title last season.

Second-seeded Hutchinson (14-8-1) and third-seeded New Ulm (14-8-2) also earned first-rounds byes in the 11-team section. Marshall (15-9-1) is the fourth seed.

Class 1A, Section 3 bracket

Panthers went undefeated against No. 2  and 3 seeds Chisago Lakes, Princeton

Spring Lake Park, which has never reached the state tournament, was selected as the top seed in Class 1A, Section 5 in a vote of the section's coaches. The pairings were released Wednesday night.

The Panthers (13-10-1) went undefeated in four games against section opponents this season, including a sweep of two games with No. 2 seed Chisago Lakes (7-14-2), the defending section champion.

Spring Lake Park also has defeated No. 3 seed Princeton (11-12-2) this season. The No. 4 seed went to Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson (13-10-1). 

Class 1A, Section 5 bracket

Bemidji, Alexandria and East Grand Forks also get No. 1 seeds as first wave of brackets is released

Elk River, ranked No. 6 in the state in Class 2A, received the No. 1 seed in Class 2A, Section 7 on Wednesday night in a vote of the section's coaches.

The Elks (19-4-1) open the playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at home against the winner of a Saturday's first-round game between No. 9 Cambridge-Isanti and No. 8 St. Francis.

The No. 2 seed went to Grand Rapids (13-10-2), the No. 3 to Duluth East (11-10-3) and the No. 4 to St. Michael-Albertville (20-4-0). 

Class 2A, Section 7 bracket

Moorhead is No. 2 seed, while Roseau No. 3 and Buffalo No. 4

Bemidji was selected as the No. 1 seed in Class 2A, Section 8 by the section’s coaches on Wednesday. The Lumberjacks (19-3-2), who are 9-0 against section rivals this season, received a first-round bye in the nine-team playoff and host a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 17. 

Moorhead (14-7-2) is the No. 2 seed and Roseau (12-11-1) is the No. 3 seed. Buffalo (14-8) earned the No. 4 seed.

Class 2A, Section 8 bracket

The Cardinals were selected head of St. Cloud Cathedral, Fergus Falls

Alexandria received the top seed in Class 1A, Section 6 on a vote of the section’s coaches on Wednesday.

The Cardinals (21-2-1, 13-1-1) sit atop the Central Lake Conference and have won their last six games. They earned a first-round bye in the 11-team section and host the winner of the No. 8 Northern Lakes/No. 9 Wadena-Deer Creek play-in game in a quarterfinal match on Thursday, Feb. 17. Play-in games take place on Saturday, Feb. 14.

St. Cloud Cathedral (12-11-0) is the No. 2 seed and Fergus Falls (17-5-3) is No. 3. St. Cloud Apollo  (18-4-2) is the fourth seed.

Class 1A, Section 6 bracket

Defending state Class 1A champion Green Wave get nod ahead of Thief River Falls, Warroad

Defending state Class 1A champion East Grand Forks was selected as the top seed in Class 1A, Section 8 on Wednesday in a vote of the section's 10 coaches.

The Green Wave (20-4-1) have won 11 of their last 12 entering the section playoffs, which begin Tuesday with two first-round games. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19.

Thief River Falls (12-12-0) is the No. 2 seed and Warroad (12-12-2), hit hard by injuries that sidelined several of its top players for much of the season, is seeded No. 3. Detroit Lakes (17-5-2) rounded out the top four seeds.

Class 1A, Section 8 bracket