St. Thomas Academy's Tanner Brouwer (8) watches the puck go in the net. Brouwer recorded a hat trick in the first period, and finished with four goals and an assist helping the Cadets to an 11-0 win over the Packers. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
A small group of St. Thomas Academy and South St. Paul players stuck around on the ice for a post-game conversation following the Cadets’ 11-0 victory over the Packers at Doug Woog Arena Thursday night.
The hangout displayed one of the biggest reasons why many of Minnesota’s top hockey players choose to finish their prep careers at home, rather than playing in a junior league elsewhere.
Sure, teams like St. Thomas Academy also have dreams of winning state titles. But for players like senior Jackson Hallum, playing with friends in a state where high school hockey is popular was too good to pass up.
“I love playing MSHSL, and I love playing for St. Thomas Academy — it’s such a great school,” said Hallum, who was drafted in the third round of the NHL entry draft this past fall by Vegas Golden Knights. “I love playing in Minnesota, it’s such a great state to play for. And I get to do stuff like this after games.”
The Cadets had a fast start Thursday, which included first-period hat tricks from Hallum and Tanner Brouwer. Their scoring prowess helped St. Thomas Academy to a 7-0 lead going into the first intermission. The duo combined for 10 points total in the matchup.
Photo Gallery: St. Thomas Academy vs. South St. Paul
Hallum had been playing with the Green Bay Gamblers in the United States Hockey League before the start of this year’s MSHSL season. And teammate Jared Wright, also a senior, was also playing juniors with the North American Hockey League’s Minot Minotauros.
But they chose to return to a St. Thomas Academy team that came within one goal of playing for a Class 2A state championship last winter. The Cadets’ championship hopes were dashed by an overtime goal from rival Hill-Murray in a semifinal matchup at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
While few details have emerged about what a state tournament would look like in this pandemic-shortened season, the Cadets appear to again be a contender. The Cadets’ triumph Thursday improved their season record to 6-0-0 and they’re No. 3 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll.
And there are no worries about a slow start, either. Last season, the Cadets found themselves sitting with a 5-7-2 record on Jan. 9 before finishing the season hot. This season, a more experienced group of players has been ready for what can happen in a fast-paced high school season.
“This year it was pretty known what was expected from us as a group of players,” Hallum said. “We expect a lot from our coaches, too, and they expect a lot from us. So it goes hand-in-hand.”
The offense has been a big driver for St. Thomas Academy’s fast start, averaging nearly seven goals per game. With talented goal scorers and veteran leadership, Cadets coach Trent Eigner hasn’t had to worry about a slow start like last year.
“We have a good returning group of guys on top of that, some good leadership,” Eigner said. “I think that some of the habits that we created in the second half of last year have carried through, and it has obviously helped us be a little better hockey team early on.”
While St. Thomas Academy has a wide net of talent to lean on coming into this season, illness and injuries have caused problems for a South St. Paul (1-3-0) program that already has to worry about low numbers.
A few of the team’s skaters were out Thursday due to potential COVID exposure, and the Packers were down to just one goaltender as well. Coach Peter Schultz said senior goaltender Cole Sitar is out with infectious mononucleosis after playing one game this winter. With another goalie out due to injury, that left freshman Ben Bangura to protect the net.
“The COVID pandemic era is an interesting thing,” Schultz said. “A lot of things are outside of your control.”
Senior forward Jackson Hallum (15) makes his presence known in front of South St. Paul goalie Ben Bangura. Hallum scored 21 seconds into the game and added two more goals in the first period. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
First Report
A fast start helped Jackson Hallum, Tanner Brouwer, and St. Thomas Academy cruise to an 11-0 defeat of Metro East Conference opponent South St. Paul at Doug Woog Arena on Thursday night.
The Cadets' fast start included first-period hat tricks from Hallum and Brouwer, as St. Thomas Academy recorded seven total goals in the game's opening period.
Hallum ended the night with three goals and two assists for St. Thomas Academy (6-0-0, 5-0-0), while Brouwer finished with four goals and one assist.
Max Nagel, Tyler Grahme, Jared Wright and Tommy Cronin also scored for the Cadets, ranked No. 3 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll.
South St. Paul (1-3-0, 1-2-0) freshman goalkeeper Ben Bangura made 37 saves against the high-powered Cadets.
Luke McClellan (8) carries the puck through the neutral zone for South St. Paul. McClellan averaged two points per game prior to the 11-0 loss to Metro East Conference rival St. Thomas Academy. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
The MN Hockey Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.
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