St. Cloud Cathedral at Duluth Denfeld
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 23

St. Cloud Cathedral has fought back to .500 after losing its first three games of the season. It hasn’t been easy, and it won’t be again this week, not with a trip to Duluth Denfeld on tap Tuesday night.

The  No. 12-1A Crusaders (4-4-0), largely with the same roster, finished fourth in Class 1A last season and had high expectations entering this winter. But a tough early schedule knocked Cathedral down the rankings, even though it may be positively challenging and preparing the Crusaders for the postseason. Logan Neu (5-5-10), Brady Johnston (3-5-8) and Matt Fritz (3-4-7) are the only three players with more than one goal for the Crusaders, who average just 2.5 goals per game. Cathedral has played six teams in the most recent coaches poll and will add another with Denfeld.

The No. 11-1A Hunters (7-2-0) provide a strong defensive presence, as they’ve allowed just one goal while winning five of their last six games (a streak broken by a 3-1 loss to No. 1-1A Hermantown). Hulking defenseman Nick Thompson (8-7-15) not only is a factor in his own zone with his big reach, but he’s also Denfeld’s leading goal scorer. A year after transferring from Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, Dylan Michaud (4-12-16) has also made a big impact as the team’s leading point-getter.