St. Thomas Academy at Wayzata
7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 23

St. Thomas Academy is one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in the state, ripping through its first half-dozen opponents while scoring an impressive 8.0 goals per game. But the Cadets have yet to face an opponent like Wayzata.

No. 4-2A St. Thomas Academy (6-0-0) has overcome the early departure of All-State forward Tom Novak with a balanced attack, paced by speedy Christiano Versich (7-14-21), who’s headed to Colorado College. But he’s just one of eight Cadets averaging at least one point per game, and one of eight with at least three goals. Power forward Alex Broetzman (7-13-20) is often overlooked, but his play, along with Peter Tufto (9-8-17) and Will Jerry (6-8-14), has been key to the Cadets’ fast start. Defenseman Seamus Donohue (4-5-9) is one of the best three-zone blue liners in the state and has committed to the Air Force Academy. Perhaps it’s no surprise the Cadets’ power play is clicking at 42.1 percent with all that offensive talent.

No. 3-2A Wayzata (6-1-2) just saw its five-game winning streak end with a 3-3 tie to Burnsville last Saturday. The Trojans played in three overtime games —  they tied twice and lost (6-5 to Elk River on Nov. 25). That loss is the only game in which the tough Trojans’ defense has allowed more than three goals. Overall, Wayzata's defense averages just 2.0 goals against per game, and that's been a common theme in the tenure of coach Pat O’Leary. Wayzata has balanced scoring, with six players tallying between 10 and 14 points and six with between four and six goals, led by Billy Duma (4-10-14), Jack Fetrow (5-8-13) and Nathan Dingmann (6-7-13).