2024 MN high school boys hockey spotlight games

Watch some of the best teams from the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota in livestreams produced by Neighborhood Sports Network TV.

2024 MN high school boys hockey spotlight games

Watch some of the best teams from the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota in livestreams produced by Neighborhood Sports Network TV.

Thursday’s matchup: St. Cloud Cathedral (3-2-2) vs. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (6-0-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Cloquet Area Recreation Center

What’s at stake: C-E-C boasts the No. 1 QRF in Class 1A and holds the top spot in the Section 7 standings as of Dec. 18. A victory over St. Cloud Cathedral may not change the Lumberjacks’ position, but a loss to the Crusaders could allow the International Falls (tied at No. 4 in QRF ranking), Hermantown (t-No. 4 QRF) and Hibbing/Chisholm (No. 6 QRF) to close close the gap and be in position to grab the No. 1 seed for the section playoffs.

Defending Class 1A champion St. Cloud Cathedral needs a signature victory to settle its shaky start and stop its slide in the rankings. Knocking off C-E-C in Cloquet would certainly meet that criteria. The Crusaders were ranked No. 1 in the coaches preseason poll but two ties and two losses in their first seven games have dropped the team to No. 7 in the rankings released Dec. 17. Staying in the top 10 and climbing from its current position would indicate that St. Cloud Cathedral has steadied its play and that the Crusaders are capable of defending their state title.

How they’ve fared: C-E-C is off to a fantastic start, entering Thursday’s showdown undefeated and riding a six-game winning streak, helping propel the Lumberjacks to No. 2 in the Class 1A coaches rankings and No. 14 in this week’s Minnesota Top 25. The run includes a 4-3 victory over No. 9-1A East Grand Forks and two significant wins over Section 7 rivals Proctor and Hibbing/Chisholm. The Lumberjacks defeated No. 16 Rails 4-3 on forward Niko Gentilini’s game-winner in overtime. They rallied from a 4-0 first-period deficit to upend the No. 3 Bluejackets 8-5 thanks to Grady Knutson’s hat trick and four assists from Gentilini.

St. Cloud Cathedral tied No. 4 Warroad 2-2 in overtime in the season opener, but the No. 7 Crusaders have been unable to gain traction in their last six games. St. Cloud Cathedral lost to Hibbing/Chisholm 3-6 and fell to Class 2A Rock Ridge 6-1. The Crusaders also tied Northfield 2-2 in overtime and have victories over Gentry Academy (7-6) and Alexandria (5-3). They are coming off an 8-1 rout of River Lakes powered by two goals and two assists from Joey Gillespie, and two goals and three assists from fellow forward John Hirschfeld, who has a team-best 10 assists on the season.

Players to watch: C-E-C has leaned on four seniors for production. Knutson’s 10 goals are tied for the ninth most in Class 1A, and the forward (10-5-15) is tied with Gentilini (7-9-15) for the team lead in points. Defender Karson Young (3-9-12) and forward Bobby Thornton (3-9-12) lead the Lumberjacks in assists.

A trio of seniors have been responsible for most of the Crusaders offense. Gillespie (7-6-13) has the most goals, Hirschfeld (3-10-13) has the most assists and forward Jaeger Wood (2-9-11) has double-digit points this season. Junior defender Griffin Sturm (5-9-14) has team lead for points.