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Top games: Undefeated St. Thomas meets Cretin-Derham Hall for a second time

By Heather Rule, 12/19/22, 10:45AM CST

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Dec. 22: The No. 4 Cadets seem to be thriving under new head coach Mike Randolph.


Photo by SportsEngine

We task our reporters with identifying several intriguing games throughout the state to assemble our Top Games of the Week. The matchups are presented in no particular order, and when there are additional games we want to highlight, we’ll include them with brief notes.

St. Thomas Academy vs. Cretin-Derham Hall

7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 22

It still feels early in the season, but this is already the second meeting between Suburban East Conference squads St. Thomas Academy and Cretin-Derham Hall. St. Thomas is undefeated and ranked No. 4 in Class 2A according to the Dec. 15 coaches’ poll. Cretin-Derham Hall is ranked No. 19.

The Cadets won the first meeting 4-2 to open the season. Will Dosan had a three-point game with two goals (an empty netter) and an assist. Last season, Cretin-Derham Hall won both regular-season meetings. Might this be a preview of the Class 2A, Section 3 final later this season?

The Cadets (7-0), under their new but veteran head coach Mike Randolph, kept their perfect record going with a 4-3 victory over Holy Family on Dec. 17. The team’s leading scorer, senior Tommy Cronin, scored the winning goal 2 minutes, 38 seconds into overtime.

St. Thomas Academy has outscored opponents 36-7 this season. Cronin ranks in the top 10 in the state with his 14 goals – three on the power play and one shorthanded – to go with his seven assists. Sophomores Dosan (four goals, two assists) and Max Candon (four goals, four assists) are second on the team in goals with four each. In the net, senior Tyler Magozzi (4-0, 1.23 goals-against average, .932 save percentage) has two shutouts, while sophomore Cody Niesen (3-0) has a 0.67 goals-against average and .964 save percentage.

Cretin-Derham Hall doesn’t have seven wins in a row, but it might have six by puck drop. With a string of five-consecutive wins, the Raiders will host Lakeville North on Tuesday in hopes to extend the streak to six. Cretin-Derham Hall rattled off the victories after a 0-2 start with the loss to St. Thomas and a loss to Hermantown, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A at the time.

The Raiders have outscored opponents 28-12 since then. Seniors Attila Lippai and Jake Fisher each have four goals and eight assists to lead the team in scoring this season. Two of Fisher’s tallies have come on the power play, where he’s also recorded half of his assists. 


Northfield vs. New Prague

7:15 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20

The last time these two teams met, it was a close contest at the biggest time of year. New Prague defeated Northfield 3-2 in overtime to advance to the Class 1A, Section 1 title game last year. 

No. 9-1A Northfield is 6-2 this year with losses coming to a couple of top Class 1A teams in Mahtomedi and Orono. The Raiders are scoring five goals a game thanks to players like junior Jake Geiger (nine goals, eight assists), goal-scoring leader Kamden Kaiser (11 goals, five assists) and junior defenseman Ty Frank (three goals, eight assists). The team’s power play has found the back of the net 15 times this season (48.4%). 

New Prague finished below .500 last season but finished the year at Xcel Energy Center for the Class 1A tournament one year removed from playing in Class 2A. The team sits 3-2 this season after an overtime loss to Orono and then a loss to Chaska over the weekend.

Their power play is scoring at 40% (6-for-15) as part of the 4.60 goals-per-game effort this year. Junior Will Seymour (two goals, seven assists) is the team assists and points leader. Senior John Schmidt (three goals, three assists) has two power-play goals. Junior Eric Berg (four goals, two assists) and junior Braeden Woitas (four goals) each have four goals to lead the team.


Alexandria vs. Northern Lakes

7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20

Alexandria and Northern Lakes represent Class 1A, Section 6 in this matchup. Alexandria won the meeting between these two last year by a 6-4 margin, but both programs have recent state tournament experience. Alexandria took fourth in Class 1A last year. Northern Lakes made the Class 1A state quarterfinals in 2021, losing to Gentry Academy.

Northern Lakes has started this year 2-2 scoring 3.25 goals per game. Sophomore Jerome Martin (two goals, two assists) is the team’s leading scorer; both of his goals came on special teams with power-play and shorthanded tallies. Senior forward Darby Boelter and senior defenseman Christian Crutcher have a goal and three assists each. 

Alexandria is off to an 0-4 start and with a couple of one-goal losses, is looking to rebound. The Cardinals started slow last season, too at 1-3, but ended the year at the state tournament.

Its roster boasts scoring depth with senior Nick Peterson (four goals, three assists), senior Tyler Kludt (three goals, three assists), senior Joe Lamski (four assists) and junior defenseman Jack Lamski (one goal, two assists). Their power play is clicking at 30.8% so far.


Other games to keep an eye on

Mankato West vs. Mankato East/Loyola, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 22. A Big 9 Conference matchup. Mankato East/Loyola went 3-0 in this head-to-head series last season, with the final victory coming in the Class 1A, Section 3 quarterfinal. Mankato West (3-2-1) looks to rebound from a pair of shutout losses over the weekend. Mankato East/Loyola comes into the week on a three-game winning streak.

Andover vs. Duluth East, 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20. These two programs have some history amid a deep Class 2A, Section 7 rivalry. No. 7-2A Andover has won the past two regular-season meetings between the teams, while Duluth East took overtime, section championship victories over Andover in 2018 and 2019.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s vs. Blake, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20. No. 10-2A Benilde-St. Margaret’s beat Blake twice last season, including in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinal. Blake’s three victories this season have all been one-goal games, including an overtime victory over Eden Prairie and a 4-3 win at Breck last week.


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