Orono at Delano
7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 10

As mentioned earlier, Breck is the prohibitive favorite to win Class 1A, Section 2, but don’t tell that to Orono or Delano, both of whom will make life difficult for the Mustangs. But first, they have to take care of one another this Tuesday night.

No. 15-1A Orono (14-8-1) is the defending section champion after upsetting Breck in overtime last winter. The Spartans came into the season with momentum, but dropped off the radar a bit when they lost their first four games of the year. Starting on New Year’s Eve, though, Orono is 11-3-0 and beginning to roll. Goaltender Jon Flakne (14-8-1, 2.25, .920) backstopped last year’s playoff run and has been big in his senior year, winning six of his last seven starts.

One of Orono’s three losses in the new year, however, was to No. 9-1A Delano (19-4-0) on Jan. 16. The game was tied with just over 7 minutes to play before the Tigers erupted for three goals from Gabe Halonen (10-4-14), Brady Miller (10-11-21) and Karl Peterson (12-12-24) to seal a 6-3 win. Miller and Halonen each scored twice, while goalie Tyler Rizzardi (19-4-0, 2.19, .916) finished with 30 saves.