Brainerd vs. Bemidji

7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 30

Bemidji's bid for a third consecutive state tournament appearance fell short when it lost to Brainerd 5-4 in overtime of a Class 2A, Section 8 semifinal last year. Under the direction of first-year coach Eric Monsrud, the Lumberjacks aim to avenge that defeat Thursday in a regular-season showdown with the Warriors.

Goalie Matt Fitzgerald anchors Bemidji's inexperienced defensive core, which is without its three top defenders from a year ago. Fitzgerald is coming off a season in which he posted the state's best regular-season save percentage (.928) for returning goaltenders.

Hunter Olson looks to be the focal point of the Lumberjacks offense. He is the team's only returning double-digit goal scorer after finishing his sophomore campaign with 11.

Brainerd brings back 16 letterwinners and 86 percent of the scoring from a team that won 15 games a year ago. Leading the way are Notre Dame commit Jack Evans (15-20-35) and Matt Fischer (16-15-31), the Warriors' top two scorers last season. Fischer registered the overtime game-winner in the postseason victory over Bemidji.