Edina at Hill-Murray
7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 9

A classic nonconference meeting between two of the metro’s heavyweight programs, whenever Edina and Hill-Murray are set to play, people are going to pay attention.

It’s also a rematch from last Wednesday’s Gold Division consolation final at the Schwan Cup, where the Hornets prevailed 5-4.

Edina has a modest record by its own standards at 9-5-1 and has been lacking in offensive production at times, though this group of Hornets is young and ought to be expected to continue to improve in the run to the postseason.

A lot of that can also be applied to Hill-Murray, though the Pioneers strung together seven straight wins before losses into Eden Prairie and Edina in the Gold Division at the Schwan Cup. Hill-Murray has been inconsistent against some of the big class’ best squads, going 1-3 against Lake Conference teams.

The No. 13-2A Pioneers will soon get a chance to test themselves with a challenging January schedule that begins with No. 6-2A Edina on Jan. 9.