Public versus Private. East Side versus West. Hitters versus Speedsters. Tuesday’s matchup at Phalen Arena in St. Paul between St. Paul Johnson and Breck (the teams complete the home-and-home series on Thursday) is a study in contrasts in almost every way imaginable. One commonality: The teams play out of different sections (Breck competes in Class 1A, Section 2 while Johnson is in Class 1A, Section 4), both of which are considered among the deepest and most competitive in the state.
Breck (8-4-0) has won three straight and five of its last six games, with the defeat coming in a 7-0 stumble on Feb. 16 against juggernaut No. 2-1A Gentry Academy. Senior forward Beau Courneya (13 goals, 12 assists) is the top scorer for the No. 10-1A Mustangs, who also feature sophomore standout defenseman Caden Morgan (6 goals, 9 assists).
St. Paul Johnson (5-5-0) has alternated winning and losing streaks for much of the season, and the Governors are in the midst of a two-game slide after losing to Class 2A private schools Holy Angels 5-2 on Feb. 25 and Blake 5-3 on Feb. 27. Senior Blayde Pogreba leads Johnson with 11 goals and 20 points, and senior Hunter Fischbach has 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists).