Seven miles separate two of the state's top private-school programs, and both enter Wednesday's matchup with impressive winning streaks.
St. Thomas Academy hasn’t lost since its season-opening 5-4 finish to No. 1-2A Minnetonka on Nov. 24, and the No. 2-2A Cadets (16-1-1, 7-0-0) earned a bit of vindication on Dec. 28 by claiming the Schwan's Cup Gold Division title with a shootout victory over the Skippers after the team's finished regulation tied 3-3.
It was the midway point of St. Thomas Academy's 17-game unbeaten streak — one that has seen Payton Matsui (19-22-41) emerge as the Cadets' leading scorer.
Cretin-Derham Hall enters the week on a 12-game winning streak, one that could have ended at 11 on Saturday. The No. 6-2A Raiders (16-2-1, 10-0-1) trailed 1-0 after the first period of its highly anticipated matchup with No. 5-2A Holy Family Catholic, but they responded with a scoring flurry en route to a resounding 10-1 final. Danny Magnuson (8-20-28) tallied five points in the rout — a win Cretin-Derham Hall looks to build on heading into the showdown with the Cadets.