Stillwater at White Bear Lake
5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 16

How good is White Bear Lake? The No. 15-2A Bears (5-0-0) have done their part to answer that question, winning all of their games by a combined 26-7 score. But those five opponents have a combined 12-19-1 record and only one (Woodbury at 4-3-0) is over .500 as entering the holidays. That leaves a few questions in observers' minds, but many that should be answered after a grudge match Tuesday night against Stillwater (5-2-0). The Ponies upset the second-seeded Bears in the Class 2A, Section 4 semifinals last year, which should only add to the atmosphere.

White Bear Lake absorbed the early departure of leading scorer Jake Wahlin, with Tom Giller (9-7-16) shouldering most of the load. The rugged senior has scored in every game this season and has been involved in 62 percent of the team’s 26 goals.

Stillwater already lost one game to a Section 4 foe (4-3 to Roseville) and can’t afford to drop many more or it will be forced to hit the road in the section playoffs. The Ponies responded to that loss with an impressive 6-3 victory at Cretin-Derham Hall in which Noah Cates (5-4-9) had two goals and Jesse Bjugstad (3-5-8) and Matthew Stanton (2-6-8) each had a goal and two assists.